Method and arrangement for data processing in a shipping system with a postage meter machine, including automatic selection of the most beneficial carrier

A shipping system for pieces of mail, each piece of mail having information printed thereon in an address field, said shipping system comprising:

• a postage meter machine having a transport path by which pieces of mail are transported to said postage meter machine;
• means for detecting a piece of mail, as a detected piece of mail, in said transport path;
• means for scanning an address field of the detected piece of mail in said transport path;
• means in said postage meter machine, supplied with the information in the address field of the detected piece of mail obtained by said means for scanning, for identifying a most beneficial carrier, among a plurality of available carriers, for the detected piece of mail, and for identifying a fee for shipping said detected piece of mail using said most beneficial carrier;
• means in said postage meter machine for conducting an accounting for charging said fee;
• and
• means for franking said detected piece of mail in said postage meter machine including printer means for printing a franking imprint on said detected piece of mail incorporating the printed representation of said fee.

A shipping system for pieces of mail comprising:

• a postage meter machine;
• at least one personal computer, having a memory, remote from said postage meter machine for producing pieces of mail, each having mail contents;
• a memory containing a plurality of data files in said personal computer, said data files respectively allocated to instructional data including said most beneficial carrier;
• communication means for bidirectional communication between said personal computer and said postage meter machine;
• and
• in said postage meter machine processor means for executing an office computer communication routine in said postage meter machine between said postage meter machine and said personal computer via said communication means, including means for searching said memory of said personal computer, using said information in an address field of a detected piece of mail, for locating the data file in said personal computer containing the mail contents of said detected piece of mail and for interrogating said data file containing the mail contents of said detected piece of mail to identify said most beneficial carrier, and for supplying said most beneficial carrier for said detected piece of mail from said personal computer to said postage meter machine via said communication means and for automatically entering said most beneficial carrier into said postage meter machine.

A method for data processing in a franking system comprising the steps of:

• (a) creating a document in a document producing program in a personal computer;
• (b) calling a first input mask in said personal computer;
• (c) entering and storing in said personal computer an address of a recipient of said document and a data of said document using said first input mask;
• (d) calling a second input mask in said personal computer including a group of carriers available for shipping said document, each carrier having a carrier number uniquely identifying that carrier;
• (e) executing a routine in said personal computer for identifying a most beneficial carrier among said group of carriers and storing said most beneficial carrier, identified by its carrier number, together with said document in said personal computer;
• and
• (f) printing out said document including printing said recipient address thereon and printing information identifying at least said most beneficial carrier.

A method for data processing in a mail shipping system used by a plurality of independent cost centers for respectively shipping documents using a selected one of a plurality of carriers, said mail shipping system having a postage meter machine with a transport path leading thereto, comprising the steps of:

• producing a document using a text production program at a personal computer, said personal computer being disposed remote from said postage meter machine;
• printing out said document from said personal computer with an address field containing at least one identifier identifying a carrier and a cost center to be charged a fee for shipping said document;
• causing said document to enter into said transport path of said postage meter machine and detecting a presence of said document in said transport path;
• upon detection of said document in said transport path, scanning said address field and automatically entering information corresponding to the most beneficial carrier and the cost center identified in said address field into said postage meter machine;
• conducting an accounting in said postage meter machine by modifying an account, accessible by said postage meter machine, uniquely related to the cost center identified in said address field by an amount corresponding to said fee for shipping said document using said most beneficial carrier identified in said address field;
• and
• producing a franking imprint after said accounting using a print format for the carrier identified in said address field and incorporating a printed representation of said fee.

A shipping system including printing means wherein said shipping system is used with a data center remote from said shipping system, and said shipping system further comprising:

• means for, if data for a new shipping carrier are not available for generating a franking imprint for the new carrier, forming a data request to said remote data center for data needed to complete generation of said franking imprint for the new carrier;
• means for establishing a communication between said shipping system and said remote data center and for transmitting said data request from said shipping system to said remote data center;
• and
• means in said shipping system for receiving said data needed to complete said franking imprint for the new carrier from said remote data center and for suppling said data needed to complete said franking imprint for the new carrier to said printing means.

A method for franking a document comprising the steps of:

• providing a security module in a personal computer;
• storing a credit amount available for franking in said security module;
• creating a document in a document producing program in said personal computer;
• calling a first input mask in said personal computer;
• entering and storing in said personal computer an address of a recipient of said document and a data of said document using said first input mask;
• calling a second input mask in said personal computer including a group of carriers available for shipping said document;
• executing a routine in said personal computer for identifying a most beneficial carrier among said group of carriers and storing said most beneficial carrier, allocated to said document, in said personal computer;
• calculating in said personal computer a fee for shipping said document using said most beneficial carrier;
• debiting said credit amount in said security module by an amount equal to said fee;
• providing a printer in communication with said personal computer;
• and
• printing out said document at said printer including printing said recipient address thereon and printing a franking imprint on said document at said printer incorporating a representation of said fee.