Tiling production of packaging materials

Abstract

Embodiments described herein generally relate to dynamically assigning product groups to production machines using production groups and producing product groups at a specified ratio using production groups. In one scenario, a computer system dynamically assigns a production entity to a product group based on properties for that production entity. The production entity is to be produced using a production machine. The computer system then dynamically assigns each product group to a production group, where each production group includes production machines that are available to produce production entities for product groups that belong to the assigned production group. The computer system also indicates that a production entity is to be produced using the production machines in the dynamically assigned production group.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A computer system for tiling production for a pair of boxes comprising:
 one or more processors; and   one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors configure the computer system to perform at least the following:
 access item data identifying a plurality of items that are to be packaged; 
 identify a first box size associated with a first box that is configured to contain a first portion of the plurality of items; 
 identify a second box size associated with a second box that is configured to contain a second portion of the plurality of items; 
 determine that a first box template associated with the first box and a second box template associated with the second box jointly comprise dimensions that satisfy packaging requirements for the first box template and the second box template to be produced in a side-by-side manner at a packaging production machine, the packaging production machine selected from among one or more packaging production machines; and 
 communicate a command to the packaging production machine to make the first box template and the second box template in the side-by-side manner. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computer system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first box size and the second box size are the same size. 
     
     
         3 . The computer system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first box size and the second box size are different sizes. 
     
     
         4 . The computer system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first box and the second box are the same box type. 
     
     
         5 . The computer system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first box and the second box are different box types. 
     
     
         6 . The computer system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions include instructions that are executable to configure the computer system to:
 identify a width of fanfold associated with the packaging production machine; and   determine that a first dimension associated with the first box template and a second dimension associated with the second box template are cumulatively less than the width of the fanfold.   
     
     
         7 . The computer system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions include instructions that are executable to configure the computer system to:
 identify a first orientation of the first box template; and   determine that the first orientation of the first box template does not jointly comprise dimensions with the second box template that satisfy packaging requirements for the first box template and the second box template to be produced in a side-by-side manner at a packaging production machine.   
     
     
         8 . The computer system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the executable instructions include instructions that are executable to configure the computer system to:
 change the first box template to a second orientation; and   determine that the second orientation of the first box template does jointly comprise dimensions with the second box template that satisfy packaging requirements for the first box template and the second box template to be produced in a side-by-side manner at a packaging production machine.   
     
     
         9 . The computer system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions include instructions that are executable to configure the computer system to:
 identify a first orientation of the first box template; and   determine that the first orientation of the first box template does not jointly comprise dimensions with the second box template that satisfy packaging requirements for the first box template and the second box template to be produced in a side-by-side manner at a packaging production machine.   
     
     
         10 . The computer system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the packaging production machine comprises a width of raw corrugate that is different than a width of raw corrugate associated with at least one other packaging production machine selected from the one or more packaging production machines 
     
     
         11 . A method for tiling production for a pair of boxes, the method executed on one or more processors using instructions from computer-readable memory, the method comprising:
 accessing item data identifying a plurality of items that are to be packaged;   identifying a first box size associated with a first box that is configured to contain a first portion of the plurality of items;   identifying a second box size associated with a second box that is configured to contain a second portion of the plurality of items;   determining that a first box template associated with the first box and a second box template associated with the second box jointly comprise dimensions that satisfy packaging requirements for the first box template and the second box template to be produced in a side-by-side manner at a packaging production machine, the packaging production machine selected from among one or more packaging production machines; and   communicating a command to the packaging production machine to make the first box template and the second box template in the side-by-side manner.   
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the first box size and the second box size are the same size. 
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the first box size and the second box size are different sizes. 
     
     
         14 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the first box and the second box are the same box type. 
     
     
         15 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the first box and the second box are different box types. 
     
     
         16 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising:
 identifying a width of fanfold associated with the packaging production machine; and   determining that a first dimension associated with the first box template and a second dimension associated with the second box template are cumulatively less than the width of the fanfold.   
     
     
         17 . The method as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising:
 identifying a first orientation of the first box template; and   determining that the first orientation of the first box template does not jointly comprise dimensions with the second box template that satisfy packaging requirements for the first box template and the second box template to be produced in a side-by-side manner at a packaging production machine.   
     
     
         18 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising:
 changing the first box template to a second orientation; and   determining that the second orientation of the first box template does jointly comprise dimensions with the second box template that satisfy packaging requirements for the first box template and the second box template to be produced in a side-by-side manner at a packaging production machine.   
     
     
         19 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein packaging production machine is configured to cut box templates out of raw corrugate. 
     
     
         20 . A computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause a computer system to perform a method for tiling production for a pair of boxes, the method comprising:
 accessing item data identifying a plurality of items that are to be packaged;   identifying a first box size associated with a first box that is configured to contain a first portion of the plurality of items;   identifying a second box size associated with a second box that is configured to contain a second portion of the plurality of items;   determining that a first box template associated with the first box and a second box template associated with the second box jointly comprise dimensions that satisfy packaging requirements for the first box template and the second box template to be produced in a side-by-side manner at a packaging production machine, the packaging production machine selected from among one or more packaging production machines; and   communicating a command to the packaging production machine to make the first box template and the second box template in the side-by-side manner.