Box forming apparatus

1 . A box forming apparatus configured to form a cardboard sheet into a box with a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, the cardboard sheet including four continuous faces and a plurality of flaps, the plurality of flaps including a first flap, a second flap, a third flap, and a fourth flap each extending from an upper end of a corresponding one of the four faces and the plurality of flaps including a fifth flap, a sixth flap, a seventh flap, and an eighth flap each extending from a lower end of a corresponding one of the four faces, the cardboard sheet being formed into a box by opening the four faces of the cardboard sheet and by folding the fifth to eighth flaps of the cardboard sheet, the box forming apparatus comprising:

a first pressing unit configured to press the first flap through a first gap between the second flap and the third flap, the second flap being adjacent to the third flap;

a second pressing unit configured to press the third flap through a second gap between the first flap and the fourth flap, the fourth flap being adjacent to the first flap;

a moving unit configured to move the first pressing unit and the second pressing unit relative to each other and open the four continuous faces of the cardboard sheet; and

a folding unit configured to fold the fifth to eighth flaps of the cardboard sheet relative to the four continuous faces of the cardboard sheet.

2 . The box forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a first conveyance roller configured to convey the cardboard sheet;

a second conveyance roller disposed above the first conveyance roller in the vertical direction, and configured to convey the cardboard sheet together with the first conveyance roller; and

a roller moving unit configured to move the first conveyance roller to a conveyance position where the first conveyance roller conveys the cardboard sheet and a retracted position where the first conveyance roller is retracted from the conveyance position,

wherein the roller moving unit is configured to move the first conveyance roller to the retracted position when the moving unit moves the first pressing unit and the second pressing unit relative to each other.

3 . The box forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:

an exterior cover in which an insertion opening for inserting the cardboard sheet is formed; and

a detecting unit configured to detect when the cardboard sheet is inserted into the insertion opening,

wherein the roller moving unit is configured to move the first conveyance roller to the conveyance position from the retracted position when the detecting unit detects the cardboard sheet.

4 . The box forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a driving motor configured to drive and rotate the first conveyance roller,

wherein the second conveyance roller is a driven roller,

wherein the driving motor configured to rotate the first conveyance roller positioned at the retracted position, and

wherein the roller moving unit is configured to move the first conveyance roller to the conveyance position from the retracted position when the first conveyance roller is rotated by the driving motor.

5 . The box forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a third conveyance roller disposed above the first conveyance roller in the vertical direction and downstream with respect to the second conveyance roller in a conveyance direction of the first conveyance roller, and

wherein the first conveyance roller is disposed between the second conveyance roller and the third conveyance roller in the conveyance direction.

6 . The box forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the folding unit includes a pair of first arms folding the fifth flap and the sixth flap, and a pair of second arms folding the seventh flap adjacent to the fifth flap and the eighth flap, the sixth flap facing the fifth flap and the eighth flap facing the seventh flap, and

wherein the folding unit is configured to move the pair of first arms in a direction in which the pair of first arms is separated from each other after the seventh flap and the eighth flap is folded by the pair of second arms and move the pair of first arms to a supporting position where the pair of first arms supports a bottom face of the cardboard sheet which has the seventh flap and the eighth flap folded by the pair of second folding arms.

7 . The box forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a sticking portion sticking a tape on a bottom face of the cardboard sheet which has the fifth to eighth flaps folded by the folding unit.

8 . An opening apparatus configured to open a cardboard sheet into a box with a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, the cardboard sheet including four continuous faces and a plurality of flaps, the plurality of flaps including a first flap, a second flap, a third flap, and a fourth flap each extending from an upper end of a corresponding one of the four faces and the plurality of flaps including a fifth flap, a sixth flap, a seventh flap, and an eighth flap each extending from a lower end of a corresponding one of the four faces, the cardboard sheet being formed into a box by opening the four faces of the cardboard sheet and by folding the fifth to eighth flaps of the cardboard sheet, the opening apparatus comprising:

a first pressing unit configured to press the first flap through a gap between the second flap and the third flap, the second flap being adjacent to the third flap;

a second pressing unit configured to press the third flap through a gap between the first flap and the fourth flap, the fourth flap being adjacent to the first flap; and

an opening unit configured to move the first pressing unit and the second pressing unit relative to each other and open the four continuous faces of the cardboard sheet.