Tracking system, method and computer program product for document processing

• US 20020144021A1
• Filed: 04/08/2002
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bell & Howell LLC (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Bowe Bell & Howell Company
• Inventors: Austin, Pamela S., Bennett, Vernon P., Pigos, Charles R. Jr., Williams, Linda S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,901,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An integrated computer system architecture for tracking of job data in a document processing environment including an infrastructure built on processes, hardware, software and interfaces designed to monitor and control mail processing and data collection through a variety of manual and machine processes in real-time. Computers, networks, web-based applications, databases and scanners are used to interface and integrate traditional mail processing equipment with customized software. The invention integrates the entire mail production process to form and establish a complete end-to-end system. A job tracking scheme is detailed illustrating a particular data mining application.

Claims

1. A method for tracking job data for document processing, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) gathering job data from one or more document processing areas pertaining to status of a document or job during document processing by said one or more document processing areas; and

(b) forwarding said gathered job data to a database.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said job data gathering step is performed in real-time during execution of a document processing job.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said job data is gathered directly from a document processing device.

4. The method of claim 1 in which said job data is gathered from a bar code scanning device associated with a document processing device.

5. The method of claim 1 in which said database is physically located remote from said one or more document processing areas and receives the gathered job data from said one or more document processing areas via a computer network link.

6. A method of mining data from a database possessing data pertaining to at least one mail processing job or mailpiece, said data gathered from at least one mail processing device during execution of a mail processing job, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing access to said database;

(b) selectively retrieving data from said database; and

(c) organizing the retrieved data into a desired format.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

(d) outputting the organized data.

8. The method of claim 6 in which said access to said database is determinable based on pre-definable security levels.

9. The method of claim 6 in which said access to said database is achievable from a remote location through a computer network link.

10. The method of claim 9 in which said data is selectively retrieved and transferred to a local processing device for organization into a desired format.

11. The method of claim 6 in which a definable subset of job or mailpiece status data is selectable based on pre-defined job naming characteristics.

13. The system of claim 12 in which said status data is received in real-time during execution of a mail processing job.

14. The system of claim 12 in which said data is received directly from a mail processing device.

15. The system of claim 12 in which said data is received from a bar code scanning device associated with a mail processing device.

16. The system of claim 12 in which the database is physically located remote from said mail processing device and receives the data from the mail processing device via a computer network link.

18. The system of claim 17 in which access to said database is determinable based on pre-definable security levels.

19. The system of claim 17 in which access to said database by said processing device is achievable from a remote location through a computer network link.

20. The system of claim 17 in which said retrieved data is organized into a desired format.

21. The system of claim 17 in which a definable subset of job or mailpiece status data is selectable based on pre-defined job naming characteristics.

12. A system of tracking mailpiece or job status data within an entire mail processing facility or system, said system comprising:

(a) at least one mail processing device for processing at least one mailpiece or job; and

(b) a database operatively connected to said mail processing device for receiving status data pertaining to a mailpiece or job as said mailpiece or job is processed by said mail processing device.

17. A system of mining data from a database possessing data pertaining to at least one mail processing job or mailpiece, said data gathered from at least one mail processing device during execution of a mail processing job, said system comprising:

(a) a database possessing data pertaining to at least one mail processing job or mailpiece; and

(b) a processing device operatively connected to said database for selectively retrieving data pertaining to at least one mail processing job or mailpiece.

22. A method of tracking mailpiece or job status data within an entire mail processing facility or system, and mining data from a database possessing mailpiece or job status data pertaining to at least one mail processing job or mailpiece, said mailpiece or job status data gathered from at least one mail processing device during execution of a mail processing job, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) gathering data pertaining to the status of a mailpiece or job as it is processed by at least one mail processing device in said mail processing system;

(b) forwarding said gathered data to a database.

(c) providing access to said database;

(d) selectively retrieving data from said database; and

(e) organizing the retrieved data into a desired format.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of:

(f) outputting the organized data.

24. The method of claim 22 in which said data gathering step is performed in real-time during execution of a mail processing job.

25. The method of claim 22 in which said data is gathered directly from a mail processing device.

26. The method of claim 22 in which said data is gathered from a bar code scanning device associated with a mail processing device.

27. The method of claim 22 in which the database is physically located remote from said mail processing device and receives the gathered data from the mail processing device via a computer network link.

28. The method of claim 22 in which said access to said database is determinable based on pre-definable security levels.

29. The method of claim 22 in which said access to said database is achievable from a remote location through a computer network link.

30. The method of claim 29 in which said data is selectively retrieved and transferred to a local processing device for organization into a desired format.

31. The method of claim 22 in which a definable subset of job or mailpiece status data is selectable based on pre-defined job naming characteristics.

32. A system of tracking mailpiece or job status within an entire mail processing facility or system and mining data from a database possessing mailpiece or job status data pertaining to at least one mail processing job or mailpiece, said mailpiece or job status data gathered from at least one mail processing device during execution of a mail processing job, said system comprising:

(a) at least one mail processing device for processing at least one mailpiece or job;

(b) a database operatively connected to said mail processing device for receiving status data pertaining to a mailpiece or job as said mailpiece or job is processed by said mail processing device; and

(c) a processing device operatively connected to said database for selectively retrieving data pertaining to at least one mail processing job.

33. The system of claim 32 in which said mailpiece or job status data is received in real-time during execution of a mail processing job.

34. The system of claim 32 in which said mailpiece or job status data is received directly from a mail processing device.

35. The system of claim 32 in which said mailpiece or job status data is received from a bar code scanning device associated with a mail processing device.

36. The system of claim 32 in which the database is physically located remote from said mail processing device and receives the data from the mail processing device via a computer network link.

37. The system of claim 32 in which access to said database is determinable based on pre-definable security levels.

38. The system of claim 32 in which access to said database by said processing device is achievable from a remote location through a computer network link.

39. The system of claim 32 in which said retrieved data is organized into a desired format.

40. The system of claim 32 in which a definable subset of job or mailpiece status data is selectable based on pre-defined job naming characteristics.

41. A computer program product for tracking mailpiece or job status within an entire mail processing facility or system, and mining data from a database possessing mailpiece or job status data pertaining to at least one mail processing job or mailpiece, said mailpiece or job status data gathered from at least one mail processing device during execution of a mail processing job, the computer program product having a medium with a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program product comprising:

(a) computer program code for gathering data pertaining to the status of a mailpiece or job as it is processed by at least one mail processing device in said mail processing system;

(b) computer program code for forwarding said gathered data to a database.

(c) computer program code for providing access to said database;

(d) computer program code for selectively retrieving data from said database; and

(e) computer program code for organizing the retrieved data into a desired format.

42. The computer program product of claim 41 further comprising:

(f) computer program code for outputting the organized data.