Multi-mailer

• US 6,347,260 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2000
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quad Graphics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quad Graphics, Inc.
• Inventors: Quadracci, Thomas A., Graushar, William T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US09/679,745
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 700/220, 700/219, 700/221, 700/226, 700/227, 700/223, 700/224, 270/1.02, 270/1.03, 270/52.03, 270/52.16, 270/58.29
• US Class Current: 700/223
• 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 2301/4311 Making personalised books or mail packets according to personal, geographic or demographic data
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/415 of job
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/02 Associating,collating or gathering articles from several sources
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00483 Batch processing of mailpieces

Abstract

A method for combining in zip code order pre-personalized printed items with items that are not pre-personalized. The method includes the step of producing a grouping of the pre-personalized items in zip code order according to a first mailing list. The first mailing list is merged with a second mailing list associated with the items that are not pre-personalized to produce a master mailing list of a desired zip code order. The pre-personalized items and the items that are not pre-personalized are selectively fed to a conveyor in the desired zip code order. The items that are not pre-addressed are addressed and the zip code bundles are prepared according to the master mailing list.

Claims

1. A method for combining printed items of a first mailing list with printed items of a second mailing, said method comprising:

producing a first mailing list of pre-personalized printed items;

producing a second mailing list of printed items;

combining the first mailing list with the second mailing list to produce a master mailing list in a desired zip code order;

selectively feeding the printed items from the first and second mailing lists in the order they appear on the master mailing list; and

addressing any of the pre-personalized printed items or printed items that have not been addressed.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pre-personalized printed items on the first mailing list are third class publications.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the printed items on the second mailing list are second class publications.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the printed items on the second mailing list are not pre-personalized.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pre-personalized items on the first mailing list include personalization in the form of at least one of recipient information on an outside page, recipient information on an inside page, recipient address information, and selective or demographic production.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the printed items of the first mailing list are of one postal class of publications and the printed items of the second mailing list are of a different class of postal publications.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the printed items of the first and second mailing lists are of the same postal class of publications.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including the act of preparing zip code bundles according to the master mailing list.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including the act of reading optical characters on the pre-personalized printed items to verify the printed items are in the proper sequence according to the first mailing list.

10. A method for combining printed items of a first mailing list with printed items of a second mailing, said method comprising:

producing a first mailing list of printed items of one class of postal publications;

producing a second mailing list of printed items of a different class of postal publications;

combining the first and second mailing lists to produce a master mailing list in a desired zip code order; and

selectively feeding the printed items from the first and second mailing lists in the order they appear on the master mailing list to produce a stream of combined printed items in desired zip code order.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first mailing list of printed items includes second class postal publications and the second mailing list of printed items includes third class postal publications.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the printed items on at least one of the first and second mailing list are pre-personalized.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein pre-personalization includes at least one of recipient information on an outside page, recipient information on an inside page, recipient address information, and selective or demographic production.

14. The method of claim 10 and further including the act of reading optical characters on at least some of the printed items to verify the printed items are in the proper sequence according to the respective mailing list.