Pitney Bowes Inc.

Clare E Woodman

John W Sussmeier

Denis J Stemmle

Michael J Cummings

Eric A Belec

Boris Rozenfeld

Gregory P Skinger

Mariano R Lau

Douglas B Quine

Bertrand Haas

Edward P Daniels

Karl H Schumacher

Robert K Gottlieb

Edward Paul Daniels, Jr

Valentino F Guyett

David P Gardner

John G Rahrig

Laurie J Salvati

Paul H Mitchell

John Kwant

Boris Rosenfeld

John F Kwant

A method for producing a continuous web of printed material for use in creating mailpieces. The continuous web has a width and a length, the length comprised of a series of attached sheets. The series of attached sheets are comprising envelope sheets and rectangular content pages. The content pages are rectangular in shape and may be oriented relative to the envelope sheets in a number of different configurations. In some configurations, two sets of content pages and/or envelope sheets can be printed across the width of the web. Sheets for forming business return envelopes may be printed in series with the content pages and envelope sheets. BREs may include individualized return addresses. A control code may be printed on one or more of the sheets for a given mailpiece, providing information for controlling assembly of the mailpiece. Two sets of sheets may be printed across the width of the web by printing content pages onto the continuous web such that two end-to-end content pages are printed across the width of the web. Positioning of mail content pages and envelope sheets for a given mailpiece may be optimized based on respective processing times determined for the system.

Method for creating a single continuous web from which to fabricate mailpieces

A method for creating mailpieces from a single web of printed material. The web of printed material includes printed matter to be used on envelopes, and other printed matter to be used on mail content to be included in the envelopes. The method starts with cutting consecutive sections of the web into separated sheets. Some of the separated sheets are envelope sheets including envelope printed matter, and some of the sheets are mail content sheets including mail content printed matter. The method includes cutting variable sized sheets depending on whether a sheet is a mail content sheet, or an envelope sheet. The method further includes cutting variable sized envelope sheets depending on the size of the mailpieces.

Method for creating mailpieces from a single continuous web of printed material

A vote-by-mail return envelope includes a pouch for receiving a ballot. The pouch is formed from a front sheet and a rear sheet. A signature space is provided to be signed by the voter. The envelope also includes an adhesion region at which the front sheet is adhered to the rear sheet to define a boundary of the pouch. The adhesion region separates the signature space from the pouch. Further, the envelope includes a flap to be attached to at least one of the rear sheet and the front sheet to cover the signature space. The signature space may be on the flap, the rear sheet or front sheet.

Vote by mail envelope that protects privacy of voter's signature

A method for creating mailpieces from a single web of printed material. The web of printed material includes a continuous web having a width and a length, the length comprised of a series of attached sheets. The series of attached sheets is comprised of envelope sheets and content pages. The content pages are rectangular in shape and may be oriented relative to the envelope sheets in a number of different configurations. In some configurations, two sets of content pages and/or envelope sheets can be printed across the width of the web. The method starts with cutting consecutive attached sheets into separated sheets. The content pages belonging to a same mailpiece are accumulated together. The separated envelope sheet is transported, bypassing the accumulating and turning steps. The accumulated and turned content pages are then merged with the envelope sheet, and the envelope sheet is folded and closed around the accumulated content pages to form a finished enclosing envelope.

Method and system for creating mailpieces from a single continuous web of printed material

A method for creating mailpieces from a single web of printed material. The web of printed material includes printed matter to be used on envelopes, and other printed matter to be used on mail content to be included in the envelopes. The content pages are rectangular in shape and may be oriented relative to the envelope sheets in a number of different configurations. In some configurations, two sets of content pages and/or envelope sheets can be printed across the width of the web. The method starts with cutting consecutive sections of the web into separated sheets. Some of the separated sheets are envelope sheets including envelope printed matter, and some of the sheets are mail content sheets including mail content printed matter. The method includes cutting variable sized sheets depending on whether a sheet is a mail content sheet, or an envelope sheet. The method further includes cutting variable sized envelope sheets depending on the size of the mailpieces. In a preferred embodiment, the web includes business return envelopes (BREs). The BRE sheets are transported to an envelope creation path and in the envelope creation path where the sheets are formed into envelopes. The envelope creation path is then merged back with a content processing path whereby finished BRE's are stacked with their respective accumulations of folded content sheets to form a complete content stack. BRE's are then enclosed with the content sheets by the enclosing envelope sheets.

Generating a printstream in a computer that is preferably remote from the one or more inserter systems. Once generated, the printstream is transmitted preferably to a high speed, high volume, printer for producing the printed documents to be included in the mail pieces, such as billing statements. The printed documents are then delivered to the one or more inserter systems, which are to be used as the input sheets in the one or more inserter systems. The print stream is also provided to a workstation computer coupled to the one or more inserter systems. This workstation interpolates the printstream in order to generate a reprint database containing electronic files corresponding to each of the printed documents. Also coupled to the workstation is a local printer, which may be used to generate documents, for re-processing purposes, from data received from the reprint database. The work station also interpolates the printstream in order to generate a job tracking database, which database contains the job level data for the mail pieces that are to be assembled in the one or more inserter systems.

Printstream processing for inserter systems

An apparatus for separating print stream data containing a plurality of primary documents and information concerning associated customers to receive the documents, wherein the apparatus receives customer preference data that allow separation of the print stream data into an electronic primary document print stream and a hard copy primary document print stream. The print stream separator further generates a second output for the customers that are to receive their primary documents by electronic delivery, where this second output contains information regarding which of a plurality of secondary documents the customer should receive with the primary document. The priorities of these secondary documents may be based upon specific customer preference data for the specific customer receiving his or her primary document. Priorities for these secondary documents can also be included in this second output. A method corresponding to this apparatus is also described.

System and method for separating a print stream into an electronic document print stream and a physical document print stream

A printstream processor separates documents, e.g. in a printstream or batch, into a physical delivery printstream and an electronic delivery printstream based on delivery preferences stored in a database. The documents in the physical delivery printstream are printed and combined with physical inserts for physical delivery, e.g. by the U.S. Postal Server. The documents in the electronic delivery printstream are combined with electronic inserts for electronic delivery, for example, via electronic mail, facsimile, pager, or to a server on World Wide Web.

System and method for electronic and physical mass mailing

A method for creating a status report data file for a document job in a document system including a central database configured to create a status report data file for each document job received at the central database and a plurality of sub-systems coupled to the central database where each sub-system is configured to perform a specific document task pertaining to a document job. A status report for a document job is created in the central database upon the appearance of that job from any one of a plurality of sub-systems coupled to the central database.

Multiple job entry points for document production control and reporting

A method of customizing application software in an inserting system includes the steps of providing a system baseline program for operating the inserting system in a standard baseline mode, and providing a dynamic link library (DLL) including a table of features to be included in the inserting system and an application routine corresponding to each of the features. A call table in the system baseline program is linked with an address for each feature corresponding to the location of the application program for the feature. The DLL is customized based on information received from the baseline program. Each of the features is called when indicated in the system baseline program and information is provided to each DLL application program corresponding to the feature. The information is modified to make the system baseline program execute a different set of logic corresponding the customization of the machine. A sub-dynamic link library (sub-DLL) is provided for further customization. The sub-DLL includes a table of sub-features to be included in the inserting system and an application sub-routine corresponding to each of the sub-features. The sub-DLL is similarly integrated with the DLL and called by the DLL routines.

Method of customizing application software in inserter systems

A method of processing a mail run on a plurality of inserter systems, including first and second inserter systems, comprising the following steps. A mail run data file (MRDF) is downloaded to a file server. Documents comprising mailpieces of the mail run are scanned at each of the plurality of inserter systems. Each of the documents are scanned for an MRDF ID and a mailpiece ID. A MRDF data block is requested from the file server by each of the inserter systems based on the MRDF ID and mailpiece ID scanned at each of the plurality of inserter systems. The file server verifies that the respective request from each of the inserter systems has data available for the requested mailpiece ID and that the requested mailpiece ID has not been processed by any of the plurality of inserter systems. The file server allocates the requested MRDF data block respectively to each of the inserter systems when the data is available and the requested mailpiece has not been processed. Each inserter system uses mailpiece data from the respective MRDF data block to create a mailpiece at each of the plurality of inserter systems. The file server denies allocation of the MRDF data block requested by a first inserter system when the data is not available or when the requested MRDF data block has already been processed by a second inserter system.

System and method for mail run processing on multiple inserters

A method and improved system for controlling an inserter having a plurality of functional devices, including the steps providing a control system that divides the inserter into a plurality of logical stations each of which control at least one of the functional devices, separating the control system into a top-level, generic supervisor which is operative independent of the functional devices, and a lower level comprising the logical stations, and storing the supervisor and the logical stations in a central processor, the supervisor being operative for selecting an appropriate one of the logical stations at an appropriate time whereby the selected one of the logical stations controls a corresponding one of the functional devices. The method further includes the steps of providing a plurality of distributed processors electrically coupled to the central processor and associated with the functional devices, and controlling the functional devices by the logical stations through the distributed processors.

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Norwalk, CT, United States of America

Clare E Woodman