Patents Assigned to Bell and Howell
  • Patent number: 8560115
    Abstract: The present application relates to a system and related method for processing a mailpiece through the steps associated with its manufacture and post processing. The present system and method allow for mailpiece item tracking data collection at each step in the mailpiece manufacturing and processing. The present system and method allow for the integration of mailpiece item data from a postage device by utilizing information based barcode data included as part of the postage evidence, together with the production and sorting processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Mark Van Gorp, John Keirsbilck, Walter S. Conard
  • Patent number: 8544720
    Abstract: The present teachings relate to techniques and equipment to prepare articles of manufacture that can be used in a document processing system, such as a wrapping document processing system, that individually wraps each form in a manner that produces a mailpiece. The manufactured mailpiece is an integrated bidirectional mailpiece having outgoing and return envelope functionality. In the outgoing format, the integrated mailpiece may optionally contain advertisements, coupons, inserted documents, statements or payment coupons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Mark Van Gorp, Elizabeth L. Manning
  • Patent number: 8520888
    Abstract: The present application relates to a method, apparatus and programmable product for uniquely identifying a document. More specifically, the application allows for the identification of the document through collection of minutiae data at various points throughout the document's lifecycle without reliance upon or requirement for any unique identification characters, barcodes and/or objects that were added to the document specifically for the purpose of identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Roger Spitzig, Walter S. Conard, Leondo R. Phifer
  • Patent number: 8507821
    Abstract: The present application relates to a method and system thereof for performing laser cutting on a mail piece during processing on a document processing device such as a sorter. Laser cutting is performed to effectively cut mail pieces during transport on the document processing equipment to ensure cut accuracy and to promote readability. The present teachings allow for selection of a cut profile based on mail piece attributes or markings and adaptive adjustment of the cut profile in accord with the positioning of the mail piece to achieve a desired cut pattern while the document processing device is running at high transport speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: George M. Varghese, Arkadiusz Nieckarz, Gregory Wilmes, Brian Bowers
  • Patent number: 8485425
    Abstract: Each respective mail item in a received batch of items is read to acquire information, which enables a plurality of verifications with regard to authenticity of the respective mail item. In a vote-by-mail example, one or more features are validated for authenticity in relation to the election, and one or more features are validated for authenticity in relation to a voter. The verifications in relation to a voter may involve detection of a signature and verification of the authenticity of the signature. The items are sorted according to the verification results and may be sorted based on other criteria. The methods, systems and software disclosed herein enable such verifications and sorting, in a single pass through a sorting system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher J. Kite, George Mavelil Varghese, Arkadiusz Nieckarz, William A. Grady, Michelle R. Archer
  • Patent number: 8477992
    Abstract: The present subject matter relates to controlling of mail processing equipment. More specifically, the present subject matter allows for unique recognition of a printed document from all other similar documents, without the inclusion of additional purposeful identifying marks, data or barcodes. A document processing system, such as an inserter, printer, postage meter, sorter or other document processing system is controlled based on document identification which does not depend on unique identifiers. Similarly if a document is identified with a unique identifying mark on the first page, the present subject matter allows for identification of each subsequent page in the document without requiring identifying marks on each page. The identification data is then used to control the processing of the printed document based upon the recognition and enables the performance of quality checks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Mark G. Paul, Michael G. Boston, Roger Spitzig, David Rawlings, Walter S. Conard
  • Patent number: 8457782
    Abstract: The present application relates to the ability to track mail items through a postal authority network with reference to a specific mail target. More particularly, the present application relates to a system and method for enabling tracking of event data by a mail owner of one or more mail items specifically by mail target through a mail delivery network's mail stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventor: Steven Ksiazek
  • Patent number: 8433438
    Abstract: The present application relates to a system and related method for processing a mailpiece through the steps associated with its manufacture and post processing. The present system and method allow for mailpiece item tracking data collection at each step in the mailpiece manufacturing and processing. The present system and method allow for the integration of mailpiece item data from a postage device by utilizing information based barcode data included as part of the postage evidence, together with the production and sorting processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Mark Van Gorp, John Keirsbilck, Walter S. Conard
  • Patent number: 8406463
    Abstract: The present application relates to a mail processing system and related method containing dynamic speed control which uses real time and historical system parameters to dynamically control the cycle speed of an inserting or wrapping system to optimize system efficiency, and maximize throughput and performance. A document processing system with dynamic speed control analyzes system parameters. When the operational conditions are favorable the system will increase cycle speed of one or more of the mail processing components of the system in increments until an optimal speed is reached. Likewise, if conditions are unfavorable the system will decrease cycle speed of one or more of the mail processing components of the system in increments until an optimal speed is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel C. Quinn, Robert J. Elias, Gregory J. Norton, John S. Tarascio
  • Patent number: 8392337
    Abstract: The present teachings relate to a method and system for the processing of mail items within a multiple device document processing environment to ensure generation of unique mail items. The present teachings provides for an improved system and method for assigning and maintaining unique mail item identifiers and processing of the unique mail items in a multiple mail processing device environment to qualify for maximum postal work sharing discounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Lee, Brian Bowers
  • Patent number: 8374398
    Abstract: The subject matter presented herein relates to a method, system and program product for performing image capture of items. In particular the image capture occurs during transport of the items by a high-speed transport device. The image is captured by a linear array imaging sensor as a face of the item is transported at a continuous production speed in near proximity to the linear array imaging sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC.
    Inventors: Roger Spitzig, Mark Woolston
  • Patent number: 8311668
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Lee, Brian Bowers
  • Patent number: 8311662
    Abstract: Systems and method of processing one or more documents are shown and described. The orientation of a magnetic character is sensed on the document. The orientation is processed and used to control a sort processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Charles E. Davis, Brian Bowers, Jack E. Olson
  • Patent number: 8301297
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Brian Bowers, Michael Swift
  • Patent number: 8249997
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Lee, Brian Bowers, Paul Kostyniuk
  • Patent number: 8245933
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Marvin L. Isles, Mark Gerard Paul, Walter S. Conard, Leondo R. Phifer, Michael J. McIntee, Michael Boston, Roger Spitzig, Robert Richards
  • Patent number: 8218170
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Karl F. Klopsch, Uwe Meister
  • Patent number: 8195321
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventors: Mark G. Mackelprang, Michael J. Maselli, Robert Richards, Victor Tolomei, Norbert Ruf, Wolfgang Meinelt
  • Patent number: 8150547
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC.
    Inventors: Richard Wojdyla, Walter S. Conard
  • Patent number: 8144936
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Bell and Howell, LLC
    Inventor: Roger Spitzig