Method and system for tracking mail items during processing
AssigneeBell & Howell Company
InventorsMark Van Gorp, John Keirsbilck, Walter S. Conard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present application relates to a system and related method for processing a mailpiece through the steps associated with its manufacture and post processing. The present system and method allow for mailpiece item tracking data collection at each step in the mailpiece manufacturing and processing. The present system and method allow for the integration of mailpiece item data from a postage device by utilizing information based barcode data included as part of the postage evidence, together with the production and sorting processes.
Claims19
A method of processing a plurality of permit imprinted mailpieces, the method comprising steps of:
- by way of a postage device, printing an information based indicia barcode (IBI) adjacent to the permit imprint on each respective mailpiece, the information based barcode including a unique identifier for each respective mailpiece;
- obtaining parametric data for each respective mailpiece and associating the unique identifier, encoded in the IBI, and parametric data for each respective mailpiece;
- transferring the unique identifier and parametric data for each respective mailpiece from the postage device to a sorter;
- during sorting on the sorter, reading each unique identifier from the information based barcode printed on each respective mailpiece;
- and
- using the read unique identifier and transferred parametric data for each respective mailpiece to control at least one aspect of sorter operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.