Combined mailing streams

• US 7,477,964 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quad Graphics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quad Graphics, Inc.
• Inventors: Graushar, William, Geres, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford; Gene O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGESS, RAMYA PRAKASAM
• Application Number:
  US11/959,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 270/1.01, 270/1.02, 270/1.03, 270/52.02, 700/219, 700/220, 700/221, 700/223, 700/224, 700/226, 700/227, 532/843
• US Class Current: 700/223
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 1/12 Machines for both collating or gathering and permanently attaching together the sheets or signatures
• 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 2301/4454 Merging two or more streams
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/412 of user, e.g. user code
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/415 of job
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2801/78 Mailing systems
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/06 from delivery streams

Abstract

A method including assembling printed products to form a first mail stream on a finishing line, providing a second mail stream of printed products to the finishing line, and combining the first and second mail streams on the finishing line.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a master mailing list comprising a sequence of recipients;

assembling products to form a first mail stream on a finishing line;

providing a second mail stream of products to the finishing line; and

combining the first and second mail streams in the sequence of the master mailing list on the finishing line.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the act of printing address indicia on at least a portion of the printed products of the combined mail stream.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first mail stream is assembled using pockets and a binder.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the binder is a saddle stitcher.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the binder is a perfect binder.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a loader provides the second mail stream to the finishing line.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the loader is a shuttle hopper.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second mail streams are combined on a mail table.

9. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the acts of stacking and bundling the combined mail stream.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first mail stream comprises at least two different titles.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first mail stream comprises at least two different versions of a printed product.

12. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the act of feeding a third stream of products to the finishing line.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the printed products of the second mail stream are pre-addressed.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the first and second mail streams comprises combining the first and second mail streams using a buffer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the first and second mail streams comprises combining the first and second mail streams without the use of a buffer.

16. A method comprising:

providing a first data list comprising a first sequence of recipients corresponding to first printed products of a first mail stream;

providing a second data list comprising a second sequence of recipients corresponding to second printed products of a second mail stream;

combining the first and second data lists into a master mailing list.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

assembling printed products to form the first mail stream on a finishing line;

providing the second mail stream of printed products to the finishing line; and

combining the first and second mail streams in the sequence of the master mailing list on the finishing line.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the data list is a mailing list.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein combining the first and second mailing lists comprises combining the first and second mailing lists in a recipient-based order.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein combining the first and second mailing lists comprises combining the first and second mailing lists in an address-based order.

21. A method comprising:

assembling products to form a first mail stream on a finishing line;

providing a second mail stream of products to the finishing line; and

combining the first and second mail streams on the finishing line.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the products are printed products.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the printed products are one of books, magazines, catalogs, and direct mail pieces.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising combining the first and second mail streams according to a recipient-based order.

25. The method of claim 21 and further comprising the act of printing address indicia on at least a portion of the products of the combined mail stream.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the first mail stream is assembled using pockets and a binder.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein a loader provides the second mail stream to the finishing line.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the loader is a shuttle hopper.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein the first and second mail streams are combined on a mail table.

30. The method of claim 21 and further comprising the acts of stacking and bundling the combined mail stream.

31. The method of claim 21 wherein the first mail stream comprises at least two different titles.

32. The method of claim 21 wherein the first mail stream comprises at least two different versions of a product.

33. The method of claim 21 and further comprising the act of feeding a third stream of products to the finishing line.

34. The method of claim 21 wherein the printed products of the second mail stream are pre-addressed.

35. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of pockets on a finishing line, the plurality of pockets comprising printed pieces corresponding to a first title and a second title; and

simultaneously assembling the first title and the second title on the finishing line.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein providing the plurality of pockets comprises providing the plurality of pockets on a binding line.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the first and second titles have no overlapping printed pieces.

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

feeding the printed pieces corresponding to the first title to the finishing line and feeding the printed pieces corresponding to the second title to the finishing line.

39. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

binding the printed pieces corresponding to the first title with a binder and binding the printed pieces corresponding to the second title with the binder.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the binder is a saddle stitcher.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the binder is a perfect binder.

42. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

providing the plurality of pockets with printed pieces corresponding to a third title; and

simultaneously assembling the first title, the second title, and the third title on the finishing line.

43. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

feeding the printed pieces corresponding to the first title to the finishing line and feeding the printed pieces corresponding to the second title to the finishing line; and

binding the printed pieces corresponding to the first title with a binder and binding the printed pieces corresponding to the second title with the binder.

44. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

conveying the first and second titles to a trimmer; and

trimming the first and second titles by the trimmer.

45. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

providing a master mailing list comprising a sequence of recipients; and

simultaneously assembling the first title and the second title on the finishing line to form a first mail stream in the sequence of the master mailing list on the finishing line.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the sequence of the master mailing list is recipient-based.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the sequence of the master mailing list is address-based.

48. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

providing a second mail stream of printed products to the finishing line; and

combining the first and second mail streams in the sequence of the master mailing list on the finishing line.