Insertion control

• US 20050065638A1
• Filed: 09/23/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Scott J., Nowlin, Jeffrey G., Tonack, Mark T., Greene, Jay E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,013,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/220
• CPC Class Codes: B43M 3/045 for envelopes with only one flap
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/03 indicating an entity which is measured, estimated, evaluated, calculated or determined but which does not constitute an entity which is adjusted or changed by the control process per se
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/40 Identification
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/415 of job
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/40 Movement
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/00 Associating, collating, or gathering articles or webs combinations of piling and depiling operations, of interest apart from the single operation of piling or depiling B65H83/00; machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together sheets or signatures B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00491 Mail/envelope/insert handling system

Abstract

An insertion system for collating sheets of printed material for insertion into an envelope is disclosed. The insertion system includes an insertion machine, application software and an operating system. Included in the application software is a first function and a second function, where the first function performs tracking for each packet and the second function controls operation of the insertion machine. Each packet includes a plurality of pieces of printed material that may ultimately be sealed in an envelope. The operating system runs the application software at any given instant and executes the first and second functions.

Claims

1-23. -23. (Cancelled)

24. An insertion system for inserting sheets of printed material into an envelope, the system comprising:

an inserter machine that is configured to place sheets of printed materials into envelopes; and

a control system that is configured to operate the inserter machine, wherein the control system includes a job tracking function that is configured to maintain a continuous record of the number of printed materials and envelopes, and wherein the control system is further configured to transmit an electronic request for more printed materials or envelopes from a job warehouse based on information from the control system regarding the number of remaining printed materials or envelopes in the inserter machine.

25. An insertion system as in claim 24, wherein the control system includes an insertion control function for controlling operation of the inserter machine, wherein the job tracking function is further configured to track each packet through the inserter machine, wherein each packet includes a plurality of pieces of printed material;

an operating system for running application software, wherein;

the application software performs the insertion control and job tracking functions, and

the application software is executed with the operating system.

26. An insertion system as recited in claim 24, wherein the inserter machine operates in a range of 3,000 to 20,000 packets per hour.

27. The insertion system as recited in claim 25, wherein the job tracking function includes correlating at least one of the plurality of pieces to a packet.

28. The insertion system as recited in claim 24, wherein the insertion machine includes a piece inserter, a transport track, and an envelope stuffer.

29. The insertion system as recited in claim 25, further comprising an operator tracking function, that is part of the application software and tracks an operators interaction with the insertion machine.

30. The insertion system as recited in claim 29, wherein the operator tracking function stores information relating to an operator in a remote operator database.

31. The insertion system as recited in claim 25, wherein the operating system is a consumer-grade operating system without native real-time capability.

32. The insertion system as recited in claim 25, wherein the application software further comprises a maintenance request function that reports maintenance issues for the insertion machine to a point away from the insertion machine.

33. An insertion system for inserting sheets of printed material into an envelope, the system comprising:

an inserter machine that is configured to place sheets of printed materials into envelopes; and

a control system that is configured to operate the inserter machine, wherein the control system includes a job tracking function that is configured to maintain a continuous record of the number of printed materials and envelopes, and wherein the control system is further configured to present to an operator information indicating that more printed materials or envelopes need to be ordered from a job warehouse based on information from the control system regarding the number of remaining printed materials or envelopes in the inserter machine.

34. A method for inserting pieces of printed material into an envelope with an insertion machine running an operating system, the method comprising steps of:

tracking a plurality of pieces of printed material through the insertion machine while it operates;

maintaining a record of the number of pieces of printed material and envelopes remaining within the insertion machine while it operates; and

using the operating system, sending a request to a job warehouse to order additional pieces of printed material or envelopes when a threshold number of pieces of printed material or envelopes is reached.

35. A method as in claim 34, wherein the tracking step comprises correlating at least one of the pieces to a packet.

36. A method as in claim 34, further comprising at least one of the following steps:

tracking an operator'"'"'s interaction with the insertion machine; and

reporting maintenance issues for the insertion machine to a point away from the insertion machine.

37. A method as in claim 35, further comprising operating the inserter machine in a range of 3,000 to 20,000 packets per hour.

38. A method as recited in claim 36, further comprising storing information relating to an operator in a remote operator database.