JP7639629B2 - Packaging box selection system, user terminal, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging box selection system, an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

In recent years, with the spread of online shopping, the volume of goods handled in logistics has been steadily increasing. Most of the goods handled in logistics are usually packed in various types of packaging boxes made of appropriately sized cardboard or cardboard (see, for example, Patent Documents 1-3).

Special table 2018-510100 publication JP 2020-183964 A JP 2020-184295 A

The shipping fee for an item varies depending on the delivery company, but it is basically based on the size and weight of the packaging box that the item is enclosed in. Therefore, it is desirable for the packaging box used for delivery to be as small as possible. However, since the packaging box is required to have dimensions that exceed the long side, short side, and height of the item to be packaged, if an existing packaging box is used, one of these dimensions may be too large, and empty space may unavoidably occur within the packaging box.

As a result, one possible way to reduce shipping costs is to prepare special packaging boxes to match the items being packaged. However, these new packaging boxes may be more expensive than existing packaging boxes. Therefore, preparing special packaging boxes to match all the items being packaged may actually increase the total cost of delivery.

The present invention aims to provide a packaging box selection system, information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program that can easily select a packaging box suitable for shipping an item.

To solve the above problem, in this invention, when information about the dimensions of the packaged item is obtained, a choice is made between delivery in an existing packaging box or delivery in a non-existent packaging box based on the delivery cost including the packaging box.

In detail, the present invention is a packaging box selection system that includes a cutter that cuts out the cardboard for the packaging box from base paper for the packaging box, and an information processing device that selects a packaging box to be applied to an object to be packaged. The information processing device has a first processing unit that, upon acquiring information on the dimensions of the object to be packaged, identifies an existing packaging box that can be used to package the object to be packaged based on information on the dimensions of a plurality of existing packaging boxes, a second processing unit that calculates the dimensions of a non-existent packaging box that matches the size of the object to be packaged based on the information on the dimensions of the object to be packaged, and a third processing unit that selects either delivery using the existing packaging box identified by the first processing unit or delivery using the non-existent packaging box calculated by the second processing unit, based on the delivery cost including the packaging box.

In addition, when delivery using a non-existent packaging box is selected, the third processing unit may cause the cutter to start creating a non-existent packaging box.

In addition, when the object to be packaged requires cushioning material, the first processing unit may identify an existing packaging box that can be used to package the object to be packaged by adding the dimensions of the object to the thickness of the cushioning material, and when the object to be packaged requires cushioning material, the second processing unit may calculate the dimensions of a non-existent packaging box by adding the dimensions of the object to the thickness of the cushioning material.

The third processing unit may also select either delivery using the existing packaging box identified by the first processing unit or delivery using the non-existing packaging box calculated by the second processing unit based on a delivery cost calculated based on the unit price of the existing packaging box, the delivery fee indicated for each size, and the cost of creating the non-existing packaging box.

The system may also include a first processing unit that, upon acquiring information on the dimensions of the packaged object, identifies an existing packaging box that can be used to package the packaged object based on information on the dimensions of a plurality of existing packaging boxes; a second processing unit that calculates the dimensions of a non-existent packaging box that matches the size of the packaged object based on the information on the dimensions of the packaged object; and a third processing unit that selects between delivery using the existing packaging box identified by the first processing unit and delivery using the non-existent packaging box calculated by the second processing unit based on the delivery cost including the packaging box.

The present invention can also be viewed from the perspective of a method. For example, the present invention may be an information processing method in which, when a computer acquires information on the dimensions of an object to be packaged, it executes a first process of identifying an existing packaging box that can be used to package the object to be packaged based on information on the dimensions of a plurality of existing packaging boxes, a second process of calculating the dimensions of a non-existent packaging box that matches the size of the object to be packaged based on the information on the dimensions of the object to be packaged, and a third process of selecting either delivery using the existing packaging box identified in the first process or delivery using the non-existent packaging box calculated in the second process based on the delivery cost including the packaging box.

The present invention can also be viewed from the perspective of a program. For example, the present invention may be an information processing program that causes a computer to execute a first process of, upon acquiring information on the dimensions of an object to be packaged, identifying an existing packaging box that can be used to package the object to be packaged based on information on the dimensions of a plurality of existing packaging boxes; a second process of calculating the dimensions of a non-existent packaging box that matches the size of the object to be packaged based on the information on the dimensions of the object to be packaged; and a third process of selecting either delivery using the existing packaging box identified in the first process or delivery using the non-existent packaging box calculated in the second process based on the delivery cost including the packaging box.

The above-mentioned packaging box selection system, information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program make it easy to select a packaging box suitable for delivering an item.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a packaging system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of a packaging process that can be realized by the packaging system. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram realized in the user terminal. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow realized in the user terminal. FIG. 5 is an example of a table for managing information on existing packaging boxes. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of delivery fees set by a delivery company. FIG. 7 shows a modified example of the packaging system.

Below, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

1 is a diagram showing an example of a packaging system. As shown in FIG. 1, the packaging system 1 includes a cutter 4 that automatically cuts out the paperboard for a special packaging box 3 (an example of a "non-existing packaging box" in the present application) made from a cardboard base paper 2, a user terminal 5 (an example of an "information processing device" in the present application) handled by a user of the packaging system 1 who operates the cutter 4, and a measuring device 6 that can measure the dimensions of various items such as the packaged object 8. The user of the packaging system 1 has one or more sizes of existing packaging boxes 7 (an example of an "existing packaging box" in the present application) that can be used to package the packaged object 8, and uses the existing packaging box 7 or the special packaging box 3 to package the packaged object 8 when delivering it by a home delivery service or the like. The existing packaging box 7 is a so-called ready-made packaging box. The special packaging box 3 is a special packaging box made to fit the size of the packaged object 8. In the packaging system 1, the user terminal 5 selects the packaging box to be used for delivering the packaged item 8, thereby reducing the workload of the user of the packaging system 1.

In FIG. 1, the base cardboard paper 2 is shown as a continuous line of cardboard sheets folded accordion-like (also called "continuous cardboard"). However, the base cardboard paper 2 used in the packaging system 1 of this embodiment is not limited to this form. The base cardboard paper 2 may be, for example, in the form of a roll in which a cardboard sheet is wrapped around a core, or in the form of pre-cut cardboard sheets. When cardboard sheets are used as the base cardboard paper 2, the cutter 4 may be a device in the form of a manual paper feeder by the user, or may be an automatic paper feeder that automatically takes in stacked cardboard sheets into the machine.

In addition, while FIG. 1 illustrates the cutter 4 as having a rectangular parallelepiped appearance, the cutter 4 used in the packaging system 1 of this embodiment is not limited to this shape. The cutter 4 may be, for example, a device that does not have a housing, or may be a large facility with a system configuration that includes multiple devices.

In addition, while FIG. 1 illustrates an existing packaging box 7 assembled into a box shape, the existing packaging box 7 used by a user of the packaging system 1 of this embodiment may be stored in the form of flat cardboard before assembly.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the packaging process that can be realized by the packaging system 1. When the packaged object 8 is delivered, it is shipped in a packaging box to prevent the packaged object 8 from being damaged or soiled. The delivery item 9, which contains the packaged object 8 packed in the packaging box, is then transported by a delivery company 10.

The delivery fee collected by the delivery company 10 basically depends on the size and weight of the delivery item 9. Therefore, it is desirable for the packaging box used to deliver the packaged item 8 to be as small as possible. However, in order to contain the packaged item 8, the packaging box is required to have dimensions that exceed all of the long sides, short sides, and height of the packaged item 8. Therefore, if an existing packaging box 7, which is an existing packaging box, is used, one of these dimensions may be excessively large, and empty space, etc. may inevitably occur within the existing packaging box 7.

Therefore, as a measure to reduce shipping costs, the packaging system 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a cutter 4 for creating a special packaging box 3 that matches the size of the packaging object 8 to be packaged, but the creation of the special packaging box 3 may be more expensive than the creation of an existing packaging box 7. Therefore, in the packaging system 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the packaging box to be used to package the packaging object 8 is selected from either the existing packaging box 7 or the special packaging box 3. The selection of the packaging box is performed by a user terminal 5. Therefore, the user terminal 5 will be described in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram realized in the user terminal 5. The user terminal 5 is a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, a main storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an input/output interface, a communication interface, and the like. The user terminal 5 realizes various functional units such as an acquisition unit 51, a specification unit 52 (an example of the "first processing unit" in the present application), a calculation unit 53 (an example of the "second processing unit" in the present application), and a determination unit 54 (an example of the "third processing unit" in the present application) by the CPU executing a computer program loaded from the main storage device to the memory. In addition, a database 55 having various information is stored in the main storage device of the user terminal 5.

The acquisition unit 51 is a functional unit that controls the process of acquiring data on the size of the packaged object 8. The size of the packaged object 8 can be acquired, for example, by manual measurement using a measuring tool such as a tape measure, electronic measurement using the measuring device 6, or by referring to the design data of the packaged object 8. Therefore, the acquisition unit 51 realizes an appropriate input interface according to the user's wishes. For example, the acquisition unit 51 displays an input screen for inputting the results of manual measurements, displays an operation screen for operating the measuring device 6 and checking the measurement results, or displays an operation screen for referring to the design data of the packaged object 8. The acquisition unit 51 then executes a process according to the selection operation by the user, and accepts the value input by the user, the value measured by the measuring device 6, or the dimensional value obtained from the design data of the packaged object 8 as data on the size of the packaged object 8.

The identification unit 52 is a functional unit that controls the process of identifying an existing packaging box 7 that can be used to package the packaging object 8. The existing packaging box 7 that can be used to package the packaging object 8 is determined based on the relationship between the size of the packaging object 8 and the size of the existing packaging box 7, the presence or absence of cushioning material, whether multiple packaging objects 8 are placed in one existing packaging box 7, and the like. Therefore, the identification unit 52 identifies an existing packaging box 7 that can be used to package the packaging object 8 based on data on the size of the packaging object 8 acquired by the acquisition unit 51, data on the size of the existing packaging box 7 that has been acquired in advance, data on the thickness of the cushioning material, and the like. The data on the size of the existing packaging box 7 may be stored in advance in the database 55, for example, or may be stored in another storage area (for example, a cloud), etc.

The calculation unit 53 is a functional unit that is responsible for the process of calculating the dimensions of the special packaging box 3 that matches the size of the packaged object 8 based on information about the dimensions of the packaged object 8. The dimensions of the special packaging box 3 that matches the size of the packaged object 8 will basically be the same as the dimensions of the packaged object 8, but will also depend on the presence or absence of cushioning material, whether multiple packaged objects 8 are placed in one special packaging box 3, etc.

The determination unit 54 is a functional unit that is responsible for the process of selecting either delivery using an existing packaging box 7 or delivery using a special packaging box 3. As mentioned above, it is desirable from the standpoint of delivery costs that the packaging box used to deliver the packaged object 8 be as small as possible, but the selection must also take into consideration the cost of creating the special packaging box 3 and the unit price of the existing packaging box 7. Therefore, the determination unit 54 refers to data related to delivery costs, data related to the cost of creating the special packaging box 3, and data related to the unit price of the existing packaging box 7. Then, based on these data, the determination unit 54 selects either delivery using an existing packaging box 7 or delivery using a special packaging box 3.

The database 55 is a database for storing various information. For example, the database 55 stores data on delivery charges, data on the dimensions and unit prices of existing packaging boxes 7, data on the cost of cushioning materials, data on the dimensions of the objects 8 to be packaged, accumulated data such as dimensions when special packaging boxes 3 were created in the past, and various other data. Note that, in this embodiment, the database 55 is provided in the user terminal 5, but the packaging system 1 is not limited to this form. The packaging system 1 may have a system configuration in which the database 55 is separate from the user terminal 5, for example, the database 55 is stored in a storage device on a network.

The user terminal 5 may be a dedicated computer provided in the packaging system 1, a computer constituting part of the control device of the cutter 4, or a computer used in the normal business operations of an employee of a business using the packaging system 1. A computer program that realizes the above-mentioned various functional units on the user terminal 5 may be distributed to users as application software by the business providing the packaging system 1.

Next, the processing flow realized in the user terminal 5 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow realized in the user terminal 5. The user terminal 5 realizes the following processing flow by the cooperation of each of the functional units described above.

<Step S101>
When a user of the packaging system 1 performs an operation to start processing on the user terminal 5, the user terminal 5 executes processing to acquire dimensional information, which is data related to the size of the packaging object 8. More specifically, the user terminal 5, for example, displays a selection button on the screen to select a method for acquiring dimensional information, and prompts the user to perform an operation. Then, the user terminal 5 displays a screen corresponding to the acquisition method selected by the user. If the user of the packaging system 1 selects, for example, manual measurement, the user terminal 5 displays an input screen for inputting the measurement results. If the user of the packaging system 1 selects, for example, measurement using the measuring device 6, the user terminal 5 displays an operation screen for operating the measuring device 6 and allowing the user to confirm the measurement results. If the user of the packaging system 1 selects, for example, use of design data of the packaging object 8, the user terminal 5 displays an operation screen for referring to the design data of the packaging object 8. Then, the user terminal 5 performs acquisition processing according to any of the selected acquisition methods. For example, when manual measurement is selected, the user terminal 5 acquires the measurement result value input by the user on the input screen as dimensional information. Also, when measurement by the measuring device 6 is selected, the user terminal 5 acquires the value measured by the measuring device 6 as dimensional information. Also, when use of design data of the packaging object 8 is selected, the user terminal 5 accesses a database 55 or the like and acquires the dimensional value obtained from the referenced design data as dimensional information.

In this embodiment, the length of the packaged object 8 in the up-down direction is defined as the height (H), and the longer of the lengths of the packaged object 8 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions is defined as the long side (L), and the shorter is defined as the short side (W). Therefore, the dimensional information is composed of three values: the long side (L), short side (W), and height (H) of the packaged object 8.

The user terminal 5 is not limited to the form of requesting the user to perform a selection operation in step S101. For example, when a measurement start operation is performed on the measuring device 6, the user terminal 5 may automatically select measurement using the measuring device 6 by detecting the operation. Also, when the user terminal 5 receives design data or the like of the packaged object 8 from an external device, the user terminal 5 may automatically accept the received data as dimensional information.

<Step S102>
After executing the process of step S101, the user terminal 5 executes a process for determining whether or not cushioning material is needed. The user terminal 5 determines whether or not cushioning material is needed, for example, by the following process. That is, the user terminal 5 displays a selection screen that allows the user to select whether or not cushioning material is needed, and determines whether or not cushioning material is needed based on the user's selection operation. Alternatively, the user terminal 5 displays a selection screen that allows the user to select the type of packaging object 8, and automatically determines whether or not cushioning material is needed based on the type of packaging object 8 selected by the user. Alternatively, when information on whether or not cushioning material is needed is included in the design data of the packaging object 8, the user terminal 5 determines whether or not cushioning material is needed based on the information. Whether or not cushioning material is needed also depends on the type and thickness of the paper that constitutes the packaging box.

<Step S103>
When the user terminal 5 makes a positive determination in the process of step S102, the user terminal 5 adds the dimensions of the space for the cushioning material to the dimensional information acquired in step S101. Examples of cushioning materials include a vinyl sheet with air bubbles arranged vertically and horizontally, granular foam, powdered material made by crushing wood or paper, a molded product formed to fit the shape of the packaged object 8, and various other materials. Therefore, the value to be added to the dimensional information in this step S102 depends on the type of cushioning material used. For example, if the packaged object 8 is wrapped in a vinyl sheet with air bubbles arranged vertically and horizontally, the thickness of the cushioning material is approximately 25 mm, so 50 mm is added to each of the long side (L), short side (W), and height (H) of the packaged object 8. The value to be added to the dimensional information in this step S102 may be a value arbitrarily set by the user of the packaging system 1, may be a default value according to the type of cushioning material selected by a selection operation, or may be a uniformly fixed value regardless of the type of cushioning material.

<Step S104>
When the user terminal 5 makes a negative determination in the process of step S102 or after executing the process of step S103, the user terminal 5 executes a process of determining whether or not the existing packaging box 7 can be applied. The determination of whether or not the existing packaging box 7 can be applied to packaging the packaging object 8 can be made based on a comparison between information on the dimensions of the existing packaging box 7 and the above-mentioned dimension information. As described above, information on the dimensions of the existing packaging box 7 is stored in the database 55. FIG. 5 is an example of a table for managing information on the existing packaging box 7. The information shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the database 55 as an existing box information management table. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the existing box information management table shows information on the dimensions and unit price of the existing packaging box 7. The information on the dimensions of the existing packaging box 7 is composed of three items: a long side (L), a short side (W), and a height (H). Therefore, the user terminal 5 searches the existing box information management table for an existing packaging box 7 that exceeds the dimensions of the packaging object 8 (including the thickness of the cushioning material if any) in any of the long side (L), short side (W), and height (H). If the corresponding existing packaging box 7 is found, the user terminal 5 determines that the existing packaging box 7 can be applied. If the corresponding existing packaging box 7 is not found, the user terminal 5 determines that the existing packaging box 7 cannot be applied. For example, in the case of a long item such as a fishing rod or a golf club, there is a high possibility that the existing packaging box 7 cannot be applied.

Whether or not an item will fit into the existing packaging box 7 depends on the inside dimensions (internal dimensions) of the existing packaging box 7. Therefore, the judgment process in step S104 is performed based on the internal dimensions of the existing packaging box 7. If the dimensions of the existing packaging box 7 shown in FIG. 5 are internal dimensions, information about the dimensions of the existing packaging box 7 is used as is in the judgment process. Also, if the dimensions of the existing packaging box 7 shown in FIG. 5 are external dimensions, a value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the paper that makes up the existing packaging box 7 from the information about the dimensions of the existing packaging box 7 is used in the judgment process.

The thickness of the paper is diverse. Examples of the paper constituting the existing packaging box 7 include cardboard and corrugated board, and there are various types of corrugated board. For example, corrugated boards include those with one layer, two layers, and three layers of cores forming a flute structure. The thickness of the flute structure formed by the core is also diverse, and some have a thickness of about 5 mm per layer, while others have a thickness of 3 mm, 1.5 mm, or 0.8 mm per layer. Thus, there are many types of corrugated boards, ranging from about 0.8 mm to about 15 mm in thickness. Therefore, when performing a process to subtract the thickness of the paper, the user terminal 5 executes a process to specify the thickness of the paper. Examples of the process to specify the thickness of the paper include having the user input the thickness of the paper, having the user input the type of paper, or referring to data regarding the thickness of the paper.

<Step S105>
If the user terminal 5 makes a positive determination in the processing of step S104, it executes processing to identify an existing packaging box 7 that can be applied to packaging the packaging object 8. It can be said that the existing packaging box 7 suitable for packaging the packaging object 8 is the existing packaging box 7 with the smallest size among the existing packaging boxes 7 retrieved in the processing of step S104. Therefore, in this step S105, the user terminal 5 identifies the existing packaging box 7 with the smallest size among the existing packaging boxes 7 retrieved in the processing of step S104 as the existing packaging box 7 that can be applied to packaging the packaging object 8.

<Step S106>
After executing the process of step S105, the user terminal 5 executes a process to determine whether the delivery size can be reduced. The delivery fee set by the delivery company 10 is determined according to the size and weight of the delivery item 9. The size of the delivery item 9 is set in stages based on the total value of the long side (L), short side (W), and height (H). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the delivery fee set by the delivery company 10. The information on the delivery fee shown in FIG. 6 is stored in the database 55 as a delivery fee management table. The delivery fee set by the delivery company 10 usually takes into account the positional relationship between the sender and the delivery destination. However, the positional relationship between the sender and the delivery destination does not usually affect the size of the packaging box to be selected. Therefore, in this embodiment, for ease of explanation, FIG. 6 only shows the relationship between size and delivery fee.

As shown in FIG. 6, the delivery fee set by the delivery company 10 is set in stages according to the total value of the long side (L), short side (W), and height (H) of the delivery item 9. Therefore, if the size of the packaging box applied to packaging the packaging object 8 is small, the delivery fee can be reduced. Therefore, in this step S106, the user terminal 5 determines whether the total cost required for delivery can be reduced by selecting either the case of creating a special packaging box 3 according to the size of the packaging object 8 or the case of using the existing packaging box 7 identified in step S105. Then, the user terminal 5 determines that the delivery size can be reduced if the total cost required for delivery can be reduced by creating a special packaging box 3 according to the size of the packaging object 8 compared to using the existing packaging box 7 identified in step S105. In addition, the user terminal 5 determines that the delivery size cannot be reduced if the total cost required for delivery can be reduced by using the existing packaging box 7 identified in step S105 compared to creating a special packaging box 3 according to the size of the packaging object 8.

The user terminal 5 calculates the delivery cost when an existing packaging box 7 is used to deliver the packaging object 8 as follows. That is, the user terminal 5 refers to the existing box information management table shown in FIG. 5 and obtains the unit price of the existing packaging box 7 identified in step S105. The user terminal 5 also refers to the delivery fee management table shown in FIG. 6 and obtains the delivery fee corresponding to the size of the existing packaging box 7 identified in step S105. The user terminal 5 then calculates the total cost when an existing packaging box 7 is used to deliver the packaging object 8 as the sum of the unit price of the existing packaging box 7 and the delivery fee.

The user terminal 5 also calculates the delivery cost when the special packaging box 3 is used to deliver the packaged object 8 as follows. That is, the user terminal 5 calculates the production cost of the special packaging box 3. The production cost of the special packaging box 3 can be calculated by multiplying the unit price per unit length of the corrugated cardboard paper 2 by the amount (length) of the corrugated cardboard paper 2 used to produce the special packaging box 3. In this calculation, running costs such as the cost of the cushioning material and the power consumption and maintenance cost of the cutter 4 may be taken into consideration. The unit price per unit length of the corrugated cardboard paper 2 is, for example, input in advance by the user of the packaging system 1 and stored in the database 55. The amount (length) of the corrugated cardboard paper 2 used to produce the special packaging box 3 is calculated, for example, from the lengths of the three sides of the packaged object 8, the long side (L), the short side (W), and the height (H) (if cushioning material is used, the thickness of the cushioning material is also added). 6, and obtains the delivery fee corresponding to the size of the special packaging box 3 from the total value of the long side (L), short side (W), and height (H) of the packaging object 8 (including the thickness of the cushioning material if any).The user terminal 5 then calculates the total value of the production cost of the special packaging box 3 and the delivery fee as the total cost when the special packaging box 3 is used to deliver the packaging object 8.

The user terminal 5 then compares the total cost of using an existing packaging box 7 to deliver the packaged item 8 with the total cost of using a special packaging box 3 to deliver the packaged item 8, and determines whether the delivery size can be reduced by using the special packaging box 3.

<Step S107>
If the user terminal 5 makes a negative determination in the processing of step S106, it determines that the existing packaging box 7 is the packaging box to be used for delivering the packaging object 8. Then, the user terminal 5 displays on a screen information about the existing packaging box 7 identified in step S105 as the existing packaging box 7 suitable for delivering the packaging object 8. Based on the information displayed on the screen of the user terminal 5, the user of the packaging system 1 packages the packaging object 8 using the existing packaging box 7, and requests the delivery company 10 to deliver the delivery item 9.

<Step S108>
When the user terminal 5 makes a positive determination in the process of step S106 or a negative determination in the process of step S104, it determines the special packaging box 3 to be used for delivery of the packaging object 8. Then, the user terminal 5 transmits data on the lengths of the three sides of the packaging object 8, namely, the long side (L), the short side (W), and the height (H) (including the thickness of the cushioning material if a cushioning material is used) to the cutter 4, and causes the cutter 4 to start creating the special packaging box 3. The user of the packaging system 1 uses the special packaging box 3 created by the cutter 4 to package the packaging object 8, and requests the delivery company 10 to deliver the delivery item 9. When creating the special packaging box 3 in this step S108, the user terminal 5 may refer to the accumulated data stored in the database 55 and present to the user the dimensions of a box suitable for packaging the packaging object 8 from among the special packaging boxes 3 created in the past. This makes it possible to prepare special packaging boxes 3 of the same dimensions for packaging objects 8 of similar size, facilitating the accumulation and transportation of the boxes.

The above is an explanation of the processing flow realized in the user terminal 5. According to the packaging system 1, the user terminal 5 selects the packaging box to be used for delivering the packaged object 8, thereby reducing the workload of the user of the packaging system 1. Furthermore, the packaging system 1 does not uniformly create a special packaging box 3 to match the packaged object 8, but rather determines whether to use the special packaging box 3 or an existing packaging box 7, taking into account the total cost required for delivery. Therefore, according to the packaging system 1, it is possible to keep the total cost required for delivery as low as possible.

Such a packaging system 1 is suitable for businesses that handle a variety of packaging objects 8. For example, there are many stores on the Internet that handle small quantities of a wide variety of products. For businesses that operate such stores, reducing the work required to select packaging boxes to be used for delivery and the total cost required for delivery are important issues because they handle small quantities of a wide variety of products. For such businesses, the packaging system 1 is extremely useful.

However, the packaging system 1 may be modified as follows:

For example, in the above embodiment, the cutter 4 is located where the users of the packaging system 1 are located, but each device that constitutes the packaging system 1 may be located in multiple locations or across multiple businesses.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of the packaging system 1. The packaging system 1 may be in a form in which, for example, a cutter 4 that uses the packaging system 1 to package the object 8 to be packaged outsources the manufacture of the special packaging box 3 to an external packaging box manufacturer 12 that has a business relationship with the cutter 4. In this case, the cutter 4 is owned by the packaging box manufacturer 12. In the packaging system 1, for example, the above series of processes (S101 to S108) are executed by the user terminal 5 of the cutter 4, and when sending data in the process of step S108, the data is sent from the user terminal 5 to the server 13 of the packaging box manufacturer 12 via the Internet 11. The server 13 that has received the data from the user terminal 5 then sends the data to the cutter 4 located in the facility of the packaging box manufacturer 12. As a result, the special packaging box 3 is created by the cutter 4 of the packaging box manufacturer 12. The packaging box manufacturer 12 sends the special packaging box 3 created by the cutter 4 to the cutter 4 using the delivery company 10. If the packaging system 1 is in this form, a business that wants to use the packaging system 1 does not need to own a cutter 4. Therefore, even a business whose transaction volume is not large enough to justify owning a cutter 4 can use the packaging system 1. In addition, in this form, it is desirable to make a judgment in the processing of step S106 that also takes into account the ordering fee paid by the user who receives the special packaging box 3 to the packaging box manufacturer 12.

The packaging system 1 of the above embodiment can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention disclosed in this application.

<Computer-readable recording medium>
A program for causing a computer or other machine or device (hereinafter, referred to as a computer, etc.) to realize any of the above functions can be recorded on a recording medium readable by the computer, etc. Then, the computer, etc. can provide the function by reading and executing the program from the recording medium.

Here, a computer-readable recording medium refers to a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs through electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read by a computer. Examples of such recording media that can be removed from a computer include flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-R/Ws, DVDs, Blu-ray disks (Blu-ray is a registered trademark), DAT, 8mm tapes, and memory cards such as flash memory. Additionally, examples of recording media that are fixed to a computer include hard disks and ROMs (read-only memories).

Reference Signs List 1: Packaging system 2: Cardboard base paper 3: Special packaging box 4: Cutter 5: User terminal 6: Measuring device 7: Existing packaging box 8: Packaging object 9: Delivery item 10: Delivery company 11: Internet 12: Packaging box manufacturer 13: Server 51: Acquisition unit 52: Identification unit 53: Calculation unit 54: Determination unit 55: Database

Claims (7)

A server of a packaging box manufacturer that manufactures packaging boxes using a cutting machine that cuts out paperboard for packaging boxes from base paper for packaging boxes;
A user terminal for a business operator handling the packaging object, which selects a packaging box to be applied to the packaging object,
The user terminal includes:
a first processing unit that, when acquiring information on the dimensions of the packaging object, identifies an existing packaging box that can be used to package the packaging object based on information on the dimensions of a plurality of existing packaging boxes;
A second processing unit calculates dimensions of a non-existent packaging box that is adapted to the size of the packaging object based on information regarding the dimensions of the packaging object;
A third processing unit that selects either delivery using the existing packaging box identified by the first processing unit or delivery using a non-existent packaging box calculated by the second processing unit based on a delivery cost including the packaging box;
A fourth processing unit that transmits data on dimensions of the packaging box to a server of the packaging box manufacturer when the third processing unit selects delivery using the non-existent packaging box,
The third processing unit performs the selection by including an ordering cost of the non-existent packaging box, which is to be paid to the packaging box manufacturer, in the delivery cost.
Packaging box selection system. The third processing unit, when selecting delivery using the non-existing packaging box, causes the cutter to start creating the non-existing packaging box.
The packaging box selection system according to claim 1 . The first processing unit, when the packaging object requires a cushioning material, identifies an existing packaging box that can be used to package the packaging object by adding a thickness of the cushioning material to a dimension of the packaging object;
The second processing unit calculates the dimensions of the non-existent packaging box by adding a thickness of the cushioning material to the dimensions of the packaging object when the packaging object requires a cushioning material.
The packaging box selection system according to claim 1 or 2. The third processing unit selects either delivery using the existing packaging box specified by the first processing unit or delivery using the non-existing packaging box calculated by the second processing unit based on a delivery cost calculated based on a unit price of the existing packaging box, a delivery fee indicated for each size, and a production cost of the non-existing packaging box.
The packaging box selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A user terminal for a business operator that handles packaging objects,
a first processing unit that, when acquiring information on the dimensions of the packaging object, identifies an existing packaging box that can be used to package the packaging object based on information on the dimensions of a plurality of existing packaging boxes;
A second processing unit calculates dimensions of a non-existent packaging box that is adapted to the size of the packaging object based on information regarding the dimensions of the packaging object;
A third processing unit that selects either delivery using the existing packaging box identified by the first processing unit or delivery using a non-existent packaging box calculated by the second processing unit based on a delivery cost including the packaging box;
A fourth processing unit that, when the third processing unit selects delivery using the non-existent packaging box, sends data on the dimensions of the packaging box to a server of a packaging box manufacturer that manufactures packaging boxes using a cutting machine that cuts out the paperboard for the packaging box from base paper for the packaging box,
The third processing unit performs the selection by including an ordering cost of the non-existent packaging box, which is to be paid to the packaging box manufacturer, in the delivery cost.
User terminal. A user terminal, which is a computer for a business that handles packaging objects ,
a first process of identifying an existing packaging box that can be used to package the object based on information about dimensions of a plurality of existing packaging boxes when information about dimensions of the object is acquired;
A second process of calculating dimensions of a non-existent packaging box that is adapted to the size of the packaging object based on information about the dimensions of the packaging object;
A third process of selecting either delivery using the existing packaging box identified in the first process or delivery using the non-existent packaging box calculated in the second process based on a delivery cost including the packaging box;
If delivery using the non-existent packaging box is selected in the third process, a fourth process is executed to send data on the dimensions of the packaging box to a server of a packaging box manufacturer that manufactures packaging boxes using a cutting machine that cuts out the paperboard for the packaging box from base paper for the packaging box,
In the third process, the selection is performed by including a cost of ordering the non-existent packaging box, which is to be paid to the packaging box manufacturer, in the delivery cost.
Information processing methods. On the user terminal, which is a computer for a business that handles packaging objects ,
a first process of identifying an existing packaging box that can be used to package the object based on information about dimensions of a plurality of existing packaging boxes when information about dimensions of the object is acquired;
A second process of calculating dimensions of a non-existent packaging box that is adapted to the size of the packaging object based on information about the dimensions of the packaging object;
A third process of selecting either delivery using the existing packaging box identified in the first process or delivery using the non-existent packaging box calculated in the second process based on a delivery cost including the packaging box;
and a fourth process of sending data on dimensions of the packaging box to a server of a packaging box manufacturer that manufactures packaging boxes using a cutting machine that cuts out the paperboard for the packaging box from base paper for the packaging box, when the delivery using the non-existent packaging box is selected in the third process.
In the third process, the selection is made by including a cost of ordering the non-existent packaging box, which is to be paid to the packaging box manufacturer, in the delivery cost.
Information processing program.

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