Pitney Bowes Deutschland Gmbh

Winkler + Dünnebier Gmbh

Andreas Völz

Eddy Edel

Reinhard Glade

Gerd Mattern

Andreas Ripken

A method for supplying and inserting document sets into associated envelopes, in which the document sets are supplied to an insert station in a document material stream and the envelopes are supplied to the insert station in an envelope material stream, to allow mail pieces to be collated with high reliability. In the insert station, the document set supplied in each case is inserted into the relevant envelope supplied at the same time, wherein for each document set, the position thereof in the document sequence and an associated document identification code are determined, and for each envelope, the position thereof in the envelope sequence and an associated envelope identification code are determined, and a document set and an envelope are supplied to the insert station only as a pair when it is confirmed that the envelope pending supply is individually associated with the document set pending supply.

Method for supplying document sets and inserting document sets into associated envelopes and enveloping system

In a mail inserting machine that a user uses to process mailpieces for a prepaid quantity, a counter is installed in an inaccessible manner to keep count of the processed mailpieces. The machine is disabled when the prepaid quantity is used up. In order to allow the user to pay for additional quantity, the manufacturer embeds a finite number of unlocking codes in the machine. Each code for the particular machine is activated in sequence. When the user needs to replenish the inserter counter, he calls the service counter and gives his machine serial number. The user is given the next unlocking code after he agrees to pay for the additional amount. The user can enter the code to unlock the additional preset quantity. The same code will not work again. In a further embodiment, the rate of mailpiece processing is also monitored to ensure that design limitations are not exceeded. The machine is automatically shut down when a predetermined processing rate is exceeded.

Growing community of inventors

Friedberg, Germany

Andreas Völz