Method for printing multiple jobs

• US 20040085580A1
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartmix Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Smartmix Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Kelleher, Denis Kieran, Cohn, Warren G., Kent, Bradley D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,324,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00467 Transporting mailpieces postal sorting B07C
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00483 Batch processing of mailpieces

Abstract

A system and method for merging and printing multiple postal presorted print jobs into a single print run for discounted rate mailing. The method includes merging mail recipient address lists from several print job orders into a merged recipient address list. The method further includes associating printing content provided by a print job order requestor with each recipient in the merged mail recipient address list. The method also includes printing mailpieces in a presorted sequence by selectively applying associated printing content for each mail recipient in a presorted merged mail recipient address list. Accordingly, several small targeted mailing print jobs, each individually too small to qualify for mailing discounts, can be merged into a larger, presorted print run collectively eligible for mailing discounts.

Claims

1. A method for merging and printing multiple postal presorted print jobs into a single print run for discounted rate mailing comprising:

merging mail recipient address lists from a plurality of print job orders into a merged recipient address list;

associating printing content with each recipient in the merged mail recipient address list; and

printing mailpieces in a presorted sequence by selectively applying associated printing content for each mail recipient in a presorted merged mail recipient address list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining an address list of mail recipients.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising maintaining a list of mail senders requesting print job orders.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a unique code to a mail sender requesting a print job.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising associating the unique code with recipients in a mail recipient address list according to desired recipients indicated in a print job order received from a mail sender.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving print content from a mail sender and associating the print content with the mail sender'"'"'s unique code.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising inserting the print content into a mailpiece according to the corresponding unique code associated with desired recipients.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing each mailpiece as a template comprising fields for inserting customized data or graphics when printing the mailpiece.

9. A printing method for merging print jobs comprising:

receiving and maintaining a list of mailing recipients comprising addresses;

receiving a plurality of print job orders from senders, each order comprising print content and desired recipients;

tagging recipients in the list of mailing recipients with a unique code corresponding to the desired recipients indicated in each of the print job orders to uniquely associate each sender with the desired recipients;

merging each of the print job orders into a merged print job;

presorting the merged print job into a postal presorted print run according to the addresses of the mailing recipients;

associating the print content received from each sender with each recipient tagged with the corresponding sender'"'"'s unique code; and

inserting the appropriate print content in the postal presorted print run so that the print jobs orders are printed in a postal presorted sequence.

10. A computer system for merging and printing multiple postal presorted print jobs into a single print run for discounted rate mailing comprising:

a processor, for executing stored instructions; and

a storage device, coupled to the processor, for executing stored instructions comprising;

a. receiving and maintaining a list of mailing recipients comprising addresses;

b. receiving a plurality of print job orders from senders, each order comprising print content and desired recipients;

c. tagging recipients in the list of mailing recipients with a unique code corresponding to the desired recipients indicated in each of the print job orders to uniquely associate each sender with the desired recipients;

d. merging each of the print job orders into a merged print job;

e. presorting the merged print jobs into a postal presorted print run according to the addresses of the mailing recipients;

f. associating the print content received from each sender with each recipient tagged with the corresponding sender'"'"'s unique code; and

g. inserting the appropriate content in the postal presorted print run so that the print jobs orders are printed in a postal presorted sequence.

11. The system of claim 10, comprising an address database, coupled to the processor, for storing a mailing recipient address list and corresponding address list codes for identifying each mailing recipient as a designated recipient.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a print content database, accessible by the processor, for storing print content submitted by senders.