In-line verification, reporting and tracking apparatus and method for mail pieces

• US 6,793,136 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2003
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DMT Solutions Global Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bowe Bell & Howell Company
• Inventors: Wojdyla, Richard, Wells, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US10/351,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20030111524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/375, 235/379, 235/494, 235/432, 235/380, 705/1, 705/401, 705/407, 705/406, 705/408, 705/62
• US Class Current: 235/385
• 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 2017/0004 Determining the location of mailpieces outside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00169 from a franking apparatus, e.g. for verifying accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00725 Reading symbols, e.g. OCR

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically acquiring and verifying, relative to pre-established rules, address information and postage value indicia on a face of each of a plurality of mail pieces. The mail pieces can be subsequently placed in a tray and a label is applied to the tray, the label imprinted with information which relates to the mail piece content of the tray. The apparatus includes an inserter adapted to insert documents into an envelope and seal the envelope to produce a finished mail piece or a sorter which conveys finished mail pieces, with the address information and postage value indicia visible on a face of each mail piece. An in-line module is disposed adjacent the inserter, the module including a path along which each finished mail piece is transported. The module includes a scale and an image capture device, the scale adapted to measure and record the weight or mass of each finished mail piece, and the image capture device adapted to capture an image of the address information on the face of each finished mail piece. A scanning device can be provided to acquire a representation of the information on the tray label. The scale, image capture device and, optionally, scanning device are electronically linked to a control processor device for controlling acquisition, storage and verification of the address information and postage value indicia on the finished mail piece and the information on the label. An image processing device is provided in communication with the control processor device, and is adapted to synchronize acquisition, storage and verification of the address information, postage value indicia and label information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for acquiring and verifying, relative to pre-established rules, mail piece information for a plurality of mail pieces, comprising:

a mail processing machine adapted to process the mail pieces;

a module disposed in-line with the mail processing machine, said module including a path along which the mail piece is transported; and

at least one of a device adapted to determine mail piece information relating to physical characteristics of each mail piece and a device adapted to capture an image of mail piece information on a face of each mail piece; and

at least one processor device linked to the at least one of a device adapted to determine mail piece information relating to physical characteristics of each mail piece and a device adapted to capture an image of mail piece information on a face of each mail piece, the at least one processor device for controlling acquisition and verification of the mail piece information for each mail piece.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mail processing machine is a machine which creates a batch of mail pieces.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the machine which creates a batch of mail pieces is an inserter or a sorter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device adapted to determine mail piece information relating to physical characteristics of each mail piece comprises a scale.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device adapted to capture an image of mail piece information on a face of each mail piece comprises a camera.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mail piece information relating to physical characteristics of each mail piece includes at least one of height, length, width and weight.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mail piece information on a face of each mail piece includes at least one of destination information, postage paid information, presort category information, and carrier route information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the destination information includes at least one of address information and barcode information.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 the postage paid information includes at least one of stamp, meter and permit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor device generates a report indicating that the plurality of mail pieces are acceptable or not acceptable, in whole or in part.

11. A method for acquiring and verifying, relative to pre-established rules, mail piece information for a plurality of mail pieces, the method comprising the steps of:

processing each mail piece via a mail processing machine;

transporting each mail piece along a transport path associated with the mail processing machine;

as each mail piece is transported along the path, determining mail piece information relating to at least one of physical characteristics of each mail piece and information on a face of each mail piece; and

controlling acquisition and verification of the mail piece information for each mail piece.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the mail processing machine creates a batch of mail pieces.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the mail processing machine is an inserter or a sorter.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining mail piece information relating to at least one of physical characteristics of each mail piece and information on a face of each mail piece includes the step of weighing each mail piece.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining mail piece information relating to at least one of physical characteristics of each mail piece and information on a face of each mail piece includes the step of capturing an image of each mail piece.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the mail piece information relating to physical characteristics of each mail piece includes at least one of height, length, width and weight.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the mail piece information on a face of each mail piece includes at least one of destination information, postage paid information, presort category information, and carrier route information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the destination information includes at least one of address information and barcode information.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the postage paid information includes at least one of stamp, meter and permit.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of generating a report indicating that the plurality of mail pieces are acceptable or not acceptable, in whole or in part.