Pitney Bowes Inc.

Paul A Kovlakas

Victor Girardi

Michael Kelley

Allen L Kramer

Nanette Brown

Richard A Sloan, Jr

Yichun Zhang

Charles R Malandra, Jr

Jeffrey P Rios

Brian A Lemm

Jeff Stangle

Campbell A Moore

Joann Martin

Thomas C Fogel

Stewart H Gibson

A method and system for recovering addresses in an address printing system is provided. A resume marker is set at the current location in the print buffer, used to buffer the addresses for printing, from which the next address will be read for printing. The address in the buffer location preceding the location where the resume marker is set is reprinted. The user can compare the reprinted address to the mail pieces already processed to determine if it is a duplicate. If not a duplicate, the address in the next preceding location can be reprinted. This processing continues until a duplicate address is printed, indicating that the address printing system properly printed all of the previous addresses in the address list up to the point of the duplicate. The print job will then automatically continue from the location where the resume marker was set.

Method and system for address recovery in an address printing system

Handling of undeliverable mail is improved so that mailers may take appropriate action to respond to nondelivery of mailpieces. Returned mail is received from a postal authority. Each mailpiece of the returned mail was part of a respective mailing and was determined not to be deliverable by the postal authority. The mailer determines for each mailpiece at least one of (a) the respective mailing to which the mailpiece belonged and (b) the reason why the mailpiece was found to be undeliverable. The mailer selects a course of action based on one or both of the results of these determinations. Returned mailpieces may be sorted by the mailings from which they come.

System and method for processing returned mail

A method for recovering postage for metered mail pieces that have not been posted, the method includes: placing information that uniquely identifies the mail piecein a postal indicia; storing the information that uniquely identifies each metered mail piece at a remote site; requesting a refund for a mail piece that has not been posted; determining if the informationin the postal indiciathat appears on the face of the mail piecethat uniquely identifies the mail piece is the same as the information that uniquely identifies the mail piece that is stored in the remote site; and refunding the postage if the informationin the postal indiciathat uniquely identifies the mail piece is the same as the information that uniquely identifies the mail piece that is stored in the remote site.

Method for the recovery of unusable printed postage

A processor based postage metering system includes structure for entering user input data including first and second fold configurations selected from a plurality of fold configurations; apparatus for accounting for postage dispensed by the processor based postage metering system; a document program running on the processor based postage metering system, the document program operable for controlling creation of a document based on the user input data; apparatus for automatically determining based on the first fold configuration a first designated location within the document for printing a first evidence of postage; structure for automatically determining based on the second fold configuration a second designated location within the document for printing a second evidence of postage; and apparatus for printing the document and the first and second evidences of postage such that the first and second evidences of postage are respectively printed in the first and second designated locations of the document.

Method and apparatus for dynamically locating and printing a plurality of postage payment indicia on a mailpiece

A processor based postage metering system includes structure for entering user input data including a fold configuration selected from a plurality of fold configurations; apparatus for accounting for postage dispensed by the processor based postage metering system; a document program running on the processor based postage metering system, the document program operable for controlling creation of a document based on the user input data; structure for automatically determining based on the fold configuration a designated location within the document for printing evidence of postage; and structure for printing the document and the evidence of postage such that the evidence of postage is printed in the designated location of the documentd. A method incorporates the functions of the apparatus.

Method and apparatus for dynamically determining a printing location in a document for a postage indicia

A method for recovering postage for metered mail pieces that have not been posted, the method includes: placing information that uniquely identifies the mail piece in a postal indicia; storing the information that uniquely identifies each metered mail piece at a remote site; requesting a refund for a mail piece that has not been posted; determining if the information in the postal indicia that uniquely identifies the mail piece is the same as the information that uniquely identifies the mail piece that is stored in the remote site; and refunding the postage if the information in the postal indicia that uniquely identifies the mail piece is the same as the information that uniquely identifies the mail piece that is stored in the remote site.

The invention is a method for creating a mailpiece object. The method includes encapsulating a software control within an object to form a mailpiece object, wherein the mailpiece object is OLE enabled. Encapsulation of the software control provides a software application with a set of mailpiece production capabilities when the mailpiece object is embedded within the application. The method begins with the instantiation of the mailpiece object which establishes a programming interface for the object. The properties of the mailpiece object are then established by: placing a set of object methods; a set of mailpiece production functionalities; and, a set of data tables within the mailpiece object by utilizing the programming interface. A human interface is next established and placed within the mailpiece object by utilizing the programming interface. The mailpiece object is then embedded within a software application; and the embedded mailpiece object is utilized to produce a mailpiece under direction of the software application. Once embedded in the one or more software applications selected by the data processing system and the system user, the embedded mailpiece object becomes an OLE enabled OCX and, the OCX further includes a set of pre-determined mailpiece production functions and a property setting comprising selectable functionality for one or more postal markets.

OLE automation server for manipulation of mail piece data

The invention is a method and system of capturing a destination address from a label print stream in a data processing system which is capable of supporting an object oriented programming environment. The method begins with the initiation of a print stream from a label application. A virtual driver is selected as the intended destination device of the print stream. The virtual driver directs the print stream to a print intercept automation server (PIAS). The PIAS causes the system to display on a monitor a print field selection. The system operator selects an envelope print field from the print intercept automation server. The envelope print field is a set of objects established in the object oriented environment and comprises a mailpiece OCX and an indicia printing control object. The print stream is then parsed to extract a set of address data defining a destination address from the print stream by the print automation server. The parsing routine comprises instructions which control parsing the print stream to identify address data resident in the print stream. The instructions further facilitate the compiling of an address list comprising the address data. The parsed address data is then applied to the selected envelope print field; and the envelope is then printed.

Method and system for capturing destination addresses from label data

The invention is a method and system for determining an address from a print stream. Address determination begins by initiating the print stream at a remote application. The print stream is transmitted through a graphical driver interface to a virtual driver where a system operator can select a data interface mode such as an eavesdrop mode and an intercept mode. The eavesdrop mode allows the virtual driver to pass the print stream through to the output device while producing a duplicate copy of the print stream for transmission to a server which is linked to an address parsing module for parsing the print stream. The intercept mode allows the virtual driver to pass the print stream directly to the server for parsing the print stream. The server will in turn pass the print stream to an output device such as a printer or monitor over transmission means. Parsing of the print stream to obtain address data is performed in accordance with instructions resident in the module. The address data is then placed into an address list or database. The selection of the address parsing module is further based upon the address characteristics required by the system user. The characteristics are defined by creating an address data profile comprised of tokens and wherein the tokens further define a characteristic of an address. The address parsing module can then be selected as based upon its particular address format which can be representative of a particular carrier.

Method and system of print stream address extraction

The invention is a method of right justifying a line in an address field to be printed on a mail piece. A list of addresses is submitted as part of a mail piece print job, and a first address is selected from the list. The printing system initializes the vertical edge of the address field; and, after initialization one or more fonts are selected for printing the address field on the mail piece. The address field is scanned by the printing system and an end of line position of the Optional Endorsement Line (OEL) is determined relative to the right vertical edge of the print field. If the end of the line is past the initialized right edge, then the end of line position becomes the new vertical edge delineation and the line is a justified line. If, however, the end of line position is not past the vertical edge, then the initialized edge is retained as the right-most reference point of the print field. Each of the subsequent lines in the address field is scanned for length and an end of line position determined. If the length of the subsequent line exceeds the length of the OEL, then the OEL is extended by adding characters until its length is equal to the length of the longest subsequent line. After scanning each of the lines in the address field for length, the justified line is printed, then each of the subsequent lines of the address field are printed.

Growing community of inventors

Milford, CT, United States of America

Paul A Kovlakas