Qwest Communications International Inc.

Larry M Rebenack

Larry C Pollard

Kurtis A Haufschild

The present invention, therefore, provides systems and methods for overcoming certain deficiencies in the prior art. For example, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a system is provided for producing a customized advertising insert for a particular billing statement. The particular billing statement can be associated with a particular customer, and a system for producing the insert in accordance with embodiments of the invention can comprise an industrial printer adapted to produce at least one customized advertising insert from at least one customized advertising insert image. This system can further comprise a collating device configured to receive at least one customized advertising insert from the industrial printer. The collating device can further be configured to associate the at least one customized advertising insert with the particular billing statement. The customized advertising insert and a particular billing statement can each comprise a common identifier.

Methods and systems for associating customized advertising materials with billing statements

The disclosure includes a computational system (,) that implements a method for controlling operation of report production facilities. The system (,) is particularly suited to efficiently operating a facility that prints mail pieces and inserts the mail pieces in envelopes for delivery by the U.S. Postal Service. In one implementation, the system (,) includes a main processor (,) that receives constituent data and sequentially stores the data in report recipient files (,). The main processor (,) is utilized to process the stored data to create relational database files (,). The database files (,) include index fields which facilitate tracking and sorting of the data based in part upon postal rates, report lengths, and other distribution and production criteria. The main processor (,) may then be operated to create report output files (,) to be used by a report production facility (,) in printing and inserting the mail pieces. The report output files (,) may be created to obtain lower postal rates through presorting into postal discount categories such as carrier routes and zip code classifications. The report data may be located in the report recipient files (,), without further sequential processing, through the use of location data stored in the database files. The system (,) may further include a scheduler program (,) that controls creation of a report output file (,) by monitoring operational capacities of a report production facility (,), customer requirements via a system operator (,), and the contents of the database files (,).

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Larry M Rebenack