Reply mail processing system

• US 6,804,577 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• 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., Shapiro, Steven J., Rutledge, Ronald K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Application Number:
  US10/184,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20020169519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 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 is provided. A 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. A scanner module scans the business reply mail piece to read the job ID code and the field data. A control module uses the job ID code to access processing data from a 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. Alternatively, the business reply mail piece includes the processing data that is read by the scanner and the control module uses the processing data read from the business reply mail piece to read the field data from the business reply mail piece.

Claims

1. A business reply mail processing system comprising:

a transport module for feeding a business reply mail piece returned by a responder, the business reply mail piece having a first side including address information and a second side including control data and field data thereon, the field data including information provided by the responder, the control data including identification information for the business reply mail piece and instructions for scanning the field data;

a scanner module associated with the transport module to read the control data on the business reply mail piece; and

a control module in operative communication with the scanner module, the control module using the identification information to identify the business reply mail piece as belonging to a specific mailing campaign and using the instructions for scanning the field data to control the scanner module to read at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece.

2. The business reply mail processing system of claim 1, wherein the control data includes processing data, the processing data including instructions for processing the field data read from the business reply mail piece.

3. The business reply mail processing system of claim 1, wherein the control data further includes instructions for imaging the business reply mail piece.

4. A business reply mail processing system comprising:

a transport module for feeding a business reply mail piece, the business reply mail piece including control data and field data thereon;

a scanner module associated with the transport module to read the control data on the business reply mail piece;

a control module in operative communication with the scanner module, the control module controlling the scanner module to read at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece based on the control data; and

a database coupled to the control module,

wherein the control data includes a job identification code, the control module using the job identification code to access post processing data from the database corresponding to the job identification code, the post processing data including indications of possible output activities.

5. The business reply mail processing system of claim 4, further comprising:

a plurality of output bins located downstream in a path of travel from the scanner module,

wherein the control module directs the business reply mail piece to a particular one of the plurality of output bins based on the job identification code.

6. A business reply mail processing system comprising:

a transport module for feeding a business reply mail piece, the business reply mail piece including control data and field data thereon;

a scanner module associated with the transport module to read the control data on the business reply mail piece;

a control module in operative communication with the scanner module, the control module controlling the scanner module to read at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece based on the control data; and

a database coupled to the control module,

wherein the control data further includes a recipient identification code, the scanner module reads the recipient identification code, and the control module updates the database to reflect that the business reply mail piece corresponding to a particular recipient has been received.

7. A business reply mail processing system comprising:

a transport module for feeding a business reply mail piece, the business reply mail piece including control data and field data thereon;

a scanner module associated with the transport module to read the control data on the business reply mail piece;

a control module in operative communication with the scanner module, the control module controlling the scanner module to read at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece based on the control data; and

a database coupled to the control module,

wherein the control data includes a job identification code, the control module using the job identification code to access processing data from the database corresponding to the job identification code, the processing data including instructions for reading the at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece.

8. A business reply mail processing system comprising:

a transport module for feeding a business reply mail piece returned by a responder, the business reply mail piece having a first side including address information and a second side including control data and field data thereon, the field data including information provided by the responder, the control data including image capture instructions for the business reply mail piece, identification information for the business reply mail piece, and processing instructions for the business reply mail piece;

a scanner module associated with the transport module to create an image of the business reply mail piece based on the image capture instruction data; and

a control module in operative communication with the scanner module, the control module obtaining the control data on the business reply mail piece from the image of the business reply mail piece, the control module using the identification information to identify the business reply mail piece as belonging to a specific mailing campaign and using the processing instructions to control processing of at least a portion of the field data obtained from the image of the business reply mail piece.

9. The business reply mail processing system of claim 8, wherein the control data further includes instructions for interpreting the at least a portion of the field data obtained from the image of the business reply mail piece.

10. A business reply mail processing system comprising:

a transport module for feeding a business reply mail piece, the business reply mail piece including control data and field data thereon;

a scanner module associated with the transport module to create an image of the business reply mail piece;

a control module in operative communication with the scanner module, the control module obtaining the control data on the business reply mail piece from the image of the business reply mail piece, the control module using the control data to control processing of at least a portion of the field data obtained from the image of the business reply mail piece; and

a database coupled to the control module,

wherein the control data includes a job identification code, the control module using the job identification code to access processing data from the database corresponding to the job identification code, the processing data including instructions for processing at least a portion of the field data from the image of the business reply mail piece.

11. A method of operating a business reply mail processing system comprising:

feeding a business reply mail piece returned by a responder in a path of travel, the business reply mail piece having a first side including address information and a second side including processing data and field data thereon, the field data including information provided by the responder, the control data including identification information for the business reply mail piece and instructions for scanning the field data;

scanning the business reply mail piece to read the processing data;

using the identification information to identify the business reply mail piece as belonging to a specific mailing campaign; and

using the instructions for scanning the field data to control the scanning and reading of at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

if the processing data includes an appropriate instruction, obtaining an image of the business reply mail piece.

13. A method of operating a business reply mail processing system comprising:

feeding a business reply mail piece in a path of travel, the business reply mail piece including processing data and field data thereon, the processing data including a job identification codes;

scanning the business reply mail piece to read the processing data;

using the processing data to control the scanning and reading of at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece; and

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

14. A method of operating a business reply mail processing system comprising:

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

scanning the business reply mail piece to read the processing data;

using the processing data to control the scanning and reading of at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece;

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

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

15. A method of operating a business reply mail processing system comprising:

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

scanning the business reply mail piece to read the processing data;

using the processing data to control the scanning and reading of at least a portion of the field data from the business reply mail piece;

using the job identification code to access post processing data from a database corresponding to the job identification code, the past 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.

16. A method of operating a business reply mail processing system comprising:

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

obtaining an image of the business reply mail piece;

obtaining the processing data from the image;

controlling the processing of the field data obtained from the image of the business reply mail piece based on the processing data obtained from the image;

obtaining a recipient identification code from the image of the business reply mail piece; and

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

17. A method of operating a business reply mail processing system comprising:

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

obtaining an image of the business reply mail piece;

obtaining the processing data from the image;

controlling the processing of the field data obtained from the image of the business reply mail piece based on the processing data obtained from the image;

using the job identification code to access post processing data from a database corresponding to the job identification 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.

18. A business reply mail piece, comprising:

a first side including address information used for delivery of the business reply mail piece; and

a second side including control data, the control data including identification information to identify the business reply mail piece as belonging to a specific mailing campaign, the second side further including at least one area for field data to be provided by a responder,

wherein the control data further includes information for processing and interpreting the field data.

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

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