JP7492360B2 - Management System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management system.

When transporting goods, solid containers such as plastic containers are used to store items inside. In order to protect the products from impact, a cushioning material made of a foam material is also used inside the container. Patent Document 1 describes a container made of foam particles.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-277328

When producing containers and cushioning materials made from foam particles, they needed to be used together, so it was necessary to prepare a set of specialized molds for each. As a result, it can take time to produce the containers and cushioning materials.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a management system that is more efficient and has a shorter production period for the production of containers and cushioning materials.

The management system according to the present invention employs the following configuration.
(1) A management system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a history acquisition unit that acquires, for a foamed container, which is a container having an internal shape and which holds items stored therein, mold information indicating a mold used in producing the foamed container, lending destination information indicating a lending destination to which the mold will be lent, and lending period information for which the mold will be lent; a history management unit that associates the mold information, lending destination information, and lending period information acquired by the history acquisition unit and stores them in one or more memories as management information; and a history processing unit that, in response to input of at least one input information of the mold information, the lending destination information, and the lending period information, outputs output information that is associated with the input information in the management information based on the management information.

(2) In the above embodiment (1), the foaming container has an internal shape that includes at least one of a concave structure and a convex structure.

(3) In the above aspect (1) or (2), at least the wall surface of the foaming container and the internal shape are integrally formed with a foam, the history acquisition unit acquires, as the mold information, external mold information indicating an external mold for forming the external shape on the wall surface of the foaming container outside, and internal mold information indicating an internal mold for forming the internal shape on the wall surface of the foaming container inside, and the history processing unit outputs the external mold information or the internal mold information in response to the input information.

(4) In any of the above embodiments (1) to (3), the foam container is a polyolefin foam or a polystyrene foam.

(5) In any of the above aspects (1) to (4), an order information acquisition unit is provided that acquires order information including external shape information indicating the external shape of the foaming container and internal shape information indicating the internal shape of the foaming container, and a search processing unit that outputs the lending destination based on the external shape information of the order information and production capacity information indicating the production capacity of the foaming container according to the specifications of the external shape, and the one or more storage units store the production capacity information for each of the lending destinations, and the history acquisition unit acquires lending destination information indicating the lending destination output by the search processing unit, internal mold information indicating the internal mold for forming the internal shape indicated by the internal shape information of the order information, and lending period information indicating the lending period of the internal mold.

(6) In the above aspect (5), the history acquisition unit acquires external mold information indicating an external mold for forming the external shape indicated by the external shape information of the order information, the external mold information includes external mold history information regarding the usage history of the external mold, the internal mold information includes internal mold history information regarding the usage history of the internal mold, and the history processing unit manages the production of the foamed container based on the external mold history information or the internal mold history information.

(7) In the aspect of (6) above, the history processing unit determines the timing of production of the outer mold based on the production period of the inner mold.

(8) In the above aspect (6) or (7), the internal mold is composed of a first plurality of parts, and the history processing unit manages the production of the foaming container by selecting all or a part of the first plurality of parts based on the internal shape information and configuring the internal mold.

(9) In any of the above aspects (6) to (8), the external mold is composed of a second plurality of parts, and the history processing unit selects all or a part of the second plurality of parts based on the external shape information, and configures the external mold to manage the production of the foaming container.

By using (1) to (9), it is possible to standardize the molds used to produce foam containers, thereby shortening the production time for foam containers.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an application example of a foaming container in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing another example of the foaming container in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an application example of a management system in a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an inner mold 20 and an outer mold 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inner mold 20 and the outer mold 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention taken along line AA. 1 is a configuration diagram of a management device S according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of input information in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of output information in the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a table showing a correspondence relationship between input information and output information in the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a table showing a correspondence relationship between input information and output information in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of the management system in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of the management system in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a management device S according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation of a management system in a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of an inner mold 20 according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of an inner mold 20 according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of an outer mold 30 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Below, an embodiment of the management system S of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment does not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiment are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the multiple features described in the embodiment may be combined in any desired manner. Also, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an application example of a foaming container 1 in a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1 (A), the foaming container 1 stores an item P1 during transportation of the item P1. The foaming container 1 has a storage chamber surrounded by a wall 11 and a bottom 12. In the storage chamber, a part or all of the wall surface (also called "internal wall surface") formed by the wall 11 and the bottom surface (also called "internal bottom surface") formed by the bottom 12 are called the internal shape. On the other hand, the external shape of the foaming container 1 is called the external shape. The dimensions of the external shape are called external dimensions. The external dimensions may be determined in terms of length, width, and height depending on the specifications.

The inner bottom surface of the bottom 12 is formed with projections and recesses. In other words, the foaming container 1 has an internal shape that includes projections and recesses. These projections and recesses correspond to the shape of an item P1 to be stored in the storage chamber, for example, and are provided to fix the stored item P1. The item P1 is, for example, a camshaft.

In this embodiment, the storage room is surrounded by walls 11 on all four sides, but at least one of the walls 11 may be absent, or a space such as a hole may be present in part of the wall 11 or the bottom 12. The interior bottom surface may be flat, or the exterior of the wall may have projections and recesses. The item P1 may be any type of transported or stored item, such as a car part, home appliance, or food, and may also be a liquid or gas.

The foaming container 1 in FIG. 1(A) is integrally formed as in FIG. 1(B) or is formed from a plurality of members as in FIG. 1(C).
Fig. 1(B) is an example of a foaming container 1 in which a wall 11 and a bottom 12 are integrally formed. In Fig. 1(B), the material of the wall 11 and the bottom 12 is foaming particles. Since the foaming container 1 is formed of foaming particles, it can absorb shock from the outside of the foaming container 1 and can also absorb shock when the stored object P is shaken against the inner wall surface due to vibration or tilt.

Figure 1 (C) shows an example in which an internal bottom member 121 is placed inside a box consisting of walls 11 and a bottom 122 to form a foaming container 1. In other words, the bottom 12 in Figure 1 (A) is formed by the internal bottom member 121 and the bottom 122. The walls 11, the internal bottom member 121, and the bottom 122 are formed from expandable particles. The walls 11, the internal bottom member 121, and the bottom 122 may be processed and molded separately by bead method in-mold foaming molding processing. In this case, the cushioning material, which is the internal bottom member 121, is stored in the walls 11, and then the item P1 is stored in the foaming container 1.

Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing another example of the foaming container 1 in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows an example in which the inner bottom surface is flat. In the example of Figure 2, the item P2 is, for example, a vehicle engine. The foaming container 1 is integrally formed as in Figure 2(A), or is formed from multiple members as in Figure 2(B) or Figure 2(C). For example, as in Figure 2(B), when the inner bottom member 121 is formed as a separate member, the thickness of the bottom 12 can be changed by replacing the inner bottom member 121 with a different height. By changing the thickness, the degree of impact (force) to be absorbed by the bottom surface of the storage chamber can be adjusted.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2(C), the foaming container may include foaming container 1a and foaming container 1b. Foaming container 1b is a smaller version of foaming container 1a. Item P2 may first be stored in foaming container 1b, and then foaming container 1b may be stored in foaming container 1a. As shown in FIGS. 2(A) to (C), the bottom 12 or the inner bottom member 121 (i.e., the inner shape) may be flat.

In the application examples of the present invention as illustrated in Figs. 1(A)-(C) and 2(A)-(C), the wall 11 and the bottom 12 protect the item P from both external impacts and internal impacts caused by collisions of the wall or the item P (also referred to as "internal impacts") during transportation of the item P, as compared to conventional products. In particular, when the wall 11 is made of foaming particles, it can absorb both external and internal impacts compared to when the wall 11 is made of a hard material. Furthermore, the application of the foaming container 1 reduces the risk of injury to workers when handling the container due to bumping, etc. The wall 11 and the bottom 12 may take various shapes depending on the type of item P. The items P1 and P2 may be precision instruments such as computers and home appliances.

Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an application example of the management system in the first embodiment of the present invention. The management device S is constructed within the company of the distributor 4. The distributor 4 lends molds (either the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20, or both; the same applies below) to each molder 3. The external mold 30 is a mold for forming the outside (external shape) of the foaming container 1, and the internal mold 20 is a mold for forming the storage chamber (internal shape) (see Figures 4 and 5).

In the example of FIG. 3, there are three molders 3: molder 3-1, molder 3-2, and molder 3-3. Each molder 3 has a molding machine that processes foaming containers 1. An external mold 30 or an internal mold 20 borrowed from a sales company 4 is attached to the molding machine of each molder 3, and the same or different foaming containers 1 are produced by each molder 3 using the molding machine. Molder 3-1, molder 3-2, and molder 3-3 may own a part of the external mold 30 or internal mold 20 in-house.

The management device S of the sales company 4 determines the party to whom the mold will be loaned and the loan period according to the production capacity of each molder 3. The production capacity information indicating the production capacity is, for example, the type of molding machine owned by each molder 3. In other words, it is information indicating whether or not foaming containers 1 of specified specifications (external dimensions) can be produced. In addition, the production capacity information is information indicating how many foaming containers 1 can be produced within a specific time or period.

The production capacity information may also be information that indicates what type of internal shape can be formed. The production capacity information may also be the production or shipping record of each molder for the foaming container 1. It can be inferred that the greater the production volume of the foaming container 1, the greater the degree of trust that the quality of the foaming container 1 has gained from customers.

When each molder 3 who has borrowed the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20 produces the foaming container 1, it delivers the produced foaming container 1 to the sales company 4. Furthermore, when production of the ordered foaming container 1 is completed, or when the rental period of the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20 has expired, each molder 3 returns the external mold 30 and the internal mold 20 to the sales company 4. The sales company 4 delivers the foaming container 1 to the customer. The sales company 4 may have each molder 3 deliver the foaming container 1 directly to the sales company 4's customer. Each molder 3 pays the sales company 4 a specified rental fee according to the rental period of the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20.

The management device S receives input of the lending status of these external molds 30 or internal molds 20 (loan destination, lending period, lending conditions, etc.), the production status of the foaming container 1 using the external molds 30 or internal molds 20 (order number, production number, delivery number, etc.), and the lending fee and its payment status, and stores and manages this information. When lending a mold to each molder 3, the sales company 4 may send the mold directly from the sales company 4, or the mold may be handed over between multiple molders 3.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the inner mold 20 and the outer mold 30 in the first embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of the inner mold 20 and the outer mold 30 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 5, the portion shaded from the upper left to the lower right is the inner mold 20, and the portion shaded from the upper right to the lower left is the outer mold 30. In the hollow portion closed by the inner mold 20 and the outer mold 30, the wall 11 and the bottom 12 are integrally molded to constitute the foaming container 1. The wall 11 and the bottom 12 may be molded by separate molds, respectively.

Figure 6 is a configuration diagram of the management device S in the first embodiment of the present invention. The management device S includes an input unit 101, a history acquisition unit 102, a history management unit 103, a history processing unit 104, a memory unit 105, a display unit 106, and an output unit 107. The input unit 101 accepts input of various necessary information from the management device S. The history acquisition unit 102 acquires mold information, lending destination information indicating the lending destination of the mold, and lending period information indicating the lending period of the mold via the input unit 101. A memory unit may exist for each molder. The mold information includes internal mold information and external mold information. The internal mold information is information about the internal mold 20, as described later. The external mold information is information about the external mold 30, as described later. Note that the direction of the arrows in Figure 6 is for convenience. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the direction of the arrows, and this also applies to Figures 11 to 13.

The history management unit 103 associates the mold information, lending destination information, and lending period information acquired by the history acquisition unit 102, and stores them as management information in the memory unit 105. In response to input of input information such as mold information, lending destination information, and lending period information, the history processing unit 104 outputs the information associated by the management information as output information to the output unit 107 based on the management information stored in the memory unit 105.

The input unit 101 may be, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, or may be a touch panel provided on the display unit 106. The history acquisition unit 102, the history management unit 103, and the history processing unit 104 are configured using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The history acquisition unit 102, the history management unit 103, and the history processing unit 104 are realized by the processor executing a program stored in the memory. The display unit 106 is a display device that displays various information. The display unit 106 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display.

The output unit 107 outputs the output information to the display unit 106 for display. The output unit 107 may be a communication device that communicates with the outside. In this case, the communication device outputs the output information by wired communication or wireless communication. The wired communication may be wired communication such as optical fiber or a telecommunication line that complies with a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark). The wireless communication may be wireless communication such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) (registered trademark), a fifth generation wireless communication system, or a wireless LAN system.

The memory unit 105 is a memory module and is realized by any one or a combination of RAM (Random access memory), ROM (Read only memory), HDD (Hard disk drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), etc.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of input information in the first embodiment of the present invention. The input information includes customer information and molder information. The customer information includes mold information and order information. The mold information includes internal mold information and external mold information. The order information includes external shape information. The mold information and order information will be described later. The customer information includes information on the orderer of the item P and information on the specifications and quantity of the item P. The customer information corresponds to the product conditions (1-1) to (1-6). The specifications of the item P may include at least one of the external dimensions and weight of the item P. The customer information may include at least one of the name, location, and past transaction history of the customer. The customer information may also include the order amount of the foaming container 1.

The molder information includes the company name of each molder, the molding machine number owned by the molder, production capacity information, external mold information, production record of foaming container 1, shipping record of foaming container 1, and inventory amount of foaming container 1. The external mold information includes at least one of the type of external mold 30 owned by each molder, specifications of the external mold 30, quantity, rental fee, rental period, and sales price. The specifications of the external mold 30 include at least one of the shape, outer dimensions, material, and weight of the external mold 30. Since the external mold 30 or internal mold 20 is loaned to the molder 3, in this embodiment, the molder information may be read as loaner information.

The molder information also includes internal mold information. The internal mold information includes the type of internal mold 20 held by each molder, the specifications, quantity, rental fee, rental period, and sales price of the internal mold 20, and any of the specifications of the internal mold 20. The specifications of the internal mold 20 include at least any of the shape, inner dimensions, outer dimensions, material, and weight of the internal mold 20. The molder information may also include information regarding the location of each molder. The molder information may also include information indicating the order amount for the molder 3 for the foaming container 1 and information regarding the delivery date of the foaming container 1. The molder information may also include the production period of the external mold 30 or the production period of the internal mold 20.

The molder information corresponds to the molding machine conditions (2-1) to (2-6). The production record of foaming container 1 is the production volume of foaming container 1 at a specified time. The shipping record of foaming container 1 indicates the cumulative shipping quantity of foaming container 1. The inventory amount of foaming container 1 is the amount of foaming container 1 held in stock by the molder at a specified time.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of output information in the first embodiment of the present invention. The output information includes the outer dimensions of the wall 11, the internal shape of the foaming container 1, molder candidates (i.e., the name of the molder to be ordered when the foaming container 1 is produced), the molding machine number, the planned start date of production of the foaming container 1, and delivery information of the foaming container 1. The delivery information of the foaming container 1 includes the shipping date, delivery date, and information on the carrier of the foaming container 1. The output information may be associated with the foaming container conditions (1-1) to (1-6).

The output information includes the specifications of the external mold 30, the molder to which the external mold 30 is to be rented, the rental fee and rental period of the external mold 30. The output information includes the specifications of the internal mold 20, the specifications of the internal mold 20, the molder to which the internal mold 20 is to be rented, the rental fee and rental period of the internal mold 20. When either the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20 is sold to a molder, the output information may include the sales price of either the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20.

Figures 9 and 10 are tables showing the correspondence between input information and output information in the first embodiment of the present invention. Using Figures 9 and 10, the operation of the history processing unit 104 to select output information corresponding to input information will be described. The memory unit 105 stores the information shown in Figures 9 and 10. For example, when the history acquisition unit 102 acquires specification AAA of item P as input information, the corresponding outer dimensions, shape, and inner mold shape of the foaming container 1 are identified as X, Y1, and Z1, respectively.

FIG. 10 shows production operation plans H to I of the molding machine A1, the molder EEE, and the foaming container 1 linked to the specifications of the article P to be stored and the outer dimension X of the foaming container.
In this way, based on the tables shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the history processing unit 104 selects the molder information corresponding to the input information, displays it on the display unit 106, and outputs the molder information to the output unit 107.

<Production control flow for foam container 1>
11 and 12 are sequence diagrams showing the operation of the management device S in the first embodiment of the present invention. The processing from step S100 to step S107 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In step S100, the input unit 101 accepts input of molder information. The history acquisition unit 102 acquires the molder information as input information from each molder 3. The history management unit 103 associates the company name of the lending molder included in the molder information with the lending period of the outer mold 30 or the lending period of the inner mold 20, and stores it in the storage unit 105 as management information.

In step S101, the input unit 101 accepts input of customer information. The history acquisition unit 102 acquires the customer information as input information via the input unit 101 and stores it in the memory unit 105.

In step S102, the history processing unit 104 creates specifications for the outer mold 30 and the inner mold 20 based on the specifications of the item P included in the customer information, and stores them as mold information in the storage unit 105. If a mold corresponding to the specifications of the outer mold 30 and a mold corresponding to the specifications of the inner mold 20 exist in either the sales company 4 or the molder 3, the history processing unit 104 proceeds to step S104.

In step S102, the history processing unit 104 outputs the specifications of the external mold 30 and the internal mold 20 to the mold production device 50, including them in the external mold information and the internal mold information, respectively. The mold production device 50 produces the external mold 30 and the internal mold 20 based on the specifications of the external mold 30 and the specifications of the internal mold 20. In step S103, the mold production device 50 outputs information indicating that the production of the external mold 30 and the internal mold 20 has been completed to the history acquisition unit 102 of the management device S.

In step S104, the history processing unit 104 selects a molder 3-1 from among the molders 3 as an order destination for the foaming container 1 based on the input information stored in the storage unit 105, and selects necessary information to display as output information on the display unit 106. The history processing unit 104 selects the molder 3-1 based on any one of the production capacity of the molding machine, the production capacity information, the production record of the foaming container 1, the shipping record of the foaming container 1, and the inventory amount of the foaming container 1, which are included in the input information.
The output information includes the external dimensions and shape of the foaming container 1, the name of the molding machine candidate, i.e., the molder 3-1 to which the order is to be placed, the molding machine number, the planned production start date of the foaming container 1, the planned delivery date of the foaming container 1, and delivery information for the foaming container 1 (shipping date, delivery date, carrier, etc.).

The output information may include the rental fee and rental period of the external mold 30 or the rental fee and rental period of the internal mold 20. When the external mold 30 and the internal mold 20 are rented, the output information may include information indicating that the external mold 30 is to be handed over from one molder to another, the specifications of the external mold 30, and the names of the molder from which the molder is to be handed over and the molder to which the molder is to be handed over. The output information may also include information indicating that the internal mold 20 is to be handed over from one molder to another molder, the specifications of the internal mold 20, and the names of the molder from which the molder is to be handed over and the molder to which the molder is to be handed over.

When either the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20 is sold to a molder, the output information may include the name of the molder 3 to which the molder 3 is sold and the sales price of either the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20. The history processing unit 104 may generate information indicating that the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20 related to the sale or rental will be sent to the molder 3, and include the information in the output information.
The output unit 107 outputs the output information to the molder 3 .

In step S105, the outer mold 30, the inner mold 20, and the molding machine number are output from the molder 3 to the molding machine 40, and the foaming container 1 is produced by the molding machine 40. In step S106, the molder 3 receives information indicating that the production of the foaming container 1 is completed from the molding machine 40.
In step S107, the history acquisition unit 102 of the management device S acquires information including the fact that the production of the foaming container 1 has been completed from the molder 3.

Next, the process from step S108 onwards will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S108, the output unit 107 outputs information indicating the completion of the inspection of the foaming container 1 and information instructing the delivery of the foaming container 1 to the molder 3. The information instructing the delivery of the foaming container 1 includes the location of the customer C, that is, the delivery destination.

In step S109, instructions are given from the molder 3 regarding the delivery of the foaming container 1. In step S110, the foaming container 1 is delivered from the molding machine 40 (including the warehouse linked to the molding machine 40) to the customer C.

In step S111, the history acquisition unit 102 acquires information indicating that inspection of the foaming container 1 has been completed via the input unit 101, and stores the information in the memory unit 105. In step S112, the history processing unit 104 outputs information indicating the invoice amount for the production of the foaming container 1 via the output unit 107. In step S113, a payment process is performed from customer C to sales company 4.

In step S114, the history acquisition unit 102 acquires information via the input unit 101 requesting payment of a specified fee for the production of the foaming container 1 based on the order amount for the foaming container 1 to the molder 3. In step S115, a payment process is performed from the sales company 4 to the molder 3.

In step S116, the history processing unit 104 outputs information requesting payment of a specified fee based on the rental fee for the external mold 30 or the rental fee for the internal mold 20 via the output unit 107 for the rental of the external mold 30 or the rental fee for the internal mold 20. In step S117, a payment process is performed from the molder 3 to the sales company 4 for the rental of the external mold 30 or the rental of the internal mold 20.

As described above, the management system S according to this embodiment includes a space (i.e., a storage room) formed by walls 11 and a bottom 12, and for a foamed container 1 that is a container for storing an item P (i.e., a stored item) in the space, the management system S includes a history acquisition unit that acquires mold information indicating the mold used to produce the foamed container 1, lending destination information indicating the molder (i.e., the lending destination) that lends the mold, and lending period information for lending the mold, a history management unit that associates the mold information, molder information (i.e., the lending destination information), and lending period information acquired by the history acquisition unit, and stores them in one or more storage units as management information, and a history processing unit that, in response to the input of at least one input information of the mold information, molder information, and lending period information, outputs output information associated with the input information in the management information based on the management information.

As a result, the management system S can reduce the production cost or shorten the production period of the foaming container 1 by managing the production of the foaming container 1 based on the rental destination information.

The foaming container 1 also has an internal shape that includes at least one of a concave structure and a convex structure. This allows the management system S to provide an optimal foaming container 1 according to the shape and specifications of the item P, so that the item P can be safely stored and transported without being damaged.

The history processing unit 104 may also acquire, as mold information, external mold information indicating an external mold 30 for forming an external shape on the wall surface of the foaming container outside, and internal mold information indicating an internal mold 20 for forming an internal shape on the wall surface of the foaming container inside, and output the external mold information or the internal mold information in response to the input information.

This allows the management system S to independently select the outer mold 30 and the inner mold 20, reducing the production cost and shortening the production period of the foaming container 1.

In addition, when there is stock of foaming container 1 in any of molders 3-1, 3-2, or 3-3, the history processing unit 104 may include in the output information information indicating that no new foaming container 1 will be produced and that the stocked foaming container 1 will be delivered.

This allows the distributor 4 to reduce the production costs of the foaming container 1. The molder 3 can reduce the costs of holding inventory of the foaming container 1.

In addition, if each molder 3 does not own the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20, the history processing unit 104 may lend the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20 to one of the molders 3.

As a result, it is no longer necessary for the molder 3 to own either the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20, and therefore the costs for the molder 3 in manufacturing and owning the external mold 30 and the internal mold 20 can be reduced.

The history processing unit 104 may also determine one of the molders 3 based on the location of each molder 3 included in the input information and the location of customer C, and include it in the output information.

This reduces the transportation distance, transportation time, and transportation costs when delivering the foaming container 1 directly to customer C from the location of the molder 3.

In addition, if the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20 is present in any of the molders 3, the history processing unit 104 may place an order for the foaming container 1 to that molder 3.

As a result, for example, if the molder 3-1 owns the internal mold 20 in-house, it will not be necessary to lend out the internal mold 20, which will reduce the production cost of the cushioning material 1.

The history processing unit 104 may also determine one of the multiple molders 3 by referring to information on the production record of the foaming container 1 included in the management information. For example, if the molder 3-2 has the largest production record of the foaming container 1, the history processing unit 104 may place an order for the foaming container 1 with the molder 3-2. Here, it can be inferred that the greater the production volume of the foaming container 1, the greater the degree of trust in the quality of the foaming container 1.

This allows the management system S to guarantee a certain level of quality for the foaming containers 1 delivered to customer C.

The raw material of the foam container 1 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a polystyrene foam such as general-purpose polystyrene resin or high-impact polystyrene resin, or a polyolefin foam such as a polyethylene resin or polypropylene resin. A polyolefin foam may be used preferably.

This allows the foaming container 1 to be made lighter while maintaining its cushioning performance, making it possible to transport heavy products using the foaming container 1. In addition, because the foaming container 1 is softer than conventional containers made of non-foamable resin, the possibility of a delivery worker being injured when using the foaming container 1 to deliver the item P can be reduced.

Second Embodiment
13 is a configuration diagram of a management system in a second embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the first embodiment, the management device S further includes an order information acquisition unit 60 and a search processing unit 70. The order information acquisition unit 60 acquires order information including external shape information indicating the external shape of the foaming container 1 and internal shape information indicating the internal shape of the foaming container 1 based on the specifications of the item P included in the customer information. The search processing unit 70 outputs a lending destination based on the external shape information and production capacity information of the order information. The memory unit 105 stores production capacity information indicating the production capacity of the foaming container according to the specifications of the external shape for each lending destination.

The history acquisition unit 102 acquires, via the input unit 101, the lending destination information indicating the lending destination output by the search processing unit 70, the internal mold information indicating the internal mold for forming the internal shape indicated by the internal shape information of the order information, and the lending period information indicating the lending period of the internal mold. The history processing unit 104 may output output information via the output unit 107 based on the production capacity information, the lending destination information, and the internal mold information, and manage the production of the foamed container.

This allows the management system S to quickly select a supplier molder based on the production capacity information of the foaming container 1. In addition, the management system S can guarantee a certain level of quality for the foaming container 1 delivered to the customer C.

The molder information may also include information regarding the usage history of the external mold 30 or the usage history of the internal mold 20. The information regarding the usage history may be the number of days that have passed since the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20 was manufactured, or the number of foaming containers 1 produced using the external mold 30 or the internal mold 20. The history processing unit 104 may output output information based on the information regarding the usage history of the external mold 30. The history processing unit 104 may also output output information based on the information regarding the usage history of the internal mold 20. The history processing unit 104 may manage the production of the foaming container based on the information regarding the usage history of the external mold 30 or the information regarding the usage history of the internal mold 20.

This allows the decision to be made as to whether to manufacture new molds or to use molds held in stock depending on the usage or deterioration status of the outer mold 30 and the inner mold 20, thereby reducing the production cost of the foaming container 1.

Third Embodiment
14 is a flowchart for determining the manufacturing time of the internal mold 20 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the history processing unit 104 places an order for the manufacture of the external mold 30 based on the manufacturing period of the internal mold 20 included in the mold information.

In step S200, the history acquisition unit 102 acquires the production period LT_1 of the outer mold 30 and the production period LT_2 of the inner mold 20 via the input unit 101 and stores them in the memory unit 105. The history acquisition unit 102 reads out LT_1 and LT_2 from the memory unit 105.

In step S201, the history processing unit 104 determines whether LT_2-LT_1 is greater than LT_th. Here, LT_th is a threshold period for determining whether to delay the start of production of the outer mold 30 based on the start of production of the inner mold 20. If LT_2-LT_1 is greater than LT_th, the history processing unit 104 advances the process to step S202. If LT_2-LT_1 is equal to or less than LT_th, the history processing unit 104 advances the process to step S203.

In step S202, the history processing unit 104 sets the production start date of the outer mold 30 to LT_2-LT_1 after the production start date of the inner mold 20. Then, the history processing unit 104 ends the process.

In step S203, the history processing unit 104 sets the production start date of the internal mold 20 to the same date as the production start date of the external mold 30. The history processing unit 104 then ends the process.

As a result, if the production period of the internal mold 20 is longer than a predetermined period of time than the production period of the external mold 30, the distributor 4 will no longer need to store the external mold 30 in inventory, thereby reducing inventory storage space and inventory storage costs.

Fourth Embodiment
15 and 16 are configuration diagrams of the internal mold 20 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The internal mold 20 includes an internal mold first part 21, an internal mold second part 22, and an internal mold third part 23 as a first plurality of parts. The internal mold second part 22 and the internal mold third part 23 are configured to be detachable and fixed to the internal mold first part 21. The internal mold information includes the specifications of the internal mold first part 21, the internal mold second part 22, and the internal mold third part 23. The internal mold information includes any one of the shape, outer dimensions, inner dimensions, and material of the internal mold first part 21, the internal mold second part 22, and the internal mold third part 23. The internal mold information may include information indicating that the internal mold third part 23 is separated from the internal mold 20 according to the specifications of the foaming container 1.

Figure 17 is a diagram showing the configuration of the external mold 30 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The external mold 30 includes an external mold first part 31 and an external mold second part 32 as the second plurality of parts. The external mold second part 32 is configured so as to be detachable from and fixed to the external mold first part 31. The external mold information includes the specifications of the external mold first part 31 and the external mold second part 32. The external mold information includes any one of the shape, outer dimensions, inner dimensions, and material of the external mold first part 31 and the external mold second part 32. The external mold information may include information indicating that the external mold second part 32 is to be removed from the external mold first part 31 according to the specifications of the foaming container 1.

As a result, even if the specifications of the product P change frequently, there is no need to manufacture either the outer or inner mold from scratch, and existing molds can be reused to the maximum extent possible. Therefore, foaming container 1 can be produced without increasing the mold manufacturing costs in response to changes in the specifications of the product P.

Although the above describes in detail each embodiment and modification as one aspect of this invention with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to each embodiment and modification, and also includes design changes within the scope of the gist of this invention. Furthermore, various modifications of one aspect of the present invention are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Also included are configurations in which elements described in the above embodiments and modifications are substituted with elements that have the same effect.

For example, one aspect of the present invention may be realized by combining some or all of the above embodiments.

1...foaming container, 3...molder, 101...input section, 102...history acquisition section, 103...history management section, 104...history processing section, 105...storage section, 106...display section, 107...output section, 11...wall, 12...internal shape, 20...internal mold, 30...external mold, 21...internal mold first part, 22...internal mold second part, 23...internal mold third part, 31...external mold first part, 32...external mold second part, 60...order information acquisition section, 70...search processing section

Claims (8)

a history acquisition unit that acquires mold information indicating a mold used in the production of a foamed container, the mold being a container having an internal shape and capable of storing an object therein, lending destination information indicating a lending destination to which the mold is lent, and lending period information for lending the mold, for a foamed container that is foamed and has been formed by foaming;
a history management unit that associates the mold information, the lending destination information, and the lending period information acquired by the history acquisition unit, and stores the associated information as management information in one or more storage units;
a history processing unit that outputs output information associated with the input information in the management information based on the management information in response to input of at least one of the input information of the mold information, the lending destination information, and the lending period information;
an order information acquiring unit that acquires order information including external shape information indicating an external shape of the foaming container and internal shape information indicating the internal shape of the foaming container;
A search processing unit that outputs the lending destination based on external shape information of the order information and production capacity information indicating a production capacity of the foaming container according to the specifications of the external shape;
Equipped with
The one or more storage units store the production capacity information for each of the lenders,
The history acquisition unit acquires lending destination information indicating a lending destination output by the search processing unit, internal mold information indicating an internal mold for forming the internal shape indicated by the internal shape information of the order information, and lending period information indicating a lending period of the internal mold.
Management system. The foaming container has an internal shape including at least one of a concave structure and a convex structure.
The management system according to claim 1 . The foaming container is formed such that at least a wall surface of the foaming container and a storage chamber for storing the storage item are integrally formed with a foam,
the history acquisition unit acquires, as the mold information, external mold information indicating an external mold for forming an external shape on the outer side of the foaming container among the wall surfaces , and internal mold information indicating an internal mold for forming the internal shape on the inner side of the foaming container among the wall surfaces,
The history processing unit outputs the external mold information or the internal mold information in response to the input information.
The management system according to claim 1 or 2. The foam container is a polyolefin foam or a polystyrene foam.
The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. the history acquisition unit acquires external mold information indicating an external mold for forming an external shape indicated by the external shape information of the order receipt information,
The external mold information includes external mold history information regarding a usage history of the external mold,
The internal mold information includes internal mold history information regarding a usage history of the internal mold,
The history processing unit manages the production of the foaming container based on the external mold history information or the internal mold history information.
The management system according to claim 1 . The history processing unit determines a production timing of the outer mold based on a production period of the inner mold.
The management system according to claim 5. the inner mold is formed by a first plurality of parts;
The history processing unit selects all or a part of the first plurality of parts based on the internal shape information, and configures the internal mold to manage the production of the foaming container.
The management system according to claim 5 or 6. the outer mold is formed by a second plurality of parts;
the history processing unit selects all or a part of the second plurality of parts based on the external shape information, and configures the external mold to manage the production of the foaming container.
The management system according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

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