Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Article handling
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-04
2004-03-30
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Article handling
C700S221000, C700S224000, C700S225000, C700S226000, C700S227000, C270S001030, C270S052140, C270S058060, C271S003010, C271S003030, C271S003140, C271S003150
Reexamination Certificate
active
06714835
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the preparation of large mailings and the like. More particularly it relates to systems and apparatus for the preparation of documents and the assembly of multiple mailpieces including such documents.
The term “mailpieces” as used herein means items intended to be delivered by a postal service or private courier service. Typically preparation of mailpieces includes, but is not limited to, printing or otherwise providing documents including variable information pertaining to addressees of the mailpieces and the assembly of such documents with other elements of the mailpiece. The term “assembly” as used herein means the execution of actions to incorporate the documents into mailpieces. Typically, such actions can include: accumulating documents with other materials such as preprinted inserts, folding and inserting the resulting accumulations into envelopes, printing addresses and other information on the outside of the envelopes, and franking the mailpiece with an appropriate postage amount.
Inserter systems for the assembly of mailpieces are well known. A typical inserter system is shown in FIG.
1
. Inserter system
10
includes burster/feeder
12
which inputs preprinted documents in fanfold form, separates the documents and removes and discards sprocket feed strips FS from the edges of the document. Each group of documents for a particular mailpiece includes at least control document CD. On control documents CD strips FS are marked with code BC which is read by scanner
14
before strips FS are removed. In simpler systems code BC can be a “dash code” of the type known for use in directly controlling inserter systems. In newer, more complex systems code BC can be a conventional bar code which serves as a pointer to a mailpiece record which record contains information for controlling the inserter; as will be more fully described below. In other known inserter systems, the documents can be in cut sheet form and a cut sheet feeder can be used in place of burster/feeder
12
.
Control document CD, and any additional associated pages are fed from burster feeder
12
to accumulator
16
where documents for each mailpiece are formed into separate accumulations A and folded.
Accumulation A is then fed to insert stations
20
A and
20
B where preprinted inserts I are added to form accumulations A
1
and A
2
. Those skilled in the art will of course recognize that the number of such insert stations used will vary from application to application.
Accumulation A
2
is then fed to insert station
22
where it is inserted into an envelope and sealed to form mailpiece MP.
Mailpiece MP is then fed to address printer
24
which prints address AD on the outside of the envelope. Depending on the size of the print field of printer
24
, printer
24
also can be used to print other information such as a variable return address (or other text message) RA, logo L, and postal barcode PBC on the envelope. ( Those skilled in the art will recognize that dash codes as described above typically cannot include sufficient information to define even address AD so that systems incorporating dash codes typically use window envelopes to provide addressing information.)
System
10
also includes out stacker
30
for diverting mailpieces when an error is detected.
As noted above, inserter systems wherein said code BC is a barcode which is used as a pointer to a mailpiece record (i.e. an electronic record associated with a mailpiece to be assembled) are known. By incorporating data for controlling assembly of mailpieces in mailpiece records an essentially unlimited amount of data can be associated with each mailpiece. Thus addresses, return addresses, logos, and postal bar codes can all be readily specified in addition to specification of the number of inserts to be added at each insert feeder, postage amounts, etc. Systems incorporating such mailpiece records are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,505; to: Axelrod et al.; for: Mail Preparation System; issued Jan. 24, 1989, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Embodiments of the system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,505 are marketed by the assignee of the present application under the name “Direct Connection”, described in
The Direct Connection
, version 1.30.
While systems such as those described above have proven highly successful certain disadvantages remain. In particular certain initial job set-up parameters must be defined for systems such as that shown in
FIG. 1
for each mailing job. Such parameters can include feeder settings, document weights, document priorities, and postage meter settings. Typically these parameters where set by defining one or more “modes”, i.e. records of particular sets of values of the job set-up parameters for jobs typically run in a mailroom and loading the corresponding mode when a job was to be run. When an atypical job not corresponding to an existing mode was to be run an operator would load a mode and override selected default values in that mode with the actual values for that job. This of course creates a possibility that an operator will override the wrong parameter or assign incorrect parameter values. As a result many mailrooms establish unique modes for every combination of parameter values which will be used. The operator is then responsible for selecting the correct corresponding mode for each job. This approach results in many modes on an inserter system; contributing to two potential problems: the operator may select the wrong mode, or, when a parameter value must be changed (e.g. a different weight print stock is introduced) the change is not made to all modes which require it.
Thus it is an object of the subject invention to provide a system, apparatus and method for the preparation and assembly of mailpieces with an improved capability for handling system set-up.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above object is achieved and the disadvantages of the prior art are overcome in accordance with the subject invention by means of a system, apparatus and method for preparing mailpieces and the like; the mailpieces each including a control document, the control documents each including data for determining a unique identification code. The apparatus includes: a data store storing a mailing control file, the mailing control file comprising a plurality of mailpiece records, each of the records including a plurality of fields, the fields containing data for controlling assembly of a mailpiece, and each of the records including one of the unique identification codes, whereby each of the records defines preparation of at least one corresponding mailpiece, the file also comprising data for determining specified job parameters for initial set-up of the apparatus; an inserter system or the like for assembling the mailpieces, the inserter system including a scanner for detecting and outputting the determining data from the control documents, the inserter system being responsive to initial set-up signals to set-up job parameters for a particular mailing job corresponding to the mailing control file; and a controller. The controller functions to: initially access the data store to determine the specified job parameters; generate the initial set-up signals to control set-up of the inserter system in accordance with the specified job parameters; and then access the records in accordance with the determining data from the control documents; and control the inserter system to prepare the corresponding mailpieces in accordance with the records.
In accordance with one aspect of the subject invention, the specified job parameters are comprised in a header for the mailing control file.
In accordance with another aspect of the subject invention, the specified job parameters are comprised in a file separate from the mailing control file.
In accordance with another aspect of the subject invention, the separate file is comprised in a database of set-up mode files.
In accordance with still another aspect of the subject invention the controller derives the separate file&apo
Hart, Jr. William G.
Pritchard Eugene
Shea Michael
Charles Angelo N.
Cummings Michael J.
Malandra, Jr. Charles R.
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Shapiro Jeffrey
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