Back to results
US 5,308,932 AGranted
Mail processing system for verifying postage amount
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsFlavio M. Manduley, Leon A. Pintsov
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsFlavio M. Manduley, Leon A. Pintsov
Estimating the term…
The method and apparatus for verifying that the correct postage has been paid includes a mail processing machine which is adapted to receive properly oriented mail via a transport from a facer apparatus. The mail processing machine includes a scale for weighing a mailpiece having postage affixed thereto for the purpose of cancelling it with a mark which includes the actual postage which should be affixed. In a further embodiment other information necessary to calculate the necessary postage is obtained by reading the information from the mailpiece. Any discrepancies between the postage affixed and the amount of postage which should actually be paid may be noted at acceptance or seen by the carrier as the mail is delivered. A batch of mail may be sampled to select representative mailpieces in a random manner and verified to compare the calculated total of postage required based on the sample to the postal amount paid for the batch by the sender.
Apparatus for verifying postage paid comprising a facer means operative for orienting and presenting mailpieces for cancelling of postage affixed thereto;
Apparatus for verifying postage paid comprising a data entry means and a display for input and output of data relating to a batch of mail;
A method for verifying the postage on a mailpiece having postage affixed thereto comprising the steps of weighing a mailpiece having postage previously affixed thereto, setting a printing mechanism adapted for printing postal value to a value corresponding to a weight obtained from the weighing of said mailpiece, and cancelling the previously affixed postage using said printing mechanism to provide a cancellation mark that includes a value of postage calculated from determined rating information and the weight obtained from the weighing step.
A method for verifying the postage required for a batch of mail comprising the steps of calculating a sample size for statistically checking a batch of mailpieces and selecting from said batch a plurality of mailpieces corresponding to the sample, weighing each mailpiece of said selected mailpieces, scanning each of said selected mailpieces to obtain postal information relevant to the rating of postage required for the mailpiece, determining actual postage for each selected mailpiece, calculating from the the postage due on the selected sample of mailpieces the total postage amount due for delivery of the batch of mail, and comparing the total postage amount thus obtained with the total postage paid by the sender in respect to said batch of mail.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.