CA2033376A1 - Method and apparatus for marking letter mail - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for marking letter mail

Info

Publication number
CA2033376A1
CA2033376A1 CA002033376A CA2033376A CA2033376A1 CA 2033376 A1 CA2033376 A1 CA 2033376A1 CA 002033376 A CA002033376 A CA 002033376A CA 2033376 A CA2033376 A CA 2033376A CA 2033376 A1 CA2033376 A1 CA 2033376A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
zip code
mail
numbers
mail pieces
stack
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
CA002033376A
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2033376C (en
Inventor
Ronald P. Sansone
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Pitney Bowes Inc
Original Assignee
Pitney Bowes Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Pitney Bowes Inc filed Critical Pitney Bowes Inc
Publication of CA2033376A1 publication Critical patent/CA2033376A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2033376C publication Critical patent/CA2033376C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C1/00—Measures preceding sorting according to destination
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C3/00—Sorting according to destination
    • B07C3/18—Devices or arrangements for indicating destination, e.g. by code marks
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2301/00—Handling processes for sheets or webs
    • B65H2301/50—Auxiliary process performed during handling process
    • B65H2301/51—Modifying a characteristic of handled material
    • B65H2301/511—Processing surface of handled material upon transport or guiding thereof, e.g. cleaning
    • B65H2301/5111—Printing; Marking

Abstract

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for marking letter mail or mail pieces to provide a fast and convenient way of determining zip code breaks in a stack of letter mail. The mail pieces have marks printed on the edges thereof indicative of the continuity of the same zip codes thereon. The marks are visible when the mail pieces are stacked. Adjacent envelopes with the same zip codes will have an edge mark at the same location, but upon the zip code changing, the next envelope will have a mark placed at a different location.
Numbers in sequence can be printed on each of the letters so that a mail clerk can inspect the last letter within a zip code group to determine if there is a sufficient number of mail pieces within that zip code set to allow a postal discount.
In an alternative embodiment, the markings on the side of the mail pieces are printed in a pattern so as to form numbers when a stack is viewed from the side. In addition to forming numbers, a pattern line can extend between the numbers. This allows a postal clerk to look at a stack of envelopes in a tray and from the side markings not only determine which of these envelopes are in the same zip code set, but also there would be an indication of the last number of the zip code.
CA002033376A 1990-01-02 1990-12-28 Method and apparatus for marking letter mail Expired - Fee Related CA2033376C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US459,417 1990-01-02
US07/459,417 US5104681A (en) 1990-01-02 1990-01-02 Method and apparatus for marking letter mail

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2033376A1 true CA2033376A1 (en) 1991-07-03
CA2033376C CA2033376C (en) 2001-12-04

Family

ID=23824688

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002033376A Expired - Fee Related CA2033376C (en) 1990-01-02 1990-12-28 Method and apparatus for marking letter mail

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US5104681A (en)
EP (1) EP0436521B1 (en)
CA (1) CA2033376C (en)
GB (1) GB2239726B (en)

Families Citing this family (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5287976A (en) * 1990-10-31 1994-02-22 R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company System and method for co-mailing a plurality of diverse publications
US5387783A (en) * 1992-04-30 1995-02-07 Postalsoft, Inc. Method and apparatus for inserting and printing barcoded zip codes
US5419440A (en) * 1993-11-15 1995-05-30 Pitney Bowes Inc. Intelligent traying for inserter systems
US5475603A (en) * 1994-06-21 1995-12-12 Pitney Bowes Inc. Apparatus and method for mail qualification and traying
DE19520057C2 (en) * 1995-06-06 2000-05-18 Siemens Ag Method and device for distributing letters
US5651543A (en) * 1995-08-02 1997-07-29 Pitney Bowes Inc. Envelope offset apparatus
US5709525A (en) * 1995-08-02 1998-01-20 Pitney Bowes Inc. Envelope stacker
US6303889B1 (en) * 2000-02-15 2001-10-16 Opex Corporation Method and apparatus for sorting documents into a pre-defined sequence
DE10039419C1 (en) * 2000-08-11 2001-10-18 Siemens Ag Stack section identification method for mail sorting machine uses automatic dispenser for applying adhesive tag to last or first and last letter in each stack section
US6701216B2 (en) 2001-10-16 2004-03-02 Pitney Bowas Inc. Method for printing a manifest or statement of mailing having a pattern that matches a pattern printed on the edges of mail pieces contained in a tray
US6675065B2 (en) 2001-10-16 2004-01-06 Pitney Bowes Inc. Method for tagging mail
US7333936B2 (en) * 2002-06-20 2008-02-19 Annapolis Technologies, Llc Bar code synchronization process for scanning mail envelopes and their contents
US7516895B2 (en) * 2002-06-20 2009-04-14 Annapolis Technologies, Llc Bar code synchronization process for scanning image containing documents
DE10326495B8 (en) * 2003-06-10 2004-12-16 Deutsche Post Ag Method for processing mailpieces
US7209905B2 (en) * 2003-12-05 2007-04-24 Pitney Bowes Inc. System and method for detecting mail theft using additional mail pieces as probes
US7604227B2 (en) * 2006-07-05 2009-10-20 Vistaprint Technologies Limited System and method for identifying envelope groups

Family Cites Families (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1714349A (en) * 1929-05-21 Envelope
US2709001A (en) * 1952-10-10 1955-05-24 Walter A Stahl Sorting stamp
US3016141A (en) * 1957-12-05 1962-01-09 John W Lucas Mail sorting apparatus and method
US2890825A (en) * 1958-02-14 1959-06-16 Patrick Ted Mail sorting
US3015438A (en) * 1958-07-18 1962-01-02 John L Knight Envelope construction
US3587856A (en) * 1967-09-05 1971-06-28 Jerome H Lemelson Coding and routing apparatus and method
US3557949A (en) * 1968-01-22 1971-01-26 Harold Washington Automatic mail sorter
US3774758A (en) * 1971-02-24 1973-11-27 H Sternberg Method and aid for the automated sorting of mail by zip code
US4127194A (en) * 1977-04-04 1978-11-28 Bell & Howell Company Device for sorting mail according to zip codes
US4167476A (en) * 1977-05-06 1979-09-11 Harris Corporation Bulk article sorting system
US4201617A (en) * 1979-04-03 1980-05-06 Bell & Howell Company UV Label sprayer for segregating mail

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0436521B1 (en) 1996-04-03
US5104681A (en) 1992-04-14
EP0436521A2 (en) 1991-07-10
CA2033376C (en) 2001-12-04
EP0436521A3 (en) 1992-10-21
GB2239726B (en) 1994-03-23
GB2239726A (en) 1991-07-10
GB9100016D0 (en) 1991-02-20

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
EEER Examination request
MKLA Lapsed