Systems, methods and computer program products for monitoring and controlling mail processing devices

• US 6,049,775 A
• Filed: 05/15/1998
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bell & Howell LLC (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Bell & Howell Mail and Messaging Technologies Company
• Inventors: Sterling, William A., Gertner, Patricia A., Nardin, Richard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US09/079,620
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/333, 345/334, 345/348, 364/138, 364/140.01, 364/146, 364/188, 364/191, 364/192, 364/400, 364/468.01, 364/468.06, 364/468.09, 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 700/9, 700/11, 700/17, 700/95, 700/100
• US Class Current: 705/7.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00024 Physical or organizational aspects of franking systems

Abstract

A system, method, device, and/or computer program product for remotely managing a plurality of remote mail processing devices. The system comprises receiving means for receiving operation related information from each of said plurality of remote mail processing devices. The system also includes monitoring means for remotely monitoring operation related information from each of said plurality of remote mail processing devices. Features of the present invention include the ability to create threshold settings for separate mail processing devices and individual jobs running on the separate mail processing devices. Violations of the threshold settings will result in an alarm indicating deviation from pre-set job goals. A user also has the ability to remotely create, maintain, and communicate valid mail processing device operator lists for specified mail processing devices. A run-tag editor is included which allows the user remotely access a stored database of completed job information in order to correct any job identification errors that may have been input by a mail processing device operator.

Claims

1. A system for remote real-time monitoring of at least one mail inserter machine comprising:

(a) receiving means located remotely from said mail inserter machine for receiving operation related information from said mail inserter machine;

(b) monitoring means operatively connected to said receiving means for monitoring the operation related information received from said mail inserter machine and updating display of the operation related information in real time; and

(c) transmission means for sending data to said mail inserter machine.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said receiving means and monitoring means are centrally located not necessarily proximate to said mail inserter machine.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said receiving and monitoring means are coupled to a networked communications system for exchanging data with said mail inserter machine.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said monitoring means updates display of the operation related information on a computer display screen at a rate of at least about one update per thirty seconds.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said receiving means receives operation related information from a plurality of mail inserter machines located at a plurality of geographically separated sites.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the operation related information includes mail inserter machine organizational information, site information, machine information, utility information, and system administration information.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the mail inserter machine organizational information includes mail inserter machine site addition information, mail inserter machine site deletion information, and mail inserter machine site edit information, and mail inserter machine site job goal information.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the mail inserter machine site information includes production information, goal information, job information, fault information, and alarm information with respect to a specified mail inserter machine site.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the mail inserter machine machine information includes production information, goal information, job information, fault information, and alarm information with respect to said mail inserter machine.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the mail inserter machine utility information includes alarm information, user administration information, shift information, language information, threshold setting information, and run-time manager information with respect to said mail inserter machine.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein the mail inserter machine system administration information includes report information, machine setup information, backup and restore information, and run tag editor information with respect to said mail inserter machine.

12. A method for real-time monitoring of at least one mail inserter machine comprising:

(a) receiving operation related information from a mail inserter machine from a location remote from said mail inserter machine;

(b) monitoring the operation related information received from said mail inserter machine, and updating display of the operation related information in real time; and

(c) transmitting data to said mail inserter machine.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said receiving means and monitoring means are centrally located not necessarily proximate to any of said mail inserter machine.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said receiving and monitoring means are coupled to a networked communications system for exchanging data with said mail inserter machine.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving the operation related information includes receiving the operation related information from a plurality of mail inserter machines located at a plurality of geographically separated sites.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein updating display of the operation related information in real time includes updating display of the operation related information at a rate of at least about one update per thirty seconds.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the operation related information includes mail inserter machine organizational information, site information, machine information, utility information, and system administration information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the mail inserter machine machine information includes production information, goal information, job information, fault information, and alarm information with respect to said mail inserter machine.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the mail inserter machine utility information includes alarm information, user administration information, shift information, language information, threshold setting information, and run-time manager information with respect to said mail inserter machine.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the mail inserter machine system administration information includes report information, machine setup information, backup and restore information, and run tag editor information with respect to said mail inserter machine.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the mail inserter machine organizational information includes mail inserter machine site addition information, mail inserter machine site deletion information, mail inserter machine device site edit information, and mail inserter machine site job goal information.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the mail inserter machine site information includes production information, goal information, job information, fault information, and alarm information with respect to a specified mail inserter machine site.

23. A remote real-time monitoring device for remotely monitoring at least one mail inserter machine, said remote real-time monitoring device comprising:

(a) operating parameter monitoring means located remotely from said at least one mail inserter machine for remotely monitoring the operating parameters of said at least one mail inserter machine and for updating display of the operating parameters in real time; and

(b) computer network communications means coupled to the operating parameter monitoring means for transferring data between the remote real-time monitoring device and said at least one mail inserter machine.

24. The device of claim 23 further comprising operator setup means for remotely creating, maintaining, and communicating a list of valid mail inserter machine operators for said at least one mail inserter machine.

25. The device of claim 23 further comprising run-tag editing means for remotely accessing, editing, and re-saving stored run-tag data for a specified job on said at least one mail inserter machine.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein said run-tag editing means is capable of searching and selecting individual and multiple run-tags from a stored run-tag database.

27. The device of claim 23 further comprising alarm threshold setting means for setting alarm threshold levels of tolerable error counts for specified types of errors for a specified job on said at least one mail inserter machine.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein said specified types of errors include aim errors, insert feeder errors, envelope feeder errors, finishing errors, and delivery errors.

29. The device of claim 27 further comprising production threshold setting means for setting production threshold levels of output goals to be completed within or by a specified time for a specified job on said at least one mail inserter machine.

30. The device of claim 29 wherein said output goals represent the number of envelopes processed at a specified time.

31. The device of claim 29 wherein said operating parameter monitoring means monitors the production threshold levels and alarm threshold levels of said at least one mail inserter machine in real-time and outputs a message when said threshold levels have been violated.

32. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) receiving operation related information from at least one mail inserter machine from a location remote from said at least one mail inserter machine; and

(b) updating display of the operation related information received from said mail inserter machine in real time.

33. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein receiving the operation related information includes receiving the operation related information over a TCP/IP network.

34. The computer program product of claim 32 comprising sending data to said mail inserter machine.

35. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein receiving the operation related information includes receiving the operation related information from a plurality of mail inserter machines located at geographically separated sites.

36. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein updating display of the operation related information in real time includes updating display of the operation related information at a rate of at least about one update per thirty seconds.

37. A system for remote real-time monitoring of at least one mail sorting machine, said system comprising:

(a) receiving means for receiving operation related information from said mail sorting machine from a location remote from said at least one mail sorting machine; and

(b) monitoring means operatively connected to said receiving means for monitoring the operation related information received from said mail sorting machine and updating display of the operation related information in real time.

38. The system of claim 37 comprising transmission means for sending data to said mail sorting machine.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein said receiving means receives operation related information from a plurality of mail sorting machines located at a plurality of sites geographically separated from each other.

40. The system of claim 37 wherein said monitoring means updates display of the operation related information on a computer display screen at a rate of at least about one update per thirty seconds.

41. A method for remote real-time monitoring of at least one mail sorting machine comprising:

(a) receiving operation related information from a mail sorting machine from a location remote from said mail sorting machine; and

(b) updating display of the operation related information in real time.

42. The method of claim 41 comprising transmitting data to said mail sorting machine.

43. The method of claim 41 wherein receiving the operation related information includes receiving the operation related information from a plurality of mail sorting machines located at geographically separate sites.

44. The method of claim 41 wherein updating display of the operation related information in real time includes updating display of the operation related information at a rate of at least about one update per thirty seconds.

45. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) receiving, from a user, a threshold percentage value relating to percentage completion of a job by at least one mail processing machine and a time value for checking whether the mail processing machine has reached the percentage;

(b) receiving at least one measured percentage value indicating the percentage completion of a job by the mail processing machine from a location remote from the mail processing machine;

(c) when the time value is reached, determining whether the measured percentage value equals the threshold percentage value; and

(d) if the measured percentage value is less than the threshold percentage value, displaying an alarm to the user.

46. The computer program product of claim 45 wherein receiving at least one measured percentage value includes receiving at least one measured percentage value from one or more mail inserter machines.

47. The computer program product of claim 45 wherein receiving at least one measured percentage value includes receiving at least one measured percentage value from one or more mail sorting machines.

48. The computer program product of claim 45 wherein alerting the user includes displaying a pop-up window to the user.

49. The computer program product of claim 48 wherein the pop-up window displays the measured percentage value.

50. The computer program product of claim 45 comprising updating display of the measured percentage value in real time.

51. The computer program product of claim 50 wherein updating display of the measured percentage value includes updating display at a rate of at least about one update per thirty seconds.

52. A run tag editor comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) searching a database for run tags indicative of jobs performed by at least one mail processing machine;

(b) displaying run tags extracted from the database to a user;

(c) receiving input from a user allowing modification of the displayed run tags and addition of new run tags; and

(d) storing the modified or new run tags in the database.

53. The computer program product of claim 52 wherein run tags are indicative of jobs performed by a mail inserter machine.

54. The computer program product of claim 52 wherein the run tags are indicative of jobs performed by a mail sorting machine.