Mailing system

Claim 2

A mailing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein input means (29) is operable to input a destination address to the accounting means and wherein said accounting means (21) is operative in response to the input destination address to control the printing means (26) to print the destination address on the mail item (10).

Claim 3

A mailing system as claimed in claim 2 including a database (31) comprising a plurality of records of destination addresses, each record including a slogan selection signal to select one of the stored slogans and wherein for each mail item (10) to be franked, a destination address (18) and corresponding slogan selection signal is read out from the database (31) and input to the accounting means (21) to effect printing of the destination address (18) and the selected one of the plurality of slogans (17).

Claim 4

A mailing system as claimed in claim 4 wherein each record of the database (31) includes destination area data corresponding to the destination address (18) and wherein destination addresses are read from the database in groups, the destination addresses of each group respectively corresponding to a single destination area.

Claim 5

A mailing system including a franking machine (20); said franking machine including printing means (26) for printing on mail items (10); accounting means (21) for carrying out accounting and control functions for maintaining accounting records relating to use of the franking machine in franking mail items; input means (22) to input a required postage charge to the accounting means (21); first means (27) for storing first print data defining an invariable part of a franking impression to be printed; characterised by a database of records (31) of destination addresses and corresponding destination areas; means to read out destination addresses from records having a selected one of said destination areas; said accounting means being operative in a franking operation to read out from said first means said first print data and to control said printing means (26) to print a franking impression comprising said invariable part (12, 13, 15) and at least the required value of postage charge (14) input by said input means and further being operative in the franking operation to receive the destination addresses read out from the records of the database (31) and to print said destination addresses (18) on said mail items (10).

Claim 6

A mailing system comprising a franking machine (20); said franking machine including printing means (26) for printing on mail items (10); accounting means (21) for carrying out accounting and control functions for maintaining accounting records relating to use of the franking machine in franking mail items; input means (22) to input a required postage charge to the accounting means; first means (27) for storing first print data defining an invariable part (12, 13, 15) of a franking impression to be printed; characterised by second means (28) storing a plurality of sets of second print data respectively defining a plurality of slogans (17) to be printed; means operable in response to a slogan select signal to select one of said sets of second print data defining a selected one of said slogans; and a database (31) of destination address records, each record including a destination address and an associated slogan select signal; means to read out a selected one of said destination address records and to input said destination address and slogan select signal to said franking machine (20); said accounting means (21) being operative in a franking operation to read out from said first means (27) said first print data, read out the selected set of second print data defining a selected one of said plurality of slogans (17) and to control said printing means (26) to print a franking impression comprising said invariable part (12, 13, 15) and at least the required value (14) of postage charge input by said input means (2) and to print said destination address input from said database (31) and the selected slogan (17).