Method and device for attaching a packing slip to a package.

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Octrooicentrum

Nederland (21) Aanvraagnummer: 2013330 © Aanvraag ingediend: 15/08/2014 © 2013330

BI OCTROOI (51) Int. Cl.:

B65B 61/20 (2006.01) B65C 1/02 (2006.01)

<td> ©</td><td>Aanvraag gepubliceerd:</td><td> ©</td><td>Octrooihouder(s): Inther Logistics Engineering B.V. te Venray.</td>

<td> ©</td><td>Octrooi verleend: 22/09/2016</td><td> ©</td><td>Uitvinder(s): Paul Frederik Leonard Antoon Hermsen</td>

<td> ©</td><td>Octrooischrift uitgegeven: 23/01/2017</td><td></td><td>te Arcen.</td>

<td></td><td></td><td> ©</td><td>Gemachtigde: ir. H.Th. van den Heuvel c.s. te 's-Hertogenbosch.</td>

© Method and device for attaching a packing slip to a package.

(57) Device for attaching a packing slip to a package, comprising means for picking up a cover foil, a t one side along its borders provided with an adhesive, means for picking up a packing slip, smaller or equal to the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive, means for placing the packing slip against the cover foil, inside the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive and means for moving the packing slip and the foil against a package wherein the adhesive is put against the box, thus attaching the package slip to the box, covered by the foil.

NL BI 2013330

Dit octrooi is verleend ongeacht het bijgevoegde resultaat van het onderzoek naar de stand van de techniek en schriftelijke opinie. Het octrooischrift komt overeen met de oorspronkelijk ingediende stukken.

Method and device for attaching a packing slip to a package

The present invention relates to a method and device for attaching a packing slip to a package.

Packing slips are attached to packages and parcels, in order to provide information regarding the addressee or contents of a package easily, without having to open the package. They may comprise readable information, either by humans or by a machine, and for that reason, it is common to adhere the packing slip in such way, that at least part of its contents can be read directly.

One solution is to provide the packing slip in an at least partially transparent envelope to the package or parcel. Envelopes according to the state of the art are provided with a transparent window, or they are completely transparent. They are attached to the package by an adhesive which may be pre-applied on the envelope, and provided with a protection layer to be peeled off before adhering the envelope to the package.

Although these envelopes fulfil a certain need, they have certain disadvantages. Firstly they comprise a lot of (plastics) material, and secondly, they are require a lot of (manual) handling to be applied, which slows down automated package handling processes. It is therefore a goal of the present invention to provide a method and device for attaching a packing slip to a package that lacks the above disadvantages.

The invention thereto proposes a device for attaching a packing slip to a package, comprising: means for picking up a cover foil, at one side along its borders provided with an adhesive; means for picking up a packing slip, smaller or equal to the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive; means for placing the packing slip against the cover foil, inside the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive; means for moving the packing slip and the foil against a package wherein the adhesive is put against the box, thus attaching the package slip to the box, covered by the foil.

By using a foil at one side along its borders provided with an adhesive, which is particular a single layered foil, a reduction of material used is achieved when compared to using an envelope. Also the amount of adhesive required is reduced, when it is only applied at the borders of a foil, instead of at a complete back side of an envelope. The foil extends for instance at all sides a few millimetres to 1 centimetre over the size of the packing slip, and the adhesive is applied to the main part of the extension. The packing slip may be provided by a printer and delivered upon arrival of a package or parcel. Such package or parcel may be a boxed item, or a (card board) envelope, or an item to which the packing slip is adhered directly. The packages, parcels or other items to be provided with the packing slip may be handled in an automatic system, and being conveyed on a conveyor belt or another appropriate package handling system.

In an embodiment the means for picking up a cover foil comprise a vacuum suction area. Such area may enables to pick up the foil by only having contact with its side that is not provided with the adhesive, so that the foil cannot unintendedly stick to the means for picking it up.

Such foil may be provided on a roll, which has a length for use on multiple packages, and which is provided with rectangular areas provided with adhesive. The foil is then cut such that the cut off part is provided with adhesive along its borders. Thereto, the device according to the present invention may comprise means for taking an amount off a roll, and cutting means, for cutting the foil from a roll.

In a further embodiment, the device may comprise a folding-unit, for folding the package slip such that it becomes smaller or equal to the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive. Since the foil that is used may have a pre-specified size, the packing slip should fall within it size, and more specifically within the area provided with the adhesive. Thereto, if the slip is larger than said area, it may be fold before it is placed against the cover foil.

The means for placing the packing slip against the cover foil, inside the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive may in an embodiment comprise a rack, for supporting the slip and/or the foil. The rack may be arranged such that the package slip and the foil rest in such mutual orientation that they can be placed against a package directly. Such orientation could for instance be a package slip, centred with respect to the foil.

The means for placing the packing slip against the cover foil, inside the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive may comprise at least one clamp, for clamping the slip against the foil. The clamp may in particular act on the package slip, and force it to the foil on the suction pad. The clamp may for that purpose be movable arranged with respect to the vacuum suction area, and/or be arranged for clamping the packing slip and the foil against the vacuum suction area. Preferably, the means for placing the packing slip against the cover foil, inside the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive comprises at least two clamps for clamping the slip against the foil. It was found that by using at least two clamps, the packing slip is more accurately forced to the foil and folding/flipping of the packing slip during further processing of the packing slip and foil is prevented.

The means for moving the packing slip and the foil against a package wherein the adhesive is put against the package, may for instance comprise a movable arm, such as a robot arm, for moving the vacuum suction area, the rack and the clamp towards a package.

The device may further comprise a pressure roller, for pressing the package slip and the foil against a package. To avoid damage to the package, the pressure applied by the pressure roller may be varied depending on the materials used, e.g. the firmness of the material the package is made of, and/or the position the packing slip is pressed against the package, e.g. against the side of the package or on top of the package. The pressure roller may be arranged movable with the vacuum suction area, the rack and the clamp. The device may then be configured for performing at least part of the steps of:

Conveying a package to a packing slip adhering area;

Picking up a cover foil, at one side along its borders provided with an adhesive, for instance by cutting, e.g. using a wire saw, said foil from a roll;

Picking up a packing slip, smaller or equal to the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive;

Placing the packing slip against the cover foil, inside the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive;

Moving the packing slip and the foil against a package wherein the adhesive is put against the box, e.g. to the side or on top of the box, thus attaching the package slip to the box, covered by the foil;

Fixing the packing slip and the foil against the package by rolling the pressure roll over the foil and the package slip.

The invention will now be elucidated into more detail with reference to the following figures. Herein:

Figure 1 shows a first detail of a device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a second detail of a device according to the present invention; and

Figure 3 shows a third detail of a device according to the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a detail of a device 1 for attaching a packing slip to a package according to the present invention, comprising means for taking an amount off a roll, formed by a pair 2, 3 of cooperating grippers for pulling a length of foil 4 from the roll 5, and cutting means, formed by a wire saw 6, preferably a hot wire, for cutting the foil 4 from a roll 5. The roll 5 comprises multiple elongate parts, sequentially behind each other, each part at one side along its borders 7 provided with an adhesive. At one side means, at one of the two surfaces, which is the same side for the entire roll, so that a ladder-shaped pattern of adhesive is applied to the foil, which is to be cut through its steps for forming the separate parts of foil.

Figure 2 shows a vacuum suction area 8 for picking up a cover foil. The device is configured such that the vacuum suction area 8 may engage the foil at the side opposite to that comprising the adhesive. The device further comprises means for picking up a packing slip and placing it against the cover foil, inside the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive. The means for placing the packing slip against the cover foil, inside the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive comprise a rack 9, for supporting the slip and/or the foil. The rack may be formed by a clamp 9 is movable between a position for engaging the foil, and a (drawn dashed) position 9’ for receiving and clamping the packing slip against the foil. This position is further visible in figure 3. It is noted that figure 3 displays two clamps 9 being a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The packing slip may be prepared by a (non depicted) folding-unit, for folding the package slip such that it becomes smaller or equal to the area of the cover foil within the borders provided with the adhesive.

Figure 3 shows that the device comprise a robot arm 10 for moving the vacuum suction area 8, the rack and the clamp 9 towards a package 10, which comprises a pressure roller, for pressing the package slip 11 and the foil 4 against a package 12. The package is delivered on a conveyor 13, for moving packages along the means for moving the packing slip 11 and the foil 4 against the package.