초록 ▼

An apparatus capable of automatically handling envelopes through various stages of processing, including electronic display of the envelope, electronic weighing of the envelope and printing of a stamp, date, time, location and ZIP+4 code in numerical and bar code form, name/address, advertising mess

An apparatus capable of automatically handling envelopes through various stages of processing, including electronic display of the envelope, electronic weighing of the envelope and printing of a stamp, date, time, location and ZIP+4 code in numerical and bar code form, name/address, advertising messages; maintaining mailing lists; maintaining and printing postage records; securing postage usage; buying postage electronically; retrieving user postage usage information; electronic keeping of time and date; updating of postage rates, ZIP+4 directory and mailing list; and having an integrated built-in ZIP+4 directory.

대표청구항 ▼

A computerized and integrated mailing/addressing apparatus, including a series of stations A through E for the steps of preparation, weighing, addressing, encoding, including but not limited to zip coding and bar coding, postage calculating, printing, preparing of manifest, USPS authorized and USPS

A computerized and integrated mailing/addressing apparatus, including a series of stations A through E for the steps of preparation, weighing, addressing, encoding, including but not limited to zip coding and bar coding, postage calculating, printing, preparing of manifest, USPS authorized and USPS controlled purchasing printing and totalling of postage, and collating of outgoing mail envelopes by a series of computer controlled feeds into computer selected chutes for transfer in encoded groups into the Post Office, the envelopes have now been preprocessed, for direct and fully compatible harmonious automated reception by and entry into the state of the art United States Post Office plant, whereby the interface of the preprocessed envelopes with the receiving apparatus in any state of the art United States Post Office plant, is a compatible harmonious automated step, in effect extending the state of the art automated Post Office apparatus to include the computer assisted generation, printing and encoding on said outgoing envelopes, including the computer sided purchasing of and accounting for postage used, in the mailing process, the improvements and extensions, stations and steps, comprising, in combination: Station A contains computer means, disc drive means, and keyboard means for entering address information, which is viewable at Station D, into the computer, said disc drive means containing ZIP+4 Directory memory means, postal rates, operating programs, mailing list programs, and postage record keeping programs; Station B contains envelope feeding means, and photocell means, said envelope is fed through said feeding means, length and aspect of ratio data for said envelope is measured by said photocells, and said data is entered into said computer, which positions said floating printer for precisely printing a postmark and said barcode in Station E; Station C contains load cell means, and said envelope is weighed by said load cell, and the weight data is entered into said computer which will calculate the postage due; Station D contains electronic display means, split screen means, and video means, said split screen means allowing said computer input and a video picture of said envelope from said video means to be viewed simultaneously on said display means, for implementation of Step A; Station E contains an exit chute means, a series of feeding means, and said floating head printer, which raises itself to allow said envelope to be properly positioned, then lowers itself to print automatically on said envelope said information from Station A and said postage and said ZIP+4 Code, said Code is printed numerically and as said bar code, said bar code precisely located in at least one specified location on said envelope, said printing means automatically adapts for said envelopes of any size and thickness; said computer controls said feeding means to feed said envelopes into at least one computer selected chute like means, each of said chutes having means for direct interface and entry into said state of the art Post Office envelope processing plant; and simultaneously automatically computing and printing said manifest of postage used and credit due said mailing operator resulting from savings by use of said apparatus.