EP0447179A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

System and method for controlling an apparatus to produce mail pieces in non-standard configurations

Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc

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Filing: 1991-03-12

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Granted: —

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Expires: 2011-03-12

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Abstract

Abstract An apparatus and control system is disclosed for producing items in selected configurations together with a system and method for producing mail pieces and a system and method for controlling it to produce mail pieces in a variety of configurations are disclosed. The apparatus includes a laser printer and folding sealing apparatus controlled by a data processor. The folder sealer apparatus combines sheets printed by the laser printer with pre-printed sheets and envelope forms, which also may be printed by the laser printer or may be windowed envelopes, folds the sheets as necessary and folds and seals the envelope form about the folded sheets to produce a mail piece. A user inputs a configuration for the mail piece which is translated by the data processor into a data structure and transmitted to the controller of the folder sealer apparatus. The controller controls devices comprised in the laser printer and the folder sealer by executing state routines in accordance with the data structure to produce the mail piece in the defined configuration. Concurrently the data processor transmits text from an output file to the laser printer for printing on printed sheets and envelope forms. The data processor also controls the laser printer to print an address for the mail piece either on an envelope form or on a printed sheet in a position where it will be visible through the envelope. Thus., the apparatus is controlled to process an output file stored in the data processor into a mail run having a selected configuration. A system for processing mail pieces having a non-standard configurations is also disclosed.

Inventors

👤 Walter John Baker
👤 Christopher Stephen Riello

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —

Jurisdiction EP

Data Source google_patents

Last Synchronized 2026-11-02 15:06

CPC Classifications

B; B07; B07C; B07C1/00

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 9

Claim 1

Independent Claim 151 words

Apparatus for preparing a mail piece, comprising: a) input means for input of information defining a mail piece configuration; b) sheet processing means for accumulating sheets with an envelope form, folding said accumulated sheets and envelope form, and then sealing said envelope form to form said mail piece, said sheet processing means having a capacity to process mail pieces having a predetermined maximum value of a parameter; c) a control system for: c1) determining the value of said parameter in said mail piece in accordance with said defining information; c2) if the value of said parameter in said mail piece is less than said maximum value, controlling said sheet processing means in accordance with said defining information to form said mail piece in said configuration; and c3) if the value of said parameter is greater than said maximum value aborting operation of said sheet processing means without forming said mail piece.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 51 words

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sheet processing means includes a printer for printing text on at least some of said sheets, and said control system aborts operation of said sheet processing means by diverting said sheets to output after printing of said text and before accumulation, folding and sealing.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 107 words

Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein: a) said sheet processing means performs a sequence operations to form said mail piece; b) said control system translates said defining information into a data structure comprising a plurality of data elements, each of said data elements specifying control parameters for an operation in said sequence; and c) one of said data elements further includes a control parameter for causing said control system to execute a predetermined routine to determine the value of said parameter in said mail piece, and, if the value of said parameter is greater than said maximum value, abort operation of said processing means

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 44 words

Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said control system comprises: a) a data processing system for translating said defining information and generating and outputting said data structure; and b) controller means responsive to said data processing means for controlling said sheet processing means.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 19 words

Apparatus according to any preceding claim , wherein said parameter is the number of sheets in said mail piece.

Claim 6

Independent Claim 92 words

A method for preparing a mail piece comprising the steps of: a) inputting information defining a mail piece configuration; b) determining the value of a parameter for said mail piece in accordance with said defining information; c) if the value of said parameter for said mail piece is less than a predetermined maximum value, processing said sheets and an envelope form in accordance with said defining information to form said mail piece in said configuration; and d) if said number of sheets is greater than said maximum value aborting said processing step.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 45 words

A method as described in claim 6 wherein said processing step includes a step of printing text on at least some of said sheets and said aborting step includes a step of diverting said sheets to output after said printing step and before further processing.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 76 words

A method according to Claim 6 or 7 wherein processing step includes performing a sequence of operations in accordance with a data structure, said data structure corresponding to said defining information and comprising a plurality of data elements, each of said data elements specifying control parameters for one of said operations; wherein one of said data elements specifies a control parameter for printing said sheets and further includes a control parameter for initiating said determining step.

Claim 9

Independent Claim 21 words

A method according to any claims 6 to 8 wherein said parameter is tire number of sheets in said mail piece.

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