Mailing system for mixed weight mail
US4956782A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 19, 1986 |
| Grant date | Sep 11, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07B2017/00701
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A mailing system for metering batches of mixed weight mail. The system includes a demand feed for singulating mailpieces, a weighing module for weighing the singulated mailpieces and determining the appropriate postage amount and a postage meter responsive to the weighing module for metering such singulated mailpieces with the appropriate postage amount. A transport system sequentially transports singulated mailpieces from the feeder to the weighing module when the postage meter is set then stops during the weighing period. The postage meter is set for the next sequential mailpiece only after weighing and metering are both completed. In another embodiment a mechanical buffer is provided between the weighing module and the meter to allow overlapping of weighing time with meter setting time. In still another embodiment the weighing time is reduced by a modified weighing algorithm which uses a reduced number of samples to determine the weight of a singulated mailpiece when the initial indication of weight is not close to a breakpoint in the postal rates. In another embodiment of the invention the postage meter is modified to initiate common preliminary meter setting functions in respo…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.