Method and device for processing mail

• US 20050006286A1
• Filed: 10/15/2002
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Inventors: Meier, Gunther, Vullriede, Carsten, Stumm, Dieter, Fery, Peter, Helmus, Jurgen
• Application Number:
  US10/493,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20050006286A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/584
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 1/00 Measures preceding sorting according to destination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00508 Printing or attaching on mailpieces printing mechanisms B41J; security printing B41M3/14; marking methods B41M5/00; inks C09D11/00; record carriers with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0058 Printing of code
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00725 Reading symbols, e.g. OCR

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a method and device for processing mail. The method includes checking mail to determine if it has been franked, and if it has not been franked or the franking determined deviates from the franking required, producing and printing on the mail a fee control code. The method also includes sorting the mail according to the fee control code.

Claims

1. A method for processing mailpieces, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) acquiring address information about a specific recipient of a mailpiece from the mailpieces;

(b) generating an address code from the address information;

(c) ascertaining with a checking procedure whether the mailpieces have the expected postage;

(d) generating a Payment assurance code if the mailpieces do not have any postage or if the detected postage differs from the expected postage;

(e) printing the payment assurance code onto the mailpiece ; and

(f) subsequently carrying out a sorting procedure as a function of the payment assurance code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing step further comprises printing the payment assurance code as well as the address code are printed on the mailpieces.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the printing step further comprises printing the payment assurance code as an addition to the address code.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the printing step further comprises printing the payment assurance code at places on the mailpiece that are intended for the address code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorting procedure further comprises separating mailpieces that have different payment assurance codes from each other.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sorting procedure further comprises sorting the mailpieces having different payment assurance codes that have been separated from each other are sorted into different compartments.

5. (Canceled).

8. A device for processing mailpieces, the device comprising:

(a) a Printer capable of printing on the mailpieces with an address code determined as a function of ascertained address information;

(b) a sorting machine for sorting the mailpieces as a function of the address code printed on them;

(c) a device capable of detecting the type of postage and the suspicion of fraud and capable of categorizing different suspicious cases; and

,

(d) a control unit for the printer, wherein the control unit is capable of controlling the printing of the a payment assurance code on the mailpiece.