Pitney Bowes Inc.

Patrick Rolling

James L Harman

Yichun Zhang

Vishnu Sharma

David R Welch

Elaheh Zamanian

Dale A French

Allen L Kramer

Joseph D Collins

Vinod B Nethala

Paul R Sette

Richard A Sloan, Jr

Victor Girardi

Campbell A Moore

John J Serra

Michael D Fappiano

James S Bratsanos

Daniel J Clemens

Elaheh E Zamanian

A printing system has fixed print heads in positions that are subject to adjustment between print jobs. The system provides a print preview display that includes a representation of the item of printing stock on which the printing is to be performed. The print preview display also includes a first printing field that is at a location in the representation that corresponds to the position of a first one of the print heads. The print preview display further includes a second printing field that is at a location in the representation that corresponds to the position of a second one of the print heads.

Print preview for printers with multiple print heads

A method for introducing instructions/commands within or acting on the content material of a mail run data file. The method comprises the steps producing an object-oriented data file of the mailpiece content material and displaying a visual image thereof to the user. The visual image displayed spatially corresponds to the object oriented data file. Through the use of a graphical user input device, such as a point-and-click input device, the user defines a region of the visual image. Further, the user creates or selects a rule or expression indicative of a desired instruction/command in connection with the defined region. The rule or expression is represented in computer program code and operates a signal processor to perform the selected instructions/commands.

Rules engine for mailpiece content modification

A method is provided for reprinting damaged mailpieces for use in a mailpiece inserter. The method comprising the steps of producing an object-oriented data file of the mailpiece content material including a scan code and storing the object-oriented data files in a reprint repository. The status of a mail run is tracked as mailpieces are fabricated and the results are recorded in a reprint file. The results record whether a mailpiece was successfully fabricated and reprint files are generated in connection with unsuccessfully fabricated mailpieces.

Reprint function for mailpiece inserters

A method is provided for printing and regenerating mailpiece content material in a mailpiece creation system having a controller for modulating the flow of data a printing device. The method comprising the steps of producing an electronic version of the mailpiece content material and generating print stream data indicative of the mailpiece content material. The print stream is then segmented into data sets/packets indicative of a self-contained pages of mailpiece content material. The data packets each include page-based data and an object-data dictionary associated with the page-based data. The data packets are then stored as electronic files in an electronic buffer and, from the electronic buffer, transmitted during a first data transmission to the integrated printer. After the pages are printed, the electronic files of self-contained pages are moved from the electronic buffer to a storage device. Should any pages be identified as having been unsuccessfully printed, the system controller issues a command signal to regenerate the unsuccessfully processed pages in a second data transmission. This final step can be performed automatically or manually.

Method for regenerating mailpiece content material in a mailpiece creation system

A method for producing mailpiece content material for use in a mailpiece inserter. The method includes the steps of: creating an electronic application file of the mailpiece content material, generating print stream data from the software application and converting the print stream data into object-oriented data. The object-oriented data is then parsed or segmented to form a plurality of data sets. The data sets may be comprised of one or more data packets and include an object dictionary for indexing the data. Each data set may then be processed to produce mailpiece content material for use in the mailpiece inserter. Processing may include the steps of reconstituting the data into a plurality of logical documents in the form of pages, mailpiece documents, mailpieces, or an entire mailpiece data run file.

Document format and print stream modification for fabricating mailpieces

A system and method for processing mailpiece content material in a mailpiece inserter including a printer integrated with the mailpiece creation system. The integrated printer receives print stream data from a software application and prints the mailpiece content material based upon command signals from a system controller. The system further includes at least one device disposed downstream of the printer for issuing a signal indicative of the rate that content material is processed by the inserter. The system controller monitors the throughput rate of the at least one downstream device and issues a command signal indicative thereof. The system and method of the present invention employs a page-based language monitor to throttle the print stream data received by the printer to vary the printing rate of mailpiece content material. Accordingly, the system and method drives the rate of printing to closely match the throughput rate that mailpiece content material is processed/generated by the inserter by the at least one downstream device. Consequently, the throughput of the mailpiece inserter is optimized.

Method and system for controlling print operations in a mailpiece creation system

A method and apparatus for printing an information-based indicia program (IBIP) postage in a computer printing subsystem is disclosed wherein a third-party word processing software with mail merge capabilities generates text and a matching address as the input for a client application in high-volume document processing and mail systems without programmatically altering the word processing program to accommodate the printing subsystem. Addresses are validated and corrected in the printing subsystems prior to creation of the indicia image and address image to be printed on the mailpiece.

Apparatus and method for printing an information-based indicia program (IBIP) postage in a printer driver system

The invention is a method and system of modifying print stream data. The method begins by sending a print stream from an application through a graphical device interface to a print spooler. A print stream monitor determines whether or not the print stream comprises a set of text data and/or a set of address data. If the print stream comprises text data, then the text data is tagged and sent to a user mode module where it is stored in a local buffer. The tagged and stored text data is then retrieved and parsed for any address which may be contained within the tagged text. The address data is then extracted from the print stream and placed in an envelope print format to create an envelope data set. An envelope printer device context is then created and the envelope data set is transmitted to an envelope kernel for creating an envelope printer device language file. The print stream is converted by a document printer command language (PCL) generator into an envelope printer language. The envelope data set is then printed. The envelope data set is injected back into the print stream from which it was extracted by merging the set of text data and the set of envelope data. The print stream is then transmitted to a next destination such as a document printer, where a printer driver is then activated for causing a printer to print the document data to one or more sheets.

Method and system for modifying print stream data to allow printing over a single I/O port

A method and apparatus for printing an information-based indicia program (IBIP) address and postage in a document inserter mailing system is disclosed wherein a third-party word processing software with mail merge capabilities generates text and a matching address is used as the input for a client application in high-volume document processing and mail systems without programmatically altering the word processing program to accommodate the printing subsystem. Addresses are validated and corrected in the printing subsystems prior to creation of the indicia image and address image to be printed on the mailpiece. One or more documents are inserted into the corresponding address matched envelope, which is sealed and has appropriate postage affixed prior to placement in the delivery stream.

Method and apparatus for printing an information-based indicia program (IBIP) postage from a document inserter

A system and corresponding method for use when an application prints a document and a corresponding envelope is printed by an independent process, unknown to the application, using soft fonts (dynamic fonts). The system allows creation of a mail piece, which generally consists of document pages and an envelope; the pages to be printed according to data and layout specified in a pages file and using a pages font as indicated in the pages file; and the envelope to be printed with address information extracted from the pages file according to instructions specified in an envelope template file. The instructions of the envelope template file include a layout and a dynamic envelope font, such as a true type font. The system includes a printer driver, responsive to a call to prepare to start printing the pages of the mail piece and in turn for obtaining from the envelope template file the envelope font. The printer driver is further responsive to a call to realize the pages font, for realizing the pages font and for realizing the envelope font. The printer driver is further responsive to a first page of pages data, for providing the first page of pages data to an I/O port interface, and for downloading the envelope font and providing the envelope data including the envelope font to the I/O port interface. The printer driver is further responsive to the remaining pages data, and for providing the remaining pages data to the I/O port interface.

System for adding soft fonts to a printer data stream

The invention is a system and method for producing a mail piece wherein the system includes at least one printer for printing documents and envelopes in response to signals generated by a host computer under control of an application program. In addition, the system includes: a mail finishing unit which forms the mail piece from the envelopes and documents; and, a control unit which controls the finishing unit to form each individual mail piece within the set of produced mail pieces. Each individual mail piece is comprised of attributes specific to that mail piece. The control unit receives signals generated by the host computer, parses the signals received therefrom, and extracts control signals embedded therein by the host computer. The control signals identify the individual attributes associated with each individual mail piece. The control unit responds to the extracted control signals by generating finishing control signals for the finishing unit to create the individual mail piece. The control unit is further programmed to extract print signals for controlling the print unit. The system user may designate a particular format or protocol to a document page which in turn identifies the page to the control unit as a control page, containing control signals whose elements are not to be printed but which in turn will direct the system in the production of the corresponding document which is to be included within the mail piece.

Growing community of inventors

Southington, CT, United States of America

Patrick Rolling