Apparatus and method for mail qualification and traying
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorScott Korowotny
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and method for providing dual sliding windows for the purpose of determining postage discount qualifications across invalid and unreadable mail pieces and determining the number of mail pieces to be placed in a mail tray for receiving the maximum postage discount. This is accomplished by storing the criteria for postal discounts in a controller and determining the number of mail pieces that can be received in a tray based upon the thickness of the mail pieces. The system includes a scale that weighs the mail pieces, from which weight the thicknesses of the mail pieces can be determined on an individual basis, and an OCR reader that reads the zip codes in the address block of the mail pieces to assure they are valid and readable, and a controller for performing the necessary computations.
Claims10
In a method of processing a stream of mail pieces which are conveyed in zip code order from a production mail unit to a scale, past a code reading unit and to a mail piece stacker, the steps comprising:
- a) opening a mail window for the purpose of obtaining counts of sequential mail pieces having a qualifying zip code or zip codes;
- b) determining the thicknesses of the mail pieces;
- c) counting the number of sequential mail pieces with qualifying zip code or zip codes and uploading the count to the mail window;
- d) establishing a tray break window to indicate a tray break based upon the number and thicknesses of the mail pieces;
- e) determining if there is a zip code break by determining a change in zip code from one sequential stream of mail pieces to the next sequential stream of mail pieces;
- f) clearing the mail window upon determining the occurrence of a zip code break;
- g) determining if there is a sufficient number of sequential mail pieces with qualifying zip code to qualify for the maximum postal discount while the maximum number of mail pieces are placed in the tray;
- and
- h) clearing the tray break window upon the number of sequential mail pieces with qualifying zip code or zip codes being sufficient to fill a mail tray based upon the thicknesses of the mail pieces.
Apparatus for processing a stream of mail pieces which are conveyed in zip code order from a production mail unit to a scale, past a code reading unit and to a mail piece stacker, comprising:
- a) means for opening a mail window for the purpose of obtaining counts of sequential mail pieces having qualifying zip code or zip codes;
- b) means for determining the thicknesses of the mail pieces;
- c) means for counting the number of sequential mail pieces with zip code or zip codes and uploading the count to the mail window;
- d) means for establishing a tray break window to indicate a tray break based upon the number and thicknesses of the mail pieces;
- e) means for determining if there is a zip code break by determining a change in zip code from one sequential stream of mail pieces to the next sequential stream of mail pieces;
- f) means for clearing the mail window upon determining the occurrence of a zip code break;
- g) means for determining if there is a sufficient number of sequential mail pieces with qualifying zip code or zip codes to quality for the maximum postal discount, while the maximum number of mail pieces will be placed in a tray;
- h) means for clearing the tray break window;
- and
- i) means for clearing the tray break window upon the number of sequential mail pieces with qualifying zip code being sufficient to fill a mail tray based upon the thicknesses of the mail pieces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.