Apparatus for commingling & addressing mail pieces
First Claim
1. An apparatus for co-mingling pre-printed, non-alike, substantially complete unaddressed mail pieces, from a plurality of un-predetermined sources into a single bundle having a low postage rate comprising:
- a) a sequence controller for receiving a sequenced and grouped listing of addresses merged from the sources according to the low postage rate, the addresses being identified by their sources, and for controlling mail piece handling machinery according to the listing;
b) mail piece handling machinery operably inter-connected to the sequence controller including;
1) a plurality of hopper/feeders, each hopper/feeder being constructed and arranged to hold a plurality of one type of the non-alike substantially complete mail pieces from one of the un-predetermined sources and to eject a single one of said substantially complete non-alike mail pieces onto a mail piece transporter at a command of the sequence controller thereby commingling the non-alike mail pieces according to the sequenced listing received by the sequence controller ,2) a mail piece transporter for receiving the commingled non-alike mail pieces from the hopper/feeders and transporting the commingled mail pieces,3) an addressor for receiving the commingled mail pieces from the mail piece transporter, and applying addresses to the mail pieces consistent with the low postage rate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus ideally suited for the small mailing service is disclosed. The apparatus can take pro-printed, un-addressed mail pieces of non-identical size delivered to the mailing service from different merchants and combine the mail pieces to create mailing bundles at the lowest postal rate and group the bundles to create a single mailing. In the apparatus a computer serves to take the merchant mailing lists, merge and sort the entries thereon into lowest postal rate groupings, and use this merged data base to enable a sequence controller and associated machinery to physically commingle and address the non-identical mail pieces into the single mailing bundle. Provision is also made for generating required postal service documentation and invoices from the mailing service to the merchants.
66 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus for co-mingling pre-printed, non-alike, substantially complete unaddressed mail pieces, from a plurality of un-predetermined sources into a single bundle having a low postage rate comprising:
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a) a sequence controller for receiving a sequenced and grouped listing of addresses merged from the sources according to the low postage rate, the addresses being identified by their sources, and for controlling mail piece handling machinery according to the listing; b) mail piece handling machinery operably inter-connected to the sequence controller including; 1) a plurality of hopper/feeders, each hopper/feeder being constructed and arranged to hold a plurality of one type of the non-alike substantially complete mail pieces from one of the un-predetermined sources and to eject a single one of said substantially complete non-alike mail pieces onto a mail piece transporter at a command of the sequence controller thereby commingling the non-alike mail pieces according to the sequenced listing received by the sequence controller , 2) a mail piece transporter for receiving the commingled non-alike mail pieces from the hopper/feeders and transporting the commingled mail pieces, 3) an addressor for receiving the commingled mail pieces from the mail piece transporter, and applying addresses to the mail pieces consistent with the low postage rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for co-mingling pre-printed, non-alike, substantially complete unaddressed mail pieces, from a plurality of un-predetermined sources into a single bundle having a low postage rate comprising:
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a) means for combining lists of addresses from the plurality of sources to create a merged data base, the means for combining including means for grouping the addresses according to the low postal rate; b) means for creating a record for each address, the record containing all information necessary to process that address by the apparatus, the means for creating including; 1) means for generating additional addressing information required by a postal service for addresses, and; 2) means for assigning an identifier to each address for identifying the source of the address; c) a sequence controller for receiving the records of the grouped addresses and for controlling mail piece handling machinery according to the records; d) mail piece handling machinery operably inter-connected to the sequence controller including; 1) a plurality of adjustable hopper/feeders, each hopper/feeder being constructed and arranged to hold a plurality of one type of the non-alike substantially complete mail pieces from one of the un-predetermined sources and to eject a single one of the substantially complete non-alike mail pieces onto a mail piece transporter at a command of the sequence controller thereby commingling the non-alike mail pieces according to the sequenced listing received by the sequence controller, 2) the mail piece transporter for receiving the commingled mail pieces from the hopper/feeders and transporting the mail pieces to an addressor, the mail piece transporter having means for communicating its operational characteristics to the sequence controller, 3) the addressor for receiving the commingled mail pieces from the mail piece transporter, and applying at least some of the information from one record to one of the mail pieces; and e) a packaging station for maintaining the pieces having the records applied thereto in segregated bundles according to the lowest postal rate groupings. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for commingling different groups of substantially complete mail pieces of different size and shape from different unpredetermined sources wishing to mail the mail pieces to each of a different list of addresses, into a single mailing having a low postage rate comprising:
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A) compiling each of said address lists from each of said different sources into at least one combined address list, said combined address list being ordered by addresses contained therein according to a low postal rate grouping based on a commingling of said address lists, each of said addresses also have a hopper/feeder identifier associated therewith; B) placing each one of said different groups of substantially complete different mail pieces into a different hopper/feeder apparatus; C) ejecting said different mail pieces from said hopper/feeder apparatus according to said hopper/feeder identifier such that the pieces land on a transport belt in the order of said combined address list; and D) addressing said mail pieces in the order received from said transport belt.
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Specification