US3901797A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic continuous mail handling system
Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc
•
Filing: 1974-11-11
•
Granted: 1975-08-26
•
Expires: 1994-11-11
Abstract
Abstract A continuous mail sorting and postage imprinting system which automatically weighs and meters each piece of mail. The system is designed to rapidly handle a large quantity of mixed mail. Mixed mail is continuously and synchronously fed in seriatim along a continuous feed path. Unsealed envelopes have their flaps wetted and sealed. All the envelopes are stopped at a weighing station where they are weighed, and the postage corresponding to their particular weight is computed. The determined postage value is used to continuously reset a postage meter which imprints the required postage upon each envelope as it arrives at a metering station. The metering and weighing functions of the system are synchronized such that the postage meter will imprint the proper postage upon each piece of mail, despite the fact that several envelopes may be simultaneously in transit along the feed path. Overweight pieces of mail are rejected from the feed path prior to their reaching the postage meter station. Metered and overweight pieces of mail are separately stacked.
Inventors
- 👤 Anthony Storace
- 👤 Fredric E Zucker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 16:08
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07B; G07B17/00; G07B17/00459; G07B17/00467; B; B07; B07C; B07C1/00; B07C5/00; B07C5/16; B07C5/165; G01; G01G; G01G23/00; G01G23/18; G01G23/36; G01G23/361; G01G23/37; G01G3/00; G01G3/08; G07B17/00185; G07B17/00193; G07B17/00661; G07B2017/00241; G07B2017/00258; G07B17/00314; G07B2017/00338; G07B2017/00475; G07B2017/00491; G07B2017/005; G07B2017/00669; G07B2017/00677; G07B2017/00701; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S209/00; Y10S209/90
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
229 words
A CONTINUOUS AUTOMATIC WEIGHING AND MATERING MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING A LARGE VOLUME OF MIXED MAIL, SAID MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING AND IMPRINTING POSTAGE UPON INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF MAIL BEING CONTINUOUSLY FED IN SERIATIN WHICH A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL OREINTATION ALONG A CONTINUOUS FEED PATH COMPRISING A WEIGHING STATION AND A POSTAGE METER STATION, SAID WEIGHING STATION AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING EACH PIECE OF MAIL AND DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF THE POSTAGES TO BE IMPRINTED THEREON, THE AMOUNT OF POSTAGE TO BE IMPRINTED BY SAID POSTAGE METER STATION EACH PIECE OF MAIL BEING CONTROLLED TO CORRESPOND TO SAID DETERMINED AMOUNT, SAID MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM COMPRISING, MEANS DEFINING A CONTINUOUS MAIL HANDLING FEED PATH WHEREIN PIECES OF MAIL ARE TRANSPORTED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTIVAL ORIENTATION, A WEIGHING STATION COMPRISING POSTAGE DETERMINING MEANS, SAID WEIGHING STATION DISPOSED ALONG SAID CONTINUOUS FEED PATH FOR MEASURING THE WEIGHT OF EACH PICE OF MAIL DELIVERED TO SAID WEIGHING STATION AND DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF POSTAGE TO BE IMPRINTED ON EACH PIECE OF MAIL WHICH HAS BEEN WEIGHED, SAID WEIGHING STATON HAVING MEANS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER PIECES OF MAIL ARE OVER-WEIGHT, AND REJECT MEANS ARE PROVIDED ALONG SAID FEED PATH FOR REJECTING OVER-WEIGHT PIECES OF MAIL, SAID REJECT MANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID WEIGHING STATION SO AS TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE OVER-WEIGT DETERMINATION FOR REJECTING AN OVER-WEIGHT PIECES OF MAIL FROM SAID FEED PATH,
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
229 words
A CONTINUOUS AUTOMATIC WEIGHING AND MATERING MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING A LARGE VOLUME OF MIXED MAIL, SAID MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING AND IMPRINTING POSTAGE UPON INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF MAIL BEING CONTINUOUSLY FED IN SERIATIN WHICH A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL OREINTATION ALONG A CONTINUOUS FEED PATH COMPRISING A WEIGHING STATION AND A POSTAGE METER STATION, SAID WEIGHING STATION AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING EACH PIECE OF MAIL AND DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF THE POSTAGES TO BE IMPRINTED THEREON, THE AMOUNT OF POSTAGE TO BE IMPRINTED BY SAID POSTAGE METER STATION EACH PIECE OF MAIL BEING CONTROLLED TO CORRESPOND TO SAID DETERMINED AMOUNT, SAID MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM COMPRISING, MEANS DEFINING A CONTINUOUS MAIL HANDLING FEED PATH WHEREIN PIECES OF MAIL ARE TRANSPORTED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTIVAL ORIENTATION, A WEIGHING STATION COMPRISING POSTAGE DETERMINING MEANS, SAID WEIGHING STATION DISPOSED ALONG SAID CONTINUOUS FEED PATH FOR MEASURING THE WEIGHT OF EACH PICE OF MAIL DELIVERED TO SAID WEIGHING STATION AND DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF POSTAGE TO BE IMPRINTED ON EACH PIECE OF MAIL WHICH HAS BEEN WEIGHED, SAID WEIGHING STATON HAVING MEANS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER PIECES OF MAIL ARE OVER-WEIGHT, AND REJECT MEANS ARE PROVIDED ALONG SAID FEED PATH FOR REJECTING OVER-WEIGHT PIECES OF MAIL, SAID REJECT MANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID WEIGHING STATION SO AS TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE OVER-WEIGT DETERMINATION FOR REJECTING AN OVER-WEIGHT PIECES OF MAIL FROM SAID FEED PATH,
Claim 3
Independent Claim
210 words
A method of continuously processing a large volume of mixed mail, whereby individual pieces of mail are continuously fed with a substantially vertical orientation in seriatim along a feed path comprising a weighing station and a postage meter station, each piece of mail being weighed, and then imprinted with postage corresponding to the weight of said pieces of mail, the method comprising the steps of: a. continuously feeding in seriatim with a substantially vertical orientation, a quantity of mail along a continuous feed path; b. continuously delivering in seriatim each piece of mail to a weighing station disposed along said feed path, for weighing said mail; c. weighing each piece of mail delivered to said weighing station; d. determining the amount of postage needed for each weighed piece of mail; e. continuously delivering in seriatim each piece of weighed mail to a postage meter station disposed along said feed path; f. controlling the amount of postage to be imprinted upon each piece of mail so that it corresponds with the amount of determined postage; g. imprinting each piece of mail delivered to said postage meter station with the controlled amount of postage; and h. rejecting over-weight pieces of mail from said feed path after weighing and prior to postage imprinting.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
210 words
A method of continuously processing a large volume of mixed mail, whereby individual pieces of mail are continuously fed with a substantially vertical orientation in seriatim along a feed path comprising a weighing station and a postage meter station, each piece of mail being weighed, and then imprinted with postage corresponding to the weight of said pieces of mail, the method comprising the steps of: a. continuously feeding in seriatim with a substantially vertical orientation, a quantity of mail along a continuous feed path; b. continuously delivering in seriatim each piece of mail to a weighing station disposed along said feed path, for weighing said mail; c. weighing each piece of mail delivered to said weighing station; d. determining the amount of postage needed for each weighed piece of mail; e. continuously delivering in seriatim each piece of weighed mail to a postage meter station disposed along said feed path; f. controlling the amount of postage to be imprinted upon each piece of mail so that it corresponds with the amount of determined postage; g. imprinting each piece of mail delivered to said postage meter station with the controlled amount of postage; and h. rejecting over-weight pieces of mail from said feed path after weighing and prior to postage imprinting.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-08-25 | 1979-02-24 | 1979-08-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-08-25 | 1983-02-24 | 1983-08-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-08-25 | 1987-02-24 | 1987-08-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |