Letter flow control
OwnerChristian Moy, Peter Stutz +1inventors
InventorsChristian Moy, Peter Stutz, Hans Jaeger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A modular franking system including at least one module and a module sensor adapted to sense objects fed to the module. The module can include information on the distance between a position of the sensor and at least one edge of the module, and a location of at least one other module. The modular system can also include a communication system adapted to allow the module to sense objects being transported and communicate information concerning events such as velocity and distance to another module.
Claims12
A modular system comprising,
- at least one module,
- a module sensor associated with each module adapted to sense objects fed to the module,
- the one module including information on the distance between a position of the sensor and at least one edge of the module and a location of at least one other,
- a communication system wherein said module senses objects being transported therein and the communication system is adapted to allow the module to communicate information including information related to events, velocity, and distance to another module.
A modular franking machine for processing empty or filled envelopes into fully or partially finished mailpieces, the machine comprising,
- First and second envelope actors and sensors within at least first and second modules for moving envelopes along an envelope processing path through the modules and for sensing the location of an envelope within each module
- Memory within each module storing the distance between the sensors and at least one of the upstream and downstream ends of the module,
- the second module coupled downstream from the first module within the processing path, the second module including a processor system with memory for storing a table of data on each module including combinations of different modules,
- a computer including a processor and memory, for calculating and printing postage for each envelope fed through the machine and coupled to a system bus by a bus node controller
- wherein the host module includes information pertaining to each module within the machine to identify to the host bus module additions and removals of modules from a franking machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.