Method for processing sheets in mail processing system; a mail processing system for the practice of such method; and a mail processing apparatus of such system

• US 5,798,930 A
• Filed: 05/03/1996
• Issued: 08/25/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Neopost Industrie BV
• Original Assignee: Hadewe BV
• Inventors: van Oosten, Rocus Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruggiero, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rao, Sheela S.
• Application Number:
  US08/646,694
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 364/478, 364/478.07, 364/478.08, 364/478.09, 364/478.11, 364/478.12, 364/478.13, 364/478.14, 209/900, 209/569, 209/583, 209/584, 270/1.1, 270/4, 270/5, 270/6, 270/54, 270/58
• US Class Current: 700/213
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 1/00 Measures preceding sorting according to destination

Abstract

Method for processing sheets in a processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing stations and a control system controlling at least one processing station for printing sheets and/or assembling sheets to form at least one document to be mailed. By means of a text unit not belonging to the processing apparatus, at least one digital document in digital form is generated, in which at least one digital code also generated with the text unit is included. This code comprises information about the manner in which the control system is to control the processing stations. The digital document is supplied to the control system in digital form, whereafter the control system records the digital document in digital form, recognizes the code and controls the processing station depending on the code.

Claims

1. A method for processing sheets in a mail processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing stations, including at least a printer and an inserter, and a control system controlling at least one processing station for printing at least one sheet and processing said at least one sheet to form at least one document to be mailed, the method comprising the steps of:

generating at least one document in the form of electronic digital signals utilizing a text unit not belonging to the mail processing apparatus, the at least one electronic digital document including electronic digital text and at least one electronic digital code also generated by the text unit, wherein said electronic digital code comprises information about the manner in which the control system is to control the processing stations;

supplying the electronic digital document to the control system in electronic digital signal form;

printing the text of the electronic digital document on the at least one sheet with the printer under the control of the control system;

recognizing the electronic digital code in electronic digital signal form directly from the electronic digital document with the control system; and

responsive to the electronic digital code recognized by the control system directly from the supplied electronic digital document, controlling at least one processing station other than the printer for processing the at least one printed sheet to obtain the at least one document to be mailed.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, responsive to the code, at least a part of a sheet is printed by the printer.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the digital electronic code comprises a non-print code which cannot be printed by the printer.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the non-print code comprises an escape sequence or a code sequence including shift-in/shift-out codes.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the digital electronic code comprises a print code which can be printed by the printer.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the print code is removed from the digital document by the control system, whereafter the remainder of the digital document is supplied to the printer.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the print code is not removed from the digital document by the control system, so that the entire digital document including the print code is printed by the printer.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the print code is provided with an indication characteristic of an addressee or group of addressees.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein a code or part of a code is recognized by the control system on the basis of its position in the document.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein a code or part of a code is recognized by the control system on the basis of its content.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the control system comprises a data base addressable with a code, and wherein the control system addresses the data base based on a code obtained from the digital document received from the text unit, reads the information which is stored in the data base at the address that corresponds with the code, and, responsive to this information, controls the processing stations for printing sheets and assembling printed sheets to form the document to be mailed.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the information from the data base comprises a predetermined text part which is printed on the sheets by the printer.

13. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of compiling a data base of codes recognized by the control system.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein the digital document produced by the text unit is stored on a data carrier, whereafter the data carrier is read by the control system.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the digital document produced by the text unit is supplied to the control system with the aid of a line.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the control system generates feedback information comprising data about sheets and documents processed by the mail processing apparatus.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the control system comprises a data base addressable with a code, obtained from a digital document received from the text unit, the control system including means for reading information stored in the data base at an address that corresponds with the code, and, responsive to this information, control the processing stations for printing sheets and assembling printed sheets to form the document to be mailed.

18. A mail processing system according to claim 17, wherein the information from the data base comprises a predetermined text part which is printed on the sheets by the printer.

19. A mail processing system comprising:

a mail processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing stations, including at least a printer and an inserter, and a control system controlling the printer and at least one other processing station for printing at least one sheet and processing said at least one sheet to form at least one document to be mailed;

a separate text unit, not belonging to the mail processing apparatus, for generating at least one digital document in electronic digital signal form, including electronic digital text and at least one electronic digital code also generated with the text unit, said electronic digital code comprising information about the manner in which the control system is to control the processing stations for printing and processing the at least one sheet; and

means for communicating the electronic digital document from the text unit to the control system in electronic digital signal form, wherein the control system includes means for controlling the printer to print the text of the electronic digital document on the at least one sheet, recognizing the electronic digital code directly from the supplied electronic digital document in electronic digital signal form, and responsive to the electronic digital code which has been recognized directly from the electronic digital document, controlling at least one processing station other than the printer for processing the at least one sheet to obtain the at least one document to be mailed.

20. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the means for reading and responding to the code allows the control system to print at least a part of a sheet by the printer.

21. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the text unit generates in the digital document a code comprising a non-print code not printable by the printer.

22. A mail processing system according to claim 21, characterized in that wherein the non-print code comprises at least one of an escape sequence and a shift-in/shift-out.

23. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the text unit generates in the digital document a code comprising a print code printable by the printer.

24. A mail processing system according to claim 23, wherein the control system includes means for removing the print code from the digital document before the digital document is supplied to the printer.

25. A mail processing system according to claim 23, wherein the control system transmits the entire digital document including the print code for printing by the printer.

26. A mail processing system according to claim 25, with the aid of the text unit the print code includes an indication characteristic of an addressee or group of addressees.

27. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the control system includes means to recognize a code or part of a code on the basis of a position of the code in a document.

28. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the control system includes means to recognize a code or part of a code on the basis of a content of the code.

29. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the control system includes means to compile a data base on the basis of codes recognized by the control system.

30. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the text unit comprises means for storing the digital document produced with the text unit on a data carrier, and the control system comprises means for reading the information of the data carrier.

31. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the system further comprises a line with which the digital document produced by the text unit is supplied to the control system.

32. A mail processing system according to claim 19, wherein the control system includes means for generating feedback information comprising data about at least one of sheets and documents processed by the mail processing apparatus.

33. A method for processing sheets in a mail processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing stations, including a printer and at least one other processing station, and a control system controlling at least one processing station for printing sheets and assembling sheets to form at least one document to be mailed, the method comprising the steps of:

generating at least one document in electronic digital form utilizing a text generating unit not belonging to the mail processing apparatus, the at least one electronic digital document including electronic digital text and at least one electronic digital print code also generated by the text unit, said electronic digital print code comprising a set of characters visible as normal text on a screen of the text unit, wherein said digital print code comprises information for use by the control system to control the processing stations;

supplying the digital document to the control system in electronic digital signal form;

recording the digital document in electronic digital signal form with the control system;

recognizing the electronic digital print code directly from the electronic digital document;

printing the text and the print code of the electronic digital document on at least one sheet with the printer under the control of the control system, and

responsive to the electronic digital print code, controlling the at least one other processing station for assembling the at least one printed sheet into the document to be mailed.

34. A mail processing system comprising:

a mail processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing stations, including a printer and at least one other processing station, and a control system controlling the printer and the at least one other processing station for printing sheets and assembling sheets to form at least one document to be mailed;

a separate text unit, not belonging to the mail processing apparatus, for generating at least one digital document in digital electronic signal form, including a digital text and at least one digital print code also generated by the text unit, said digital print code comprising a set of characters which are visible as normal text on a screen of the text unit, wherein said digital print code comprises information for use by the control system to control the processing stations for printing and assembling sheets; and

means for communicating the digital document from the text unit to the control system in digital electronic signal form,

wherein the control system includes means for recording the digital document in digital electronic signal form, recognizing the digital print code in digital electronic signal form directly from the digital document, controlling the printer to print the digital text and the digital print code on at least one sheet and, responsive to the digital print code in digital electronic signal form, controlling the at least one other processing station for assembling the sheets as the at least one document to be mailed.