Abstract: Systems, methods, and an article of manufacture for automatically configuring a feeder system of a mail sorting system are shown and described. The feeder system is configured in accordance with a customer's mailing parameters. This improves the performance of the mail sorting system. In various examples, customer information associated with a processing job is received. A feeder profile is also received. The feeder system is automatically configured according to parameters of one or more of the customer information and feeder profile.

Abstract: The present application relates to a system and method for sorting mailpieces prior to their delivery to the postal authority. The system and method allow for the running of different first pass sort schemes on multiple sorters in a sorting facility without stopping operations for no-count mode, without losing mailpiece tracking, or waiting for all first pass sorting to complete before re-running the mail that was not sorted to the finest depth of sorting. With the present application, mailpieces that can be run a second time can be run concurrently during first pass without the high risk no-count mode or loss of data integrity.

Abstract: A computer coupled to a mail processing device enables sort schemes having associated sort parameters, particularly mail item sort schemes and an associated pallet scheme providing pallet location designations for mail items sorted in accord with one or more of the sort schemes. A mailing job to be run by the mail processing device as well as an execution or dispatch date of the mailing job are selected or otherwise identified. Based on mailing criteria corresponding to the mailing job, a server or other computer associated within the mail processing device retrieves a pallet scheme and a one or more mail sort schemes. One or more pallet location designations associated with the sort scheme(s) are updated, based on the pallet scheme. The mail processing device is run on the mailing job, based on said one or more enabled sort schemes.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and an article of manufacture for printing a new postal authority code on a mail piece prepared by and received from an inserter or wrapper. A barcode post-processing system receives a mail piece from an inserter and communicates with the image capture equipment. The barcode post-processing system during performs various functions. The functions can include receiving legacy address block information from the mail piece from the image capture equipment, processing the captured legacy address block information to determine one or more missing parameters of the new postal authority code to create processed data, and supplementing the captured legacy address block information data with the one or more missing parameters of the new postal authority code received from one or more data source.

Abstract: Multiple print streams destined for individual print stream processing modules are optimized prior to printing. The process of optimizing includes receiving an input representing a plurality of documents to be printed and determining an attribute of each document of the plurality of documents represented by the input. The attribute relates to processing of the respective document through the document processing system. Optimization involves balancing an operation time of a first print stream processing module with an operation time of a second print stream processing module, by assigning each document to one of the print stream processing modules based on its determined attribute.

Abstract: The progressive tracking of items in relation to other items as they are processed and transformed through a sequence of processes executed in a workflow procedure intended to produce a finished hard copy document product for transport to a destination location, as a result of a production run, enables permission based control of one or more processing steps during the production run and/or effective scheduling of any re-do operations that may be desired upon detection of any discrepancies in the item processing operations.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for updating address information and using document processing equipment to print delivery point information, including a barcode or readable text, on mail pieces. The address data is processed and updated by a service provider or by an address service provider. When the mailpieces are processed on document processing equipment, the printed address data is compared with an updated address data record to retrieve the updated address and apply the correct delivery point information. The delivery point information representing the most current and accurate address for the addressee of the mail piece.

Abstract: The present application relates to a method, apparatus and programmable product for verifying print quality of a document assembled on a document manufacturing device. In particular, a system and related method for performing print quality assessment of the document in real-time during manufacture of the document are provided. The present teachings allow for identification of the inherent qualities or pre-existing print markings of the document as a separate process from that of a process for identification and verification of markings applied onto the document by the print operation. In this way, a determination of print quality may be determined irrespective of the influence of the inherent qualities or pre-existing print markings.

Abstract: The present subject matter relates generally to techniques and/or equipment for validating mail items within a mail processing system. Sort scheme data and mail item identification data are loaded into the mail processing system. The mail item identification data includes a mail owner identification value and a unique mail item identifier. Then, mail item identification data is acquired from each of the mail items processed in the system and validated against the loaded mail item identification data. The method may involve storing mail item validation data. The mail items are sorted in accordance with the loaded sort scheme data. Further, the present subject matter relates generally to building reports based on the information derived from the techniques and/or equipment utilized therein.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for registering and moving a sheet article along a path that can use an actuator to mimic a biased device such as a spring-loaded device. The actuator can include a solenoid and an arm. The movement of the arm with the solenoid can be done by pulse-width modulation by providing a high pulse-width modulation duty cycle to the solenoid to provide a resistive force on the arm and providing a low pulse-width modulation duty cycle to the solenoid to provide a less resistive force on the arm. Inserting stations use in sheet article inserting system that employ the actuator are also provided.

Abstract: A feeder control system and method are disclosed. The system includes a feeder information detector, and a feeder information leverager to provide integrity verification, system control and/or reporting. The method includes the steps of detecting feeder information, and leveraging the feeder information to provide integrity verification, system control and/or reporting.

Abstract: Mail processing methods and techniques for sorting and commingling mail from various mail sources including the tracking of the mail pieces through the processing. Such tracking entails uniquely identifying each mail piece, received in batches from the mail sources, and recording the unique identification of each mail piece. The received mail is sorted and commingled in a first pass, to form first collections, and each first collection is loaded into a uniquely identified mail container. For each respective mail piece, the tracking entails recording an association of the unique identification of one of the mail containers into which it is likely the respective mail piece is sorted on the first pass. After processing is complete, postal and client reports can be adjusted based on actual final pass counts.

Abstract: A feeder control system and method are disclosed. The system includes a feeder information detector, and a feeder information leverager to provide integrity verification, system control and/or reporting. The method includes the steps of detecting feeder information, and leveraging the feeder information to provide integrity verification, system control and/or reporting.

Abstract: The present teachings relate to techniques and equipment to insert documents into either letter envelopes or flat mail envelopes on the same dual mode mailing inserter without the need to do machine setup between letter and flat mail envelope insertion. The dual mode mail inserting machine is configured to accept documents from a printer that are designed for insertion into flat mail envelope. If a document plus its inserts and envelope weighs less than a predetermined weight, the document will be diverted from the normal flat mail path to a second inserter and output section.