Method for printing multiple jobs

• US 7,324,221 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartmix Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Smartmix Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Kelleher, Denis Kieran, Cohn, Warren G., Kent, Bradley D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Douglas Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/375,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20040085580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.18, 358/1.1, 358/1.14, 705/408
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00467 Transporting mailpieces postal sorting B07C
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00483 Batch processing of mailpieces

Abstract

A system and method for merging and printing multiple postal presorted print jobs into a single print run for discounted rate mailing. The method includes merging mail recipient address lists from several print job orders into a merged recipient address list. The method further includes associating printing content provided by a print job order requestor with each recipient in the merged mail recipient address list. The method also includes printing mailpieces in a presorted sequence by selectively applying associated printing content for each mail recipient in a presorted merged mail recipient address list. Accordingly, several small targeted mailing print jobs, each individually too small to qualify for mailing discounts, can be merged into a larger, presorted print run collectively eligible for mailing discounts.

Claims

1. A method for merging and printing multiple different postal presorted print jobs into a single print run for discounted rate mailing comprising:

merging mail recipient address lists from each of a plurality of different print job orders, each of the different print job orders having a different printing content, into a merged mail recipient address list;

associating printing content from each of the print job orders with corresponding recipients based on the merged mail recipient address list associated with the print job orders for the printing content; and

printing mailpieces that include printing content from all of the print job orders in a single print run combining the plurality of different print job orders in a presorted sequence by selectively applying associated printing content for each mail recipient in a presorted merged mail recipient address list so that no further sorting is necessary after printing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining an address list of mail recipients.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising maintaining a list of mail senders requesting print job orders.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a unique code to a mail sender requesting a print job.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising associating the unique code with recipients in a mail recipient address list according to desired recipients indicated in a print job order received from a mail sender.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving print content from a mail sender and associating the print content with the mail sender'"'"'s unique code.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising inserting the print content into a mailpiece according to the corresponding unique code associated with desired recipients.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing each mailpiece as a template comprising fields for inserting customized data or graphics when printing the mailpiece.

9. A printing method for merging multiple different print jobs into a single print run for discounted rate mailing comprising:

receiving and maintaining a list of mailing recipients comprising addresses;

receiving a plurality of different print job orders from senders, each of the different print job orders order-comprising different printing content and selected recipients of the different printing content;

tagging recipients in the list of mailing recipients with a unique code corresponding to the selected recipients indicated in each of the different print job orders to uniquely associate each sender with the selected recipients;

merging each of the different print job orders having different printing content into a merged print job;

presorting the merged print job into a single postal presorted print run combining the plurality of different print job orders having different printing content according to the addresses of the selected recipients;

associating the printing content from each of the print job orders received from each sender with corresponding selected recipients tagged with the sender'"'"'s unique code; and

inserting the appropriate printing content for each selected recipient in the postal presorted print run so that all of the print job orders are printed in a postal presorted sequence without a need for further sorting after printing.

10. A computer system for merging and printing multiple different postal presorted print jobs into a single print run for discounted rate mailing comprising:

a processor, for executing stored instructions; and

a storage device, coupled to the processor, for executing stored instructions comprising;

a. receiving and maintaining a list of mailing recipients comprising addresses;

b. receiving a plurality of different print job orders from senders, each of the different print job orders order comprising different printing content and selected recipients of the different printing content;

c. tagging recipients in the list of mailing recipients with a unique code corresponding to the selected recipients indicated in each of the different print job orders to uniquely associate each sender with the selected recipients;

d. merging each of the different print job orders having different printing content into a merged print job;

e. presorting the merged print jobs into a single postal presorted print run combining the plurality of different print job orders having different printing content according to the addresses of the selected recipients;

f. associating the printing content from each of the print job orders received from each sender with corresponding selected recipients tagged with the sender'"'"'s unique code; and

g. inserting the appropriate printing content for each selected recipient in the postal presorted print run so that all of the print job orders are printed in a postal presorted sequence without a need for further sorting after printing.

11. The system of claim 10, comprising an address database, coupled to the processor, for storing a mailing recipient address list and corresponding address list codes for identifying each mailing recipient as a designated recipient.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a print content database, accessible by the processor, for storing print content submitted by senders.