Change of address system and method of using same5146403Abstract A change of address system includes a group of change of address terminals or stations which are installed at a wide variety of diversified public locations, such as the postal service, shopping centers, food stores, and the like. The terminals receive and store customized change of address information by the user who is desiring to send notices to the postal service and other persons and companies, who send mail to the user. A service computer receives the change of address information from all of the terminals, and in response thereto, the postal service and others desiring the change of address information are notified, at least some of which on a bulk basis. Claims What is claimed is: Description BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
TABLE I
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READY Maintains terminal in standby state waiting
for customer, and downloads customer data to
master computer on daily basis.
PROCESS Actuated whenever customer enters terminal,
calls various subroutines based on customer
response to terminal questions.
SELECT Determines which product customer has
selected and call subroutine to notify mail
distributors of address changes.
QUERY Controls the sequencing of questions to be
presented to customer.
QUANTITY Determines whether the terminal inventory
quantitites for various customized documents
are sufficient to complete customer order.
STYLE Determine any special type styles customer
may desire for customized documents.
CALCULATE Determines charges for the products and
service requested by customer.
VERIFY Verifies that customer has inserted the
correct amount of remittance for
product/service ordered.
MAIN Determines the type of mail distributors to
be notified of the change of address for a
given customer.
CATEGORY Determines the names of the mail
SELECTION distributors to be notified and stores
information. Call subroutines for type of
mailer selected by customer.
SUBSCRIBER Determines manner in which customer desires
subscriber mail distributor to be notified
of mail address change
NON- Determines if non-subscriber mail
SUBSCRIBER distributors are to be notified of the
customer's address change.
VERIFY Verifies customer's address has been
ADDRESS appended with correct ZIP code information.
RECEIPT Activates card dispenser to print customer
receipt and customized change of address
post cards for customer use.
CREDIT CARD
Determines whether customer has an
acceptable credit card for charging
product/services ordered.
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Considering now the subroutine READY 300 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 3, the subroutine READY is entered at instruction 301 from any one of the following subroutines: PROCESS, SELECT, QUANTITY, VERIFY, CATEGORY SELECTION, MAILER SELECTION, SUBSCRIBER, NON-SUBSCRIBER, VERIFY ADDRESS, and CREDIT CARD. From instruction 301, the program advances to decision instruction 303 to determine whether the master timer has elapsed. If the master timer has not elapsed, the program advances to decision box 305 to determine whether the actuation switch 20 is actuated indicating the presence of a customer. If the switch 20 has not been actuated, the program returns to decision instruction 303 to determine whether the master timer has elapsed. The program continues in this loop, until either a customer actuates the switch 20 or the master timer elapses. In this regard, it should be noted the master timer is an internally generated signal produced by the personal computer CPU 12 for its own use in downloading the stored customer data to the master service computer 9 Whenever a customer actuates switch 20, the program advances from decision box 305 to instruction 307 which calls the subroutine PROCESS which will be described herein in greater detail. After the subroutine PROCESS has been executed the program returns to instruction 303 to repeat the above described sequence of steps. Whenever the master timer has elapsed the program will advance from decision instruction 303 to instruction 308. At instruction 308, the terminal, such as terminal 11A, downloads its store customer information to the master service computer 9. In this manner, the master service computer 9 can gather and compile the customer information each of the terminals, such as terminals 11A-11N so that a compiled report such as report 299 shown in FIG. 2I can be sent to each of the subscriber computers, such as the computers 16A-16N. From instruction 308, the program proceeds to decision instruction 310 to determine whether the terminal download operation has been completed. If the download operation has not been completed, the program returns to instruction 308 and continues the above described loop unit the download operation is completed When the download is completed, the program advances from decision box 310 to instruction box 312 to reset the master timer. After the master timer has been reset, the program returns to decision box 303 to repeat the process as just described. Considering now the subroutine PROCESS 400 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 4, the subroutine PROCESS is entered from the READY routine at instruction 400A and proceeds to instruction 401. The program instruction 401 sets the transaction timer to five minutes The program then proceeds to instruction 402 and calls a subroutine 500 identified as SELECT which will be described hereinafter in greater detail. While in the subroutine SELECT 500, the program prompts the customer to select an item from its menu that includes notifying various mailers of a change of address on behalf of the customer. Also included in the menu are various types of customized documents and printed matter such as business cards and change of address postcards which may be prepared at the customer's request. When the type of printed matter has been selected by the customer, if the selection is other than a change of address postcard, the program proceeds to instruction 403 and sets a query counter to one. The program then proceeds as described in the foregoing material copending application Ser. No. 07/284,065. If the customer has selected a change of address postcard, the program then proceeds to call a subroutine 1100 identified as MAIN which will be described hereinafter in greater detail. After the subroutine MAIN 1100 has been executed, the program proceeds to instruction 403 and sets a query counter to 1. The program then proceeds to instruction 304 and calls a subroutine 600 identified as QUERY which is decribed in greater detail in the copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/284,065. While in the subroutine QUERY 600, a series of pertinent questions appear on the monitor 29 for the particular type of special materials selected by the customer. The program prompts the customer to respond to each question. The customer enters responses from the keyboard, and the responses are shown on the video monitor 29. Once all the pertinent information is entered, the program proceeds to instruction 405 to reformat the customer's input and to display the entered information for customer verification so the customer may make any necessary changes to the information previously entered into the system. The program proceeds to instruction 406 to determine if the customer has completed editing. If an editing completed signal has not been received, the program proceeds to instruction 407 to determine whether the transaction time has elapsed. If no answer is received from the customer within the predetermined transaction time limit, the program assumes the customer has left the terminal and proceeds to instruction 408 to return the system to the ready state to wait for the next customer. If the timer has not elapsed, the program loops back to instruction 406 so the customer may continue the editing process. Once the information has been edited, the program then proceeds to instruction 409 which calls a subroutine 1600 identified as VERIFY ADDRESS which will be described hereinafter in greater detail. After the subroutine VERIFY ADDRESS 1600 has been executed, the program returns to the subroutine PROCESS 400 at instruction 410 and increments the QUERY counter. The program then proceeds to instruction 411 which calls a subroutine 700 identified as QUANTITY which is described in copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/284,065. While in the subroutine QUANTITY 700, the program requests the customer to enter the quantity of materials required so that a determination may be made that the system has sufficient quantity of printing material to fill the customer's order, if placed. If the quantity required by the customer exceeds the available supply, the system displays a message on the video monitor 29 notifying the customer of the lesser quantity, which may be ordered. If the customer desires to purchase the lesser quantity indicated on the monitor, the program proceeds to instruction 412. If no response is received, the system returns to the ready state. Once the available and ordered quantity has been determined, the program proceeds to instruction 412 and calls a subroutine 800 identified as STYLE to determine if any special options are required by the customer such as type style, formats, etc. The subroutine STYLE 800 is described in greater detail in the copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/284,065. Once all the necessary information has been gathered at the change of address terminal 11A,,such information including type style, data, and quantity, the program proceeds to instruction 413 so that the, interface unit 13 can transmit the gathered information to the data processing personal computer 12 via the interface 13. The instruction 413 calls a subroutine 900 identified as CALCULATE, which is described in greater detail in the copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/284,065. The personal computer 12 performs the desired quote calculation, and sends the quotation information back to the terminal for display on the video monitor 29. This information is also transmitted to the coin and bill acceptor 18, as well as the credit card acceptor 21. On receipt of the quotation, the program proceeds to instruction 414 and calls a subroutine 1000 identified as VERIFY, which is described in greater detail in copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/284,065. While in the subroutine VERIFY 1000, the user is asked if he or she desires to purchase the requested labels, postcards, or other special materials based on the quotation. If the answer is no, the customer is thanked and the terminal returns to the ready state to wait for the next customer. If the answer is yes, the program prompts the customer to insert the appropriate amount of payment either in cash or by credit card for the requested materials, and the payment verification process is completed by the subroutine VERIFY 1000. If the customer fails to insert the proper amount of money or an acceptable credit card within the predetermined transaction time, the program returns to the ready state to wait for the next customer, If the customer inserts money into the coin and bill acceptor 18, the bill and coin acceptor 18 transmits the information regarding the amount of money that has been received from the customer to the data processing personal computer 12 for verification of the proper sum. If the data processing personal computer 12 determines that the customer has inserted a bill that is too large to remit change, the computer 12 instructs the bill and coin acceptor to return the inserted money to the customer. If the bill is too large, a message is displayed notifying the customer and requesting a smaller bill be inserted. If the requested amount is not inserted into the coin bill acceptor 18, the program returns to the ready state. This procedure results in either rejection or acceptance of payment, and corresponding data is transmitted from the data processing personal computer 12 to the interface unit 13 so the appropriate response may be displayed on the video terminal 29. If payment is accepted, the bill and coin acceptor 18 sends an accepted signal and the program displays the total amount paid and then proceeds to decision instruction 414A where the program determines whether small document cards such as document cards 260, 270, 280 and 290 are to be printed. If small documents cards are to be printed, the program proceeds to instruction 414B and calls a subroutine 1700, identified as RECEIPT which will be described hereinafter in greater detail. If small document cards are not to be printed, the program advances to instruction 415. After the subroutine RECEIPT 1700 is executed, the program advances to instruction 415. At instruction 415, the document information previously collected for special printing tasks is transmitted to the interface unit 13 and a document print sequence is initiated. The document information sent by the data processing personal computer 12 to the document printer 19 causes the documents, such as resumes and labels, to be printed and dispensed to the customer. The program then proceeds to instruction 416 and calls a subroutine 600 identified as QUERY. While in the subroutine QUERY 600, the customer is again asked to respond to a series of demographic questions. The program returns to the ready state if the customer does not respond. After the customer answers the questions, the answers are stored and the program returns to the ready state. The sequence of operations carried out by the data processing personal computer 12 in performing quotation calculations, carrying out payment verification, and issuing print commands, will now be described with reference to the flowchart diagrams shown in FIGS. 11-18. Considering now the subroutine MAIN 1100 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 11, the subroutine MAIN 1100 is entered at instruction 1101 from the SELECT subroutine 500 and proceeds to decision instruction 1103. At decision instruction 1103 the customer is prompted with a question asking whether the customer wants to notify mailers If the customer indicates that the mailers are not to be notified, the program proceeds to instruction 1105 which returns the program to the SELECT subroutine 500 at instruction 524. If the customer indicates that the mailers are to be notified, the program proceeds to instruction 1107 which calls a subroutine 1200 identified as CATEGORY SELECTION, which will be described hereinafter in greater detail. After the program returns from the CATEGORY SELECTION subroutine 1200, the program proceeds to instruction 1109 which prompts the customer to make another category selection by pressing the arrow key on the keyboard 17. The program then proceeds to decision instruction 1111 to make a determination as to whether the customer has made another category selection. If the customer has not made another category selection, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1113 to determine whether the transaction timer has timed out. If the instruction timer has not timed out, the program loops back to decision instruction 1111 to determine whether the customer has made another category selection. This looping process continues until either the customer has made another category selection, or the transaction timer has timed out. Should the transaction timer times out, the program proceeds to instruction 1115 which returns the program to the SELECT subroutine 500 at instruction 524. If the customer has made another category selection, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1116 to determine whether the category selected was the credit card category. If the category selection was the credit card selection the program proceeds to instruction 1118 which calls a subroutine 1800 identified as CREDIT CARD, as hereinafter described in greater detail. When the program returns from the CREDIT CARD subroutine 1800, it proceeds to decision instruction 1120 to determine whether the category selected by the customer was the END selection. At decision instruction 1116, if the customer had not selected the CREDIT CARD category, the program proceeds directly to instruction 1120 to determine whether the customer made the END selection. At decision instruction 1120, if the customer made the END selection the program branches to instruction 1122 which calls a subroutine 1400 identified as SUBSCRIBER which will be described hereinafter. If the customer did not make the END selection, the program loops back to instruction 1107 which calls the subroutine CATEGORY SELECTION 1200 as previously described. Considering now the subroutine CATEGORY SELECTION 1200 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 12A, the subroutine CATEGORY SELECTION 1200 is entered from the subroutine MAIN 1100 at instruction 1201. Upon entering the CATEGORY SELECTION subroutine at instruction 1201, the program proceeds to instruction 1205 where the terminal prompts the personal computer 12 to retrieve from its memory, the category list so that it may be displayed on the video monitor 29. After the category list has been retrieved and is displayed on the video monitor 29, the program proceeds to instruction 1206 to prompt the customer to select a given category by making a keyboard entry via the keyboard 17. Thus, the customer using the arrow key on keyboard 17 moves the cursor displayed on the video monitor 29 to highlight a given category. After the customer is prompted to select a given category, a message is displayed at instruction 1207 to prompt the customer to end the selection of a category by pressing the enter key on keyboard 17. The program then proceeds to decision instruction 1209 to determine whether the customer has ended the selection process. If the customer has not ended the selection process, the program branches to decision instruction 1215 to determine whether the transaction timer has elapsed. If the transaction timer has elapsed, the program goes to instruction 1217 which returns the terminal to the READY state. If the transaction timer has not elapsed, the program returns to instruction 1207 and again prompts the customer to end the selection of a category by pressing the ENTER key. The above described loop is repeated, until either the transaction timer has elapsed, or the customer has ended the selection by pressing the ENTER key. If the customer ends the selection of category by pressing the ENTER key, the program proceeds to instruction 1211, where the customer is prompted to enter the name of a mailer by entering an abbreviation for the name of mailer which consists of the first four letter characters of the mailer's name. After the customer has been prompted to enter the first four characters of the mailer's name, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1219 to determine whether the customer has entered the abbreviation and depressed the ENTER key. If the customer has not entered the four characters and depressed the ENTER key, the program branches to decision instruction 1222 to determine whether the transaction timer has elapsed. If the transaction timer has elapsed, the program proceeds to instruction 1224 which returns the program to the READY state. If the transaction timer has not elapsed, the program loops back to decision instruction 1219 to determine whether the customer has entered the abbreviations and depressed the ENTER key. This loop is repeated as described until either the customer enters the four characters and depresses the ENTER key, or the transaction timer has elapsed. If the customer has entered the four character abbreviations and depressed the ENTER key, the program goes to instruction 1221 which calls a subroutine 1300 identified as MAILER SELECTION, which will be described hereinafter in greater detail. After the subroutine MAILER SELECTION 1300 has been executed, the program proceeds to instruction 1223 as indicated in FIG. 2B. At instruction 1223, the customer is prompted to select the mailer from the displayed list by again depressing the arrow key, until a selected mailer has been highlighted. The program then proceeds to instruction 1225 which prompts the customer to end the selection by pressing the ENTER key on the keyboard. After the customer has been prompted to end the selection by pressing the ENTER key, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1227 to determine whether the customer has made the selection by pressing the ENTER key. If the customer has not depressed the ENTER key, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1234 to determine whether the transaction timer has timed out. If the transaction timer has timed out, the program proceeds to instruction 1236 which returns the terminal to the READY state. If the transaction has not timed out, the program loops back to instruction 1225 where the customer is prompted to end the selection by pressing the ENTER key. This loop is repeated until either the customer ends the selection process by pressing the enter key, or the transaction timer times out. If the customer ends the selection by pressing the ENTER key, the program proceeds from decision instruction 1227 to instruction 1229 where the selection made by the customer is transferred via the interface unit 13 to the storage media 23 for storage. After the selection has been stored on the storage media, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1231 to determine whether the selection made by the customer is a subscriber mailer. If the selection made by the customer is a subscriber mailer, the program proceeds to instruction 1233 and calls a subroutine 1400 identified as SUBSCRIBER which will be described hereinafter in greater detail. If the selection made by the customer is a non-subscriber, the program proceeds to instruction 1232 which calls a subroutine 1500 identified as NON-SUBSCRIBER, as hereinafter described in greater detail. After the program executes the subroutine SUBSCRIBER 1400, the program returns to instruction 1203 to repeat the category SELECTION subroutine as previously described herein. Considering now the subroutine MAILER SELECTION 1300 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 13, the subroutine MAILER SELECTION 1300 is entered from the subroutine CATEGORY SELECTION at instruction 1301. The program proceeds from instruction 1301 to instruction 1303 which searches the files in storage media 23 for mailers with the given abbreviation letters as entered by the customer. The program then advances to instruction 1305. At instruction 1305, as each mailer with the given abbreviation letters as entered by the customer are retrieved, they are displayed on the video monitor 29 in alphabetical listing for the customer's selection. The program then advances to decision box 1307. At 1307 if the retrieved list of mailers does not exceed a predetermined number of entries, the program advances to instruction 1309 which returns the program to the subroutine CATEGORY SELECTION 1200 at instruction 1223 as previously described. If the category list exceeds X entries, the program goes to instruction 1311 and prompts the customer to select the next word of the mailer's name by entering the first letter of the mailer's second name. After prompting the customer to enter the additional information, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1313 to determine whether the customer has made the selection entry. If the customer has not made the selection entry by entering the letter and pressing the ENTER key, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1319 to determine whether the transaction timer has timed out. If the transaction timer has timed out, the program proceeds to instruction 1321 which returns the terminal to the ready state. If the transaction timer has not timed out, the program loops back to decision instruction 1313 to determine whether the customer has made the additional selection. This loop is repeated until the customer either enters the additional selection information or the transaction timer times out. If the customer makes the additional entry selection, the program proceeds to instruction 1315 and displays the list of mailers beginning at the first mailer in the list. The program then advances to instruction 1317 which returns the program to the subroutine CATEGORY SELECTION 1200 at instruction 1223 as previously described. Considering now the subroutine SUBSCRIBER 1400 with reference to FIG. 14 in greater detail, the subroutine SUBSCRIBER 1400 is entered at instruction 1401 from the subroutine CATEGORY SELECTION 1200 and proceeds to instruction 1403. At instruction 1403, the user is prompted to select another category. After the user is prompted to select another category, the program advances to decision instruction 1405 to determine whether another category has been selected by the customer. If the customer has not made another category selection, the program advances to decision instruction 1406 and prompts a customer as to whether he or she wants to have change of address postcards prepared. If the customer does not so indicate, the program advances to decision instruction 1405 to determine whether the customer has made another category selection. If the customer has not made another category selection, the program proceeds to instruction 1406 where the customer is prompted as to whether the or she desires to have change of address postcards prepared. If the customer has not indicated that postcards are to be prepared, the program goes to decision instruction 1415 to verify whether or not the customer has entered the information. If from decision instruction 1415, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1417, if the customer has not made another category selection, or indicated whether or not he or she wants change of address postcards prepared. At decision instruction 1417 the transaction timer is examined to determine whether it has timed out. If the transaction timer has not timed out, the program advances to instruction 1418 which returns the terminal to its ready state. If the transaction timer has not timed out, the program loops back to decision instruction 1406 to again prompt the customer as to whether or not postcards are to be prepared. This loop is repeated until the customer either makes an indication that he or she desires postcard's, or the transaction timer has timed out. If the transaction timer has not timed out, the program loops back to decision instruction 1405 to determine whether the customer has made another category selection. This process is repeated until either the transaction timer times out, or the customer makes another category selection, or makes a determination that he or she does not want to have change of address postcards prepared. If the customer indicates that postcards are not to be prepared, the program advances to instruction 1419 which branches the program to the vending subroutine as will be described hereinafter in greater detail. Considering now the subroutine NON-SUBSCRIBER in greater detail with reference to FIG. 15, the subroutine NON-SUBSCRIBER is entered at instruction 1501 from the subroutine SELECTION. From instruction 1501, the program proceeds to instruction 1503 where the customer is prompted with a message indicating the cost to notify non-subscribers and is queried to enter a decision as to whether a notification of the non-subscriber is desired by the customer. Considering now the subroutine NON-SUBSCRIBER in greater detail with reference to FIG. 15, the subroutine NON-SUBSCRIBER is entered at instruction 1501. From instruction 1501, the program proceeds to instruction 1503 where the customer is prompted with a message indicating the cost to notify non-subscribers and asked to make an indication of whether or not he or she desires to notify the non-subscribing mailers. After the customer has been prompted with this message, the program advances to decision instruction 1505 to determine whether or not the customer has made a yes or no selection. Considering now the subroutine NON-SUBSCRIBER in greater detail with reference to FIG. 15, the subroutine NON-SUBSCRIBER is entered at instruction 1501. From instruction 1501, the program proceeds to instruction 1503 where the customer is prompted with a message to indicate the cost of notifying non-subscriber mailers and a query is made as to whether the customer desired to have notification sent to the non-subscriber mailers. From instruction 1503, after the customer has been prompted, the program proceeds to decision instruction 1505 where a determination is made, as to whether or not a selection has been made by the customer. If the customer has not made a selection, the program advances to decision instruction 1506 to determine whether the transaction timer has timed out. If the transaction timer has timed out at instruction 1506, the program advances to instruction 1507 which causes the program to exit and return the terminal to the ready state. If the transaction timer has not timed out, the program loops back to instruction 1503, where again the customer is prompted with a message indicating the cost of notifying non-subscribers and queried if notification is desired. If a selection is made by the customer at decision box 1505, the program branches to decision instruction 1508, where the type of indication made by the customer is determined. If the customer indicated that he or she did not wish to notify the non-subscriber mailers, the program advances to instruction 1511 which takes the two instruction 1102 in the subroutine MAIN. If the customer indicated that non-subscribers were to be notified of the change of address, the program advances to 1509 to store the information entered by the customer. After the information has been stored, the program advances to instruction 1511 which again returns the program to the subroutine MAIN as previously described. Considering now the subroutine VERIFY address in greater detail with reference to FIG. 16, the subroutine VERIFY address is entered at instruction 1601. From instruction 1601, the program proceeds to instruction 1603 where the customer's address as entered by the customer, is compared with the ZIP+4 file. From instruction 1603, the program advances to decision box 1605 to compare the customer address with the proper ZIP+4 file information. If there is not a proper comparison, the program advances to decision box 1608 where an error message is displayed to the customer, and the customer is again prompted to correct the error. From instruction 1608, the program advances to decision box 1610 where it is determined whether or not the editing has been completed by the customer. If the editing has not been completed by the customer, the program advances to decision box 1612 where the transaction timer is examined. At instruction 1612, if it is determined that the transaction timer has not timed out, the program returns back to decision box 1610 to determine whether the customer has completed editing. If the time out timer has timed out, the program advances to box 1614 which returns a terminal to the READY state. The program continues to loop between instruction 1610 and 1612, until either the transaction timer times out, or the editing has been completed by the customer. If the customer has completed editing, the program goes from instruction 1610 to instruction 1605. At instruction 1605, the ZIP code information is again compared with the ZIP+4 file to determine whether there is a proper comparison. If there is not a proper comparison, the program again branches to instruction 1608 as previously described. If there is a proper comparison, the program proceeds from decision box 1605 to instruction 1607 where the ZIP+4 information of the customer is appended to the customer address record. From instruction 1607, the program advances to instruction 1609 which returns the program back to the subroutine PROCESS at instruction 1410. Considering now the subroutine RECEIPT with reference to FIG. 17 in greater detail, the subroutine RECEIPT is entered from instruction 1701 from the subroutine PROCESS. From instruction 1701, the program proceeds to instruction 1703 where the selection made by the user is retrieved. After the selection has been retrieved, the program advances to instruction 1705 which retrieves the user information entered by the user. From instruction 1705, the program proceeds to instruction 1707 where the user information is retrieved. After the user information is retrieved, the program proceeds to instruction 1709 where the information is formatted in proper form. After the information has been formatted for printing purposes, the program advances to instruction 1711, which enables the printer to print instructions, a signature card, and a voter information card for the customer. After the documents have been printed, the customer is prompted to remove the first card from the printer, and to sign the card and to drop it into a slot which is provided on the terminal. From instruction 1713, the program advances to decision box 1715 to determine whether the customer has removed the card from the printer. If the customer has not removed the card from the printer, the program advances to box 1717 which sets a timer for the customer to remove the card. The program advances from box 1717 to box 1719 to determine whether the special timer has timed out. If the timer has not timed out, the program advances to instruction 1721 to determine whether the customer has now removed the card. If the customer has not removed the card, the program loops back to decision box 1719 to determine whether the special timer has timed out. If the customer has removed the card, the program branches to instruction 1723 where a new or receipt card is printed out. If the customer does not remove the card before the special timer times out, the program automatically advances to instruction 1723, and causes the second card, which will be attached to the first card, to be printed by the printer. After the second card has been printed, the program advances to instruction 1725 which downloads the information. After the information has started to be downloaded, the program advances to decision box 1727 to determine whether the downloading of information has been completed. If the downloading of information has not been completed, the program loops back to instruction 1725 and continues to loop between 1725 and 172,, until the downloading has been completed. Once the downloading has been completed, the program advances from instruction 1727 to instruction 1729, which returns the program back to the subroutine PROCESS at instruction 415. Considering now the subroutine CREDIT CARD with reference to FIG. 18, the subroutine CREDIT CARD is entered from the subroutine MAIN at instruction 1801. From instruction 1801, the program proceeds to instruction 1803 which displays a general message to the user regarding the purpose of the program. After the message has been displayed, the program advances to decision box 1805 where the customer is prompted as to whether or not he or she has a credit card with them. If the customer indicates that they do not have a credit card with them, the program advances to instruction 1816 where a message is displayed that the terminal is unable to process the customer's request for a credit card transaction, since there is no credit card available for use by the customer. After displaying the UNABLE TO PROCESS message, the program advances to decision box 1818, where the customer is prompted as to whether or not another selection is to be made. If the customer does not indicate a desire to make another selection, the program advances to decision box 1819, where the transaction timer is examined. If the transaction timer has timed out, the program advances to box 1821 which takes the terminal backto the READY state. If the time out timer has not timed out, the program advances back to decision box 1818 to prompt the customer again, as to whether or not he or she desires to make another selection. This process is repeated until either the transaction timer times out, or the customer indicates that another selection is desired. If the customer indicates another selection is desired, the program advances from decision box 1818 to instruction 1822 which returns the program back to the subroutine MAIN at instruction 1120. Returning again to decision box 1805, if the customer indicates that he or she does have a credit card, the customer is asked whether or not the credit card includes a magnetic strip. If the customer does not indicate whether the card has a magnetic strip, the program advances to instruction 1816 as previously described. If the customer indicates that the credit card has a magnetic strip, the program advances from decision box 1807 to instruction 1809, where the customer is prompted to insert and remove his or her credit card in the credit card acceptor 21. The program, after prompting the customer to insert and remove the card, advances to decision box 1811 to determine whether or not the magnetic bars on the magnetic strip were able to be read by the credit card acceptor 21. If the credit card acceptor was unable to read the magnetic bars on the credit card, the program advances to instruction 1816 as previously described If the credit card acceptor was able to read the magnetic coding, the program advances to instruction 1813 to store the information, and then advances to instruction 1822, which returns the program back to the subroutine MAIN as previously described. D. CUSTOMIZED DOCUMENTS Considering now the customized documents prepared by the change of address terminal 11A in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2E-2H and FIG. 17, at instruction 1711 the subroutine RECEIPT 1700 causes the card dispenser mechanism 22 to print and vend an instruction sheet 260 shown in FIG. 2E. In this regard, sheet 260 is the first sheet to be printed. After the customer has been given a predetermined amount of time to remove sheet 260, the dispenser mechanism 22 prints and vends a receipt sheet 270 as shown in FIG. 2F. Again, after the customer has been, given a predetermined amount of time, the dispenser mechanism 22 prints and vends a postmaster notification sheet 280 as shown in FIG. 2G. After printing the notification sheet 280, the dispenser mechanism 22 prints and vends a change of address sheet 290 as shown in FIG. 2H. In this regard, the mechanism 22 prints and vends as many of the change of address sheets, such as sheet 290, as the customer has ordered. Considering now the instruction sheet 260 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2E, instruction sheet 260 is comprised of a heavy stock paper, which includes a set of microperforations, which define a set of: fold lines 261, 262, 263 and 264. Sheet 260 is generally rectangular in shape having a top edge 265, a bottom edge 266, and a pair of side edges 267 and 268. In the preferred form of the present invention, sheet 260 is a conventional 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch sheet of paper. It should be understood, however, that other sized sheets may also be used with the card dispenser mechanism 22. Fold lines 261 and 262 form one continuous line of perforations extending from edge 267 to edge 268. Similarly, fold lines 263 and 264 form another continuous line of perforations extending from edge 265 to edge 268. In this regard, the fold lines 261-264 subdivide the sheet 260 into four subsections 260A-D respectively. Considering now subsection 260A in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2E, subsection 260A includes three groups of indicia thereon, shown generally at 260AI, 260A2 and 260A3. Indicia 260AI is in the form of a trademark which identifies the owner of the system. Indicia 260A2 is customized and provides the customer with detailed instructions for using each of the relevant subdivisions. Indicia 260A3 provides the customer with detailed instructions for separating or tearing the sheet 260 into individual cards. For example, when sheet 260 is separated by a customer following the direction specified by indicia 260A3, it is separated into its four component parts 260A-D. In this regard, after separation, the customer is provided with an instruction card 260A, a signature card 260B, a receipt card 260C and a blank card 260D. Considering now subsection 260B is greater detail with reference to FIG. 2E, subsection 260B includes two groups of indicia thereon, shown generally at 260BI and 260B2. Indicia 260Bl is substantially identical to indicia 260Al. Indicia 260B2 is in the form of notification information indicating where the customer is to sign the card 260B. Considering now subsection 260C in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2E, subsection 260C includes two groups of indicia thereon, shown generally at 260Cl and at 260C2. Indicia 260Cl is substantially identical to indicia 260Al. Indicia 260C2 is in the form of an informative message reminding the customer of the need to change his or her voter's registration. Indicia 260C2 is also customized with the customer's name, and forms part of the customer receipt for the services and products provided through the change of address terminal 11A. Considering now the receipt sheet270 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2F, the receipt sheet 270 is composed of a heavy stock paper, which is substantially similar to instruction sheet 260. In this regard, sheet 270 includes a set of microperforations which define a set of fold lines 271, 272, 273 and 274. Sheet 270 is generally rectangular in shape having a top edge 275, a bottom edge 276, and a pair of side edges 277 and 278. In the preferred form of the present invention, sheet 270 is a conventional 81/2 inch.times.11 inch sheet of paper. It should be understood, however, that other size sheets could be used with the card dispenser mechanism 22. Fold lines 271 and 272 form one continuous line of perforations extending from edge 277 to, edge 278. Similarly, fold lines 273 and 274 form another continuous line of perforations extending from edge 275 to edge 278. In this regard, the fold lines 271-274 subdivide the sheet 270 into four subsections 278A-D, respectively. Considering now subsection 270A in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2F, subsection 270A includes four groups of indicia thereon, shown generally at 270Al, 270A2, 270A3 and 270A4. Indicia 270Al is in the form of a trademark which is substantially identical to indicia 260Al. Indicia 270A2 is in the form of customized information indicating the address change of the customer;, showing both the "from address" and the "to address". Indicia 270A3 includes the effective date of the address change. Indicia 270A4 includes informative information for the customer, with regard to the change of address station 11A. Considering now subsection 270B in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2F, subsection 270B includes two groupings of indicia thereon, shown generally at 270Bl and 270B2. Indicia 270Bl is substantially identical to indicia 270Al. Indicia 270B2 is in the form of notification information, indicating to the customer the various entities which have been notified of the customer's address change. In this regard, the entities listed by the indicia 270B2 are automatically notified via the terminal 11A as described herein. Considering now subsection 270C in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2F, subsection 270C includes three groups of indicia thereon, shown generally at 270Cl, 270C2, and 270C3. Indicia 270Cl is substantially identical to indicia 270Al. Indicia 270B2 provides a summary report of the change of address postcards, which the customer has ordered and includes a total cost for the customized postcards. Indicia 270C3 includes a summary report of all the charges which have been incurred by the customer in using the change of address terminal IIA. Indicia 270C4 includes a thank you note indicating whether or not the customer has paid for the services rendered by the terminal 11A via a credit card. Considering now the notification sheet 280 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2G, the notification sheet 280 is composed of a heavy stock paper which includes a set of microperforations defining a set of fold lines 281, 282, 283 and 284. Sheet 280 is generally rectangular in shape having a top edge 285, a bottom edge 286, and a pair of side edges 287 and 288, respectively. In the preferred form of the present invention, sheet 280 is a conventional 81/2 inch by 11 inch sheet of heavy stock paper. It should be understood, however, that other size sheets could be used with the card dispenser mechanism 22. Fold lines 281 and 282 form continuous lines of perforations extending from one edge 285 to 286. Similarly, fold lines 283 and 284 form continuous lines of perforations extending from edge 287 to 288. In this regard, the fold lines 281-284 subdivide the sheet 280 into four subsections 280A-D, respectively. Considering now subsection 280A in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2G, subsection 280A includes indicia thereon shown generally at 280Al. Indicia 280Al is in the form of a standard form used by the government postal service, for a mailer to indicate a change of address. Considering now subsection 280D in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2G, subdivision 280D includes three groups of indicia thereon, shown generally at 280D1, 280D2 and 280D3. Indicia 280Dl is in the form of a government postal service postage stamp mark. Indicia 280D2 is in the form of a return address indicating postal service official business. Indicia 280D3 is an address for the postal service for the area to which the customer is moving. In this regard, the customer can fold back the sheet along the perforation lines formed by 281 and 282, and can tear that portion of the sheet, i.e. thus removing subsections 280B and 280C from the sheet. The customer is then left with a postcard which can be conveniently folded along perforation line 284 and deposited in a receptacle at or near the terminal 11A, for pickup by the postal service. Considering now the change of address sheet 290 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2H, change of address sheet 290 is composed of a heavy stock paper, and includes a set of microperforations defining a set of fold lines 292, 293 and 294. Sheet 290 is generally rectangular shape, and has a top edge 295, bottom edge 296, and a pair of side edges 297 and 298. In the preferred form of the present invention, sheet 290 is a conventional 81/2 inch by 11 inch sheet of heavy stock paper. It should be understood however that other sizes and weights of sheets may be used with the card dispenser mechanism 22. Fold lines 291 and 292 form continuous lines of perforations extending from edge 297 to edge 298. Similarly, fold lines 293 and 294 form continuous lines of perforations extending from edge 295 to edge 298. In this regard, the fold lines 291-294 subdivide the sheet 290 into four subsections 290A-D respectively. Subdivisions 290A-D are substantially identical to one another, and only subsection 290A will now be described in greater detail. Considering now subsection 290A in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2H, subsection 290A includes five groups of indicia thereon, shown generally at 290AI, 290A2, 290A3, 290A4 and 290A5. Indicia 290Al is in the form of a trademark which identifies the owner of the system. Indicia 290A2 is customized, and provides the customer with the address information change showing the customer's old address and the customer's new address. Indicia 290A3 shows the effective date of the address change. Indicia 290A4 is in the form of the government postal service stamp. Indicia 290A5 is in the form of a series of lines which the customer can manually fill in the name and address of a person or company, to which the customer desires to send an address change card. In this regard, a customer can fold the sheet 290 along the lines 291 and 292, and separate the sheet into two parts, one part being comprised of subdivisions 290A and 290B and the other section being comprised of subdivisions 290C and 290D. The two sections can be folded by the customer along respective fold lines 293 and 294 to separate the sections therealong. Thus, the customer is provided with four separate change of address postcards which may be mailed to various persons and entities for the purpose of notifying them of the customer's change of address. While particular embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it is to be understood that various different modifications are possible and are contemplated within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims. There is no intention, therefore, of limitations to the exact abstract or disclosure herein presented.
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