Reply mail processing system

• US 6,459,953 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2000
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Ferrara, Robert V., Connelly, Martin A., Rutledge, Ronald K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Application Number:
  US09/626,953
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 700/223, 700/224, 700/225, 700/226, 209/564, 209/583, 209/584, 209/900
• US Class Current: 700/224
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/14 using light-responsive detecting means for information carriers G06K7/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00435 Details specific to central, non-customer apparatus, e.g. servers at post office or vendor
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00661 Sensing or measuring mailpieces weighing G01G19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00604 Printing of advert or logo
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00709 Scanning mailpieces

Abstract

A business reply mail processing system includes a transport module, a scanner module and a control module in operative communication with the scanner module. The transport module feeds a business reply mail piece in a path of travel where the business reply mail piece includes a job ID code and field data. The scanner module is located adjacent to the path of travel for scanning the business reply mail piece reading the job ID code and the field data. The control module includes a mail campaign job database. The control module uses the job ID code to access processing data from the mail campaign job database corresponding to the job ID code and controls the scanner module using the processing data to read the field data from the business reply mail piece.

Claims

1. A system of construction comprising:

(a) a first subassembly comprising a plurality of first subassembly structural members, each of said first subassembly structural members comprising;

(i) a first subassembly first lengthwise side and an opposing first subassembly second lengthwise side, said first subassembly lengthwise sides being substantially parallel to each other and substantially equal in length,

(ii) a first subassembly first widthwise side and an opposing first subassembly second widthwise side, said first subassembly widthwise sides being substantially parallel to each other and substantially equal in length;

(iii) a first subassembly first planar side and a first subassembly second planar side, said first subassembly planar sides being substantially parallel to each other and defining a first subassembly thickness, said first subassembly thickness being substantially equal for each of said first assembly structural members,

(iv) at least one first subassembly slot in at least one of said first subassembly lengthwise sides of each of said first assembly structural members, each of said first subassembly slots having a first subassembly slot open end, a first subassembly slot closed end, a pair of first subassembly slot parallel sides extending from said first subassembly slot open end to said first subassembly slot closed end, a first subassembly slot axis being parallel to said first subassembly slot parallel sides, each of said first subassembly slots being adapted to be detachably connected to another one of said first subassembly slots in another one of said first subassembly structural members,

wherein at least one of said first subassembly slots in each of said first subassembly structural members is detachably connected to another one of said first subassembly slots in another one of said first subassembly structural members,

(b) a second subassembly comprising a plurality of second subassembly structural members, each of said second subassembly structural members comprising;

(i) a second subassembly first lengthwise side and an opposing second subassembly second lengthwise side, said second subassembly lengthwise sides being substantially parallel to each other and substantially equal in length,

(ii) a second subassembly first lengthwise side and an opposing second subassembly second widthwise side, said second subassembly widthwise sides being substantially parallel to each other and substantially equal in length,

(iii) a second subassembly first planar side and a second subassembly second planar side, said second subassembly planar sides being substantially parallel to each other and defining a second subassembly thickness, said second subassembly thickness being substantially equal for each of said second subassembly structural members,

(iv) at least one second subassembly slot in at least one of said second subassembly widthwise sides of each of said second subassembly structural members, each of said second subassembly slots having a second subassembly slot open end, a second subassembly slot closed end, a pair of second subassembly slot parallel sides extending from said second subassembly slot open end to said second subassembly slot closed end, a second subassembly slot axis being parallel to said second subassembly slot parallel sides, each of said second subassembly slots being adapted to be detachably connected to one another of said second subassembly slots in another one of said second subassembly structural members,

wherein at least one of said second subassembly slots in each of said second subassembly structural members is detachably connected to another one of said second subassembly slots in another one of said second subassembly structural members, and wherein at least one of said first subassembly slots and at least one of said second subassembly slots are detachably connected to produce an assembled unit.

2. The business reply mail processing system of claim 1, wherein:

a control module is further for;

using the job ID code to access post processing data from the mail campaign job database corresponding to the job ID code, the post processing data containing indications of possible output activities; and

outputting selected ones of the possible output activities by correlating the post processing data and the field data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the distance between the closed end of the first subassembly slot and the open end of the first subassembly slot is substantially equal to the distance between the distance between the closed end of the second subassembly slot and the open end of the second subassembly slot.

4. The business reply mail processing system of claim 3, wherein:

if the processing data includes an appropriate instruction, the control module directs the scanner module to obtain an image of the business reply mail piece and stores the image in the mail campaign job database.

5. The business reply mail processing system of claims 4, wherein:

the business reply mail piece further includes a recipient ID code;

the scanner module reads the recipient ID code; and

the control module updates the mail campaign job database to reflect that the business reply mail piece corresponding to a particular recipient has been received.

6. The business reply mail processing system of claim 5, wherein:

a control module is further for;

using the job ID code to access post processing data from the mail campaign job database corresponding to the job ID code, the post processing data containing indications of possible output activities; and

outputting selected ones of the possible output activities by correlating the post processing data and the field data.

7. A method of operating a business reply mail processing system, comprising the step(s) of:

feeding a business reply mail piece in a path of travel, the business reply mail piece including a job ID code and field data thereon;

scanning the business reply mail piece to read the job ID code and the field data;

using the job ID code to access processing data from a mail campaign job database corresponding to the job ID code; and

controlling the scanner module using the processing data to read the field data from the business reply mail piece.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step(s) of:

using the job ID code to access post processing data from the mail campaign job database corresponding to the job ID code, the post processing data containing indications of possible output activities; and

outputting selected ones of the possible output activities by correlating the post processing data and the field data.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step(s) of:

directing the business reply mail piece to a particular one of a plurality of output bins associated with the job ID code.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step(s) of:

if the processing data includes an appropriate instruction, obtaining an image of the business reply mail piece and storing the image in the mail campaign job database.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step(s) of:

reading a recipient ID code from the business reply mail piece; and

updating the mail campaign job database to reflect that the business reply mail piece corresponding to a particular recipient has been received.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step(s) of:

using the job ID code to access post processing data from the mail campaign job database corresponding to the job ID code, the post processing data containing indications of possible output activities; and

outputting selected ones of the possible output activities by correlating the post processing data and the field data.

13. A memory device accessible by a control module, comprising:

a mail campaign database including a plurality of job data sets, each job data set having respective job ID data and respective processing data, the processing data including an appropriate instruction for use in determining whether or not to obtain an image of a business reply mail piece.

14. The memory device of claim 13, wherein:

each job data set further includes post processing data containing indications of possible output activities.

15. The memory device of claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of records associated with each of the plurality of job data sets, respectively; and

wherein the plurality of records includes an indication whether or not the business reply mail piece from a particular recipient has been received.

16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein:

each job data set further includes post processing data containing indications of possible output activities.

17. A business reply mail piece, comprising:

a job ID code; and

field data; and

wherein;

the job ID code is associated with processing data from a mail campaign job database corresponding to the job ID code; and

the processing data includes information for interpreting the field data.

18. The business reply mail piece of claim 17, further comprising:

a recipient ID code corresponding to a particular recipient that the business reply mail piece was provided to.