Pitney Bowes Inc.

Vinod B Nethala

Yichun Zhang

Vishnu Sharma

Elaheh Zamanian

Dale A French

Patrick Rolling

Elaheh E Zamanian

A method and system for processing data indicative of pages of mailpiece content material, and for printing pages 'on demand' for use in a mailpiece inserter. The method comprises the steps of: (i) transmitting data from the application software to a print processor along read and write paths and (ii) activating one of the write and read such that when one path is activated the other path is inactivated. The data is then rendered into a print control language (PCL) compatible with a printer integrated with the mailpiece inserter and printed for use therein. The method and system mitigates printing errors by eliminating synchronous access to the same data location within the spool file, i.e., by the application software/spooler along the write path and the print processor along the read path.

Method and system for mitigating errors when processing print stream data

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 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.

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Shelton, CT, United States of America

Vinod B Nethala