Verification system and method in a document processing environment

• US 8,036,422 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bell & Howell LLC (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Bell & Howell LLC (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Spitzig, Roger, Rawlings, David, Richards, Bob, Boston, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor; Sath V
• Application Number:
  US12/985,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 278 Days
• Field of Search: 382/101
• US Class Current: 382/101
• 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 17/00459 Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00491 Mail/envelope/insert handling system
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00556 Ensuring quality of print
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00709 Scanning mailpieces

Abstract

A feeder control system and method are disclosed. The system includes a feeder information detector, and a feeder information leverager to provide integrity verification, system control and/or reporting. The method includes the steps of detecting feeder information, and leveraging the feeder information to provide integrity verification, system control and/or reporting.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of processing a plurality mail pieces, the method comprising steps of:

extracting read comparison data from a print stream database;

storing the extracted read comparison data for access by document handling equipment for processing the plurality of mail pieces;

processing the plurality of mail pieces on the document handling equipment to at least obtain unique mail piece information using a line scan camera from each respective mail piece;

performing integrity verification by matching the extracted read comparison data with the read unique mail piece information for each respective mail piece;

determining, based on the performed integrity verification, whether any one of the mail pieces is processed out of sequential order or other print discrepancy that the document handling equipment encounters in the unique mail piece information when it is compared to the extracted read comparison data of any one of the processed mail pieces such that corrective action can be taken; and

generating an electronically accessible report containing mail piece sequence information for each of the respective mailpieces processed by the document processing equipment and/or print discrepancy data for each of the respective mailpieces.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in the event of an unsuccessful verification, stopping the processing of the mail pieces on the document handling equipment and taking corrective action.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the document processing handling includes an inserter, printing press or bookmaker.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing an obtained address information together with the extracted read comparison data at a networked location.