Coding and routing apparatus and method

Abstract

Abstract AN APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CODING AND DISTRIBUTING ARTICLES SUCH AS MAIL PIECES IS PROVIDED WHICH IS SUBJECT TO SEMIAUTOMATIC OR AUTOMATIC OPERATION. IN ONE FORM OF THE INVENTION, FLAT ARTICLES SUCH AS ENVELOPES AND CARDS ARE FED, ONE AT A TIME BY SELECTION MEANS, FROM A SUPPLY OR STACK THEREOF, TO A READING STATION. AN OPERATOR, AFTER READING THE IDENTIFICATION MEANS SUCH AS THE ADDRESS ON THE FACE OF EACH CARD OR ENVELOPE, OPERATES A BANK OF PUSHBUTTON SWITCHES RO OTHER MEANS FOR APPLYING A DESTINATION CODE TO AN EDGE AREA OF THE MAIL PIECE. THE APPARATUS MAY ALSO INCLUDE MEANS FOR APPLYING ERASABLE RECORDING MATERIAL SUCH AS MAGNETIC RECOREDING MATERIAL AS A TAPE OR FILM TO A PREDETERMINED AREA OF EACH MAIL PIECE EITHER WITH THE CODE DEFINING THE MAIL PIECE OR ITS DESTINATION RECORDED ON SAID APPLIED MATERIAL OR TO BE RECORDED THEREON AFTER IT IS APPLIED. IN ANOTHER SYSTEM, ALPHANUMERIC CHARACTERS PRINTED ON THE FACE OF THE MAIL PIECE OR A LABEL APPLIED THERETO ARE AUTOMATICALLY READ BY A DOCUMENT CHARACTER SCANNER WHICH PROVIDES A CODE OUTPUT SIGNAL WHICH IS USED TO MODULATE A MEANS FOR RECORDING CHARACTERS OR CODES ALONG A PREDETERMINED BAND AREA OF THE MAIL PIECE. THE APPARATUS ALSO INCLUDES IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STRUCTURES OF THE CONVEYING, SCANNING AND CODING EQUIPMENT UTILIZED THEREIN. MEANS FOR MODIFYING THE APPARATUS FOR CODING AND SCANNING PACKAGES OTHER THAN FLAT ENVELOPES OR CARDS ARE ALSO PROVIDED.

Inventors

• 👤 Jerome H Lemelson

Bibliographic Details