Method and arrangement for data processing in a shipping system with a postage meter machine, including automatic selection of the most beneficial carrier

Abstract

In a method for data processing in a mail processing system, the most beneficial carrier, among a number of available carriers, for shipping a particular item is determined by initializing the franking system with pre-selection of a group of carriers from which the desired carrier can be subsequently selected, processing inputs with respect to service demands made of the carrier and automatic selection of those carriers from the aforementioned group of carriers that meet the service demands that have been made, calculating the postage fee on the basis of current fee schedules for selected services, comparing the postage fee for cost optimization in the narrower automatic selection of the most beneficial carrier and debiting the calculated postage fee in a fee memory for the selected carrier.

Claims

I claim as my invention:

1. A method for determining a most beneficial carrier for a piece of mail in a franking system including a first printer at a first location and a second printer at a second location, remote from said first location, comprising the steps of:

(a) initializing a franking system by storing a group of carriers, at said first location, from which a carrier for a piece of mail can be subsequently selected;

(b) for said piece of mail, entering service requirements at said first location for shipping said piece of mail and automatically selecting, from said group of carriers, a sub-group of carriers which satisfies said service requirements;

(c) storing, at said first location, respective fees of all carriers in said group of carriers and, for each carrier in said sub-group, automatically calculating at said first location a fee for shipping said piece of mail with said service requirements;

(d) at said first location, comparing the respective fees calculated in step (c) for each carrier in said sub-group and identifying, as a selected carrier, a carrier in said sub-group having the lowest fee and printing an indication on said piece of mail using said first printer identifying said selected carrier; and

(e) transporting said piece of mail to said second location and scanning said piece of mail at said second location to identify said selected carrier from said indicator, and printing a franking imprint on said piece of mail, using said second printer, incorporating said lowest fee of said selected carrier.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises storing current carrier-related data in said franking system and identifying coincidences with said current carrier-related data in initializing said franking system.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the additional step of providing a display in said franking system for displaying information, and displaying said selected carrier and said fee on said display.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises manually metering additional shipping instructional data into said franking system for incorporation in calculating said fee in step (c).

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises automatically entering additional shipping instructional data into said franking system for incorporation in calculating said fee in step (c).

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises manually entering cost center information into said franking system identifying a cost center to be charged for said fee for shipping said piece of mail using said selected carrier.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises automatically entering cost center information into said franking system identifying a cost center to be charged for said fee for shipping said piece of mail using said selected carrier.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

non-volatilely storing current fee schedules respectively for said carriers in said group; and

repeatedly executing a check routine for ensuring the fee schedule used in step (c) is a current fee schedule.

9. A shipping system for pieces of mail, each piece of mail having information printed thereon in an address field, said shipping system comprising:

a postage meter machine having a transport path by which pieces of mail are transported to said postage meter machine;

means for detecting a piece of mail, as a detected piece of mail, in said transport path;

means for scanning an address field of the detected piece of mail in said transport path;

means in said postage meter machine, supplied with the information in the address field of the detected piece of mail obtained by said means for scanning, for identifying a most beneficial carrier, among a plurality of available carriers, for the detected piece of mail, and for identifying a fee for shipping said detected piece of mail using said most beneficial carrier;

means in said postage meter machine for conducting an accounting for charging said fee; and

means for franking said detected piece of mail in said postage meter machine including printer means for printing a franking imprint on said detected piece of mail incorporating the printed representation of said fee.

10. A shipping system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said shipping system is used by a plurality of independent cost centers, and wherein a cost center identifier, identifying a cost center to be charged said fee for shipping said detected piece of mail, is contained in said information in said address field, and wherein said means for conducting an accounting comprises means for conducting a cost center-specific accounting in said postage meter machine and charging said fee to the cost center identified by said cost center identifier.

11. A shipping system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said shipping system is used with a data center remote from said shipping system, and said shipping system further comprising:

means in said postage meter machine for, if sufficient data are not available in said postage meter machine for generating said franking imprint, forming a data request to said remote data center for data needed to complete generation of said franking imprint;

means in said postage meter machine for establishing a communication between said postage meter machine and said remote data center and for transmitting said data request from said postage meter machine to said remote data center; and

means in said postage meter machine for receiving said data needed to complete said franking imprint from said remote data center and for supplying said data needed to complete said franking imprint to said printing means.

12. A shipping system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising:

memory means in said postage meter machine for storing a plurality of carrier-specific print formats respectively allocated to said available carrier;

means for retrieving the print format for said most beneficial carrier from said memory; and

said printer means comprising means for printing said franking imprint on said detected piece of mail incorporating said printed representation of said fee and said print format for said most beneficial carrier.

13. A shipping system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said shipping system is used with a data center remote from said shipping system, and said shipping system further comprising:

at least one personal computer, having a memory, remote from said postage meter machine for producing pieces of mail, each having mail contents;

a memory containing a plurality of data files in said personal computer, said data files respectively allocated to instructional data including said most beneficial carrier;

communication means for bidirectional communication between said personal computer and said postage meter machine; and

wherein said postage meter machine comprises processor means for executing an office computer communication routine in said postage meter machine between said postage meter machine and said personal computer via said communication means, including means for searching said memory of said personal computer, using said information in the address field of the detected piece of mail, for locating the data file in said personal computer containing the mail contents of said detected piece of mail and for interrogating said data file containing the mail contents of said detected piece of mail to identify said most beneficial carrier, and for supplying said most beneficial carrier for said detected piece of mail from said personal computer to said postage meter machine via said communication means and for automatically entering said most beneficial carrier into said postage meter machine;

means in said postage meter machine for, if sufficient data are not available in said postage meter machine for generating said franking imprint, forming a data request to said remote data center for data needed to complete generation of said franking imprint;

means in said postage meter machine for establishing a communication between said postage meter machine and said remote data center and for transmitting said data request from said postage meter machine to said remote data center;

means in said postage meter machine for receiving said data needed to complete said franking imprint from said remote data center and for suppling said data needed to complete said franking imprint to said printing means; and

means in said postage meter machine for supplying said data needed to complete said franking imprint to said personal computer as updating data.

14. A shipping system as claimed in claim 13 comprising a plurality of personal computers, and further comprising a personal computer network interconnecting said personal computers for data exchange among all of said personal computers, means in each personal computer, upon receipt of updating data from said postage meter machine, for supplying said updating data to all of the other personal computers via said personal computer network.

15. A shipping system as claimed in claim 14 wherein each of said personal computers comprises means for establishing communication with said postage meter machine for ensuring coincidence of data stored in that personal computer with data stored in said postage meter machine.

16. A mail shipping system as claimed in claim 15 wherein each of said personal computers comprises memory means for storing fee schedules respectively allocated to said available carriers, means for conducting a routine for identifying said most beneficial carrier using said fee schedules for making a cost comparison of the respective costs, for each of said carriers, for shipping said piece of mail, and means in each personal computer for executing a routine for ensuring that said fee schedules are current.

17. A shipping system for pieces of mail comprising:

a postage meter machine;

at least one personal computer, having a memory, remote from said postage meter machine for producing pieces of mail, each having mail contents;

a memory containing a plurality of data files in said personal computer, said data files respectively allocated to instructional data including said most beneficial carrier;

communication means for bidirectional communication between said personal computer and said postage meter machine; and

in said postage meter machine processor means for executing an office computer communication routine in said postage meter machine between said postage meter machine and said personal computer via said communication means, including means for searching said memory of said personal computer, using said information in an address field of a detected piece of mail, for locating the data file in said personal computer containing the mail contents of said detected piece of mail and for interrogating said data file containing the mail contents of said detected piece of mail to identify said most beneficial carrier, and for supplying said most beneficial carrier for said detected piece of mail from said personal computer to said postage meter machine via said communication means and for automatically entering said most beneficial carrier into said postage meter machine.

18. A shipping system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said personal computer comprises means for storing the mail contents of the respective pieces of mail in respective data files of said memory of said personal computer allocated to instructional information including at least said most beneficial carrier and time data, and wherein said means for searching said memory of said personal computer comprises means for searching said memory of said personal computer using said information in the address field of the detected piece of mail and said time data for locating the data file containing the mail contents of said detected piece of mail.

19. A method for data processing in a franking system comprising the steps of:

(a) creating a document in a document producing program in a personal computer;

(b) calling a first input mask in said personal computer;

(c) entering and storing in said personal computer an address of a recipient of said document and a data of said document using said first input mask;

(d) calling a second input mask in said personal computer including a group of carriers available for shipping said document, each carrier having a carrier number uniquely identifying that carrier;

(e) executing a routine in said personal computer for identifying a most beneficial carrier among said group of carriers and storing said most beneficial carrier, identified by its carrier number, together with said document in said personal computer; and

(f) printing out said document including printing said recipient address thereon and printing information identifying at least said most beneficial carrier.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein step (f) comprises printing out said information on said document as a mark on said document.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein step (f) comprises printing out information on said document identifying a cost center, to be charged a fee for shipping said document, at which said personal computer is located.

22. A method as claimed in claim 19 comprising the additional steps of:

providing a postage meter machine having a transport path by which said document is transported to said postage meter machine;

detecting said document, as a detected document, in said transport path;

scanning said information on said detected document in said transport path;

using said information scanned from said detected document, identifying in said postage meter machine the most beneficial carrier for said detected piece of mail and identifying a fee for shipping said detected document using said most beneficial carrier;

conducting an accounting in said postage meter machine for charging said fee; and

franking said detected document in said postage meter machine including a printing a franking imprint on said detected document incorporating a printed representation of said fee.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the step of franking said detected document comprises printing information on said document identifying a cost center, at which said personal computer is located, to be charged said fee for shipping said detected document, and said method comprising the additional step of identifying said cost center at said postage meter machine from the scanning of said information on said detected document, and wherein the step of conducting an accounting comprises conducting a cost center-specific accounting in said postage meter machine and charging said fee to said cost center.

24. A method as claimed in claim 22 comprising the additional steps of:

providing communication means for bidirectional communication between said personal computer and said postage meter machine; and

executing an office computer communication routine in said postage meter machine between said postage meter machine and said personal computer via said communication means, including searching a memory in said personal computer, using said information on said detected document, for locating in said memory said document and interrogating said memory to identify said most beneficial carrier, and supplying said most beneficial carrier for said detected document from said personal computer to said postage meter machine via said communication means and automatically entering said most beneficial carrier into said postage meter machine.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24 wherein step (f) includes printing out said document with a date thereon and wherein the step of searching said memory of said personal computer comprises searching said memory of said personal computer for locating said document using said address of said recipient and the date of said document.

26. A method for data processing in a mail shipping system used by a plurality of independent cost centers for respectively shipping documents using a selected one of a plurality of carriers, said mail shipping system having a postage meter machine with a transport path leading thereto, comprising the steps of:

producing a document using a text production program at a personal computer, said personal computer being disposed remote from said postage meter machine;

printing out said document from said personal computer with an address field containing at least one identifier identifying a carrier and a cost center to be charged a fee for shipping said document;

causing said document to enter into said transport path of said postage meter machine and detecting a presence of said document in said transport path;

upon detection of said document in said transport path, scanning said address field and automatically entering information corresponding to the most beneficial carrier and the cost center identified in said address field into said postage meter machine;

conducting an accounting in said postage meter machine by modifying an account, accessible by said postage meter machine, uniquely related to the cost center identified in said address field by an amount corresponding to said fee for shipping said document using said most beneficial carrier identified in said address field; and

producing a franking imprint after said accounting using a print format for the carrier identified in said address field and incorporating a printed representation of said fee.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional steps of:

calling one of a plurality of settings when no document is detected in said transport path, said one of said settings comprising old data; and

when the presence of said document is detected overwriting said old data with new data comprising the print format for the carrier and cost center identified by said scanning.

28. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein said mail shipping system includes a scanner for conducting said scanning of said address field, a chip card reader, each of which can communicate with said postage meter machine, and said method comprising the steps of executing a scanner communication routine, a chip card communication routine and a personal computer communication routine in said postage meter machine to determine which of said scanner, said chip card reader and said personal computer will interface with said postage meter machine.

29. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein the step of printing said address field and said mark using said personal computer comprises printing said address field and said mark on a label adhesively attachable to said document.

30. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein the step of printing said address field and said mark using said personal computer comprises printing said address field and said mark on a pre-printed letter envelope comprising said document.

31. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional step of:

in said accounting, debiting an account of said cost center, accessible by said postage meter machine, which produced said document by said fee.

32. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional step of checking data in said print format for said carrier and cost center identified in said address field with an encoded check sum when said setting data for said print format are called in said postage meter machine.

33. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein said mail shipping system is used with a data center remote from said mail shipping system, and said method comprising the additional steps of:

if sufficient data are not available in said postage meter machine for generating said print format for said carrier identified in said address field, forming a data request to said remote data center for data needed to complete generation of said print format;

establishing a communication between said postage meter machine and said remote data center and transmitting said data request from said postage meter machine to said remote data center; and

transmitting said data needed to complete said print format from said remote data center to said postage meter machine, and generating said print format using said data needed to complete said print format in said postage meter machine.

34. A method as claimed in claim 32 wherein said print format includes frame data and pixel data, and wherein the step of generating said print format using said data transmitted from said remote data center to complete said print format comprises modifying at least one of said frame data and said pixel data.

35. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional steps of:

respectively allocating a designated number to each of a plurality of available changes to said print format;

providing an input unit in communication with said postage meter machine by which a selected allocated number can be entered into said postage meter machine; and

upon entry of an allocated number through said input unit into said postage meter machine, making a change in said print format allocated to that number.

36. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein said postage meter machine includes a clock/date module which emits signals identifying a current time and date, and wherein said method includes the step of including said current time and date in said print format supplied by said clock/date module.

37. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional steps of:

respectively allocating a cliche number to each cost center;

respectively allocating a cost center number to each cost center;

providing an input unit in communication with said postage meter machine by which a cost center number can be entered into said postage meter machine; and

entering a cost center number into said postage meter machine via said input unit and automatically, in said postage meter machine, entering the cliche number associated with the entered cost center number.

38. A method as claimed in claim 37 wherein each cost center has a name associated therewith, and said method comprising the additional step of allowing, via said input unit, for modification of a name of a cost center allocated to a cost center number.

39. A method as claimed in claim 37 wherein each of said carriers has a name associated therewith, and said method comprising the additional steps of:

providing an input unit in communication with said postage meter machine; and

allowing for modification of a name of a carrier via said input unit.

40. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional steps of:

allocating carrier identification numbers respectively to said carriers;

non-volatilely storing each carrier identification number in said postage meter machine;

providing an input unit in communication with said postage meter machine via which a selected carrier identification number can be entered;

entering a selected carrier identification number via said input unit into said postage meter machine and thereby causing, in said postage meter machine, selection of the print format associated with the carrier corresponding to the entered carrier identification number; and

allowing for modification of said carrier identification number and the carrier-specific print format corresponding to the carrier to which said carrier identification number is respectively allocated.

41. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional steps of:

respectively allocating a cost center number to each cost center;

providing an input unit in communication with said postage meter machine via which a selected cost center number can be entered into said postage meter machine; and

upon entry of a cost center number into said postage meter machine via said input unit, displaying at said postage meter machine all shipping costs respectively associated with each carrier used by said cost center.

42. A method as claimed in claim 41 comprising the additional step of:

allowing for display of all shipping fees for all cost centers, with each shipping cost displayed matched to a cost center number for the cost center which incurred the shipping fee.

43. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional steps of:

respectively allocating a cost center number to each cost center;

providing an input unit in communication with said postage meter machine via which a selected cost center number can be entered into said postage meter machine; and

upon entry of a cost center number into said postage meter machine via said input unit, displaying at said postage meter machine a number of shipped documents respectively shipped by each carrier used by said cost center.

44. A method as claimed in claim 43 comprising the additional step of displaying all numbers of shipped documents by all of said cost centers, with each number of shipped documents matched to a cost center number for the cost center which produced the shipped documents.

45. A method as claimed in claim 26 comprising the additional steps of:

storing a matrix in said postage meter machine identifying, for each cost center, a running total of the shipping fees incurred by the cost center for each carrier, and a running total of a number of documents shipped by the cost center using each carrier.

46. A method as claimed in claim 45 comprising the additional steps of:

printing out said matrix after said accounting for each cost center; and

after printing out said matrix, resetting each of the running total of the shipping costs and the running total of the number of shipped documents, for the cost center which the accounting was conducted, to zero.

47. A method as claimed in claim 46 further comprising periodically conducting an accounting for a cost center and printing out said matrix.

48. A method as claimed in claim 46 comprising conducting an accounting for a cost center and printing said matrix at a freely selectable time.

49. A method as claimed in claim 46 comprising the additional steps of:

for each cost center, storing any financial reloading data; and

printing out said financial reloading data for a cost center together with the matrix for that cost center.

50. A method as claimed in claim 46 wherein each cost center has a personal computer and a connected computer printer associated therewith, and comprising the additional step of producing, at the personal computer for a cost center, a request for a printout of said matrix for the cost center associated with the personal computer, and wherein the step of printing out said matrix comprises printing out said matrix at the computer printer associated with the personal computer which produced said request.

51. A method as claimed in claim 46 wherein the step of printing out said matrix comprises printing out said matrix at a printhead of said postage meter machine.

52. A shipping system including printing means wherein said shipping system is used with a data center remote from said shipping system, and said shipping system further comprising:

means for, if data for a new shipping carrier are not available for generating a franking imprint for the new carrier, forming a data request to said remote data center for data needed to complete generation of said franking imprint for the new carrier;

means for establishing a communication between said shipping system and said remote data center and for transmitting said data request from said shipping system to said remote data center; and

means in said shipping system for receiving said data needed to complete said franking imprint for the new carrier from said remote data center and for suppling said data needed to complete said franking imprint for the new carrier to said printing means.

53. A method for franking a document comprising the steps of:

providing a security module in a personal computer;

storing a credit amount available for franking in said security module;

creating a document in a document producing program in said personal computer;

calling a first input mask in said personal computer;

entering and storing in said personal computer an address of a recipient of said document and a data of said document using said first input mask;

calling a second input mask in said personal computer including a group of carriers available for shipping said document;

executing a routine in said personal computer for identifying a most beneficial carrier among said group of carriers and storing said most beneficial carrier, allocated to said document, in said personal computer;

calculating in said personal computer a fee for shipping said document using said most beneficial carrier;

debiting said credit amount in said security module by an amount equal to said fee;

providing a printer in communication with said personal computer; and

printing out said document at said printer including printing said recipient address thereon and printing a franking imprint on said document at said printer incorporating a representation of said fee.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a method for data processing in a mail-shipping system with a postage meter machine as well as to an arrangement for implementing the method.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In modern offices, producing documents such as letters ensues at the personal computer. The printed documents are manually placed in envelopes or are automatically stuffed in envelopes in a mail station with an envelope-stuffing system. Such mail stations also have postage meter machines available for use.

For systems which process a high volume of mail, the use of computer support is known to assist in franking the mail.

One of the improvements still needed for postage meter machines is to provide in creating flexibility with respect to the debiting vis-a-vis different carriers. Given the elimination of the governmental mail monopoly for sending letters in many countries, an increase in mail delivery by regional, national or international private carriers can be expected. It is known only for package shipping systems to prepare accounting statements for various carriers. This, however, does not involve an automatic postage calculation and acknowledgment with a franking imprint. A mail processing system is needed which allows for an economic service to be selected from different fee schedule structures of various carriers with the goal of a substantially automatic processing of the letter.

The problem of assuring the current nature of the carrier-related data must be solved if such a mail processing system is to be achieved. As is known, the automatic calculation of postage value can ensue on the basis of a stored postage fee table in a postage meter machine dependent on the weight of each letter among a series of letters that, before being placed in respective envelopes, are each produced with a text processing system on a personal computer in the office. The weight is measured by a postage scale which generates an electronic weight signal that is supplied to a connected postage meter machine. The postage meter machine is equipped with a control unit, memory means, input means, a modem or other data reception means, input/output control means, display means and a printer. A pre-paid credit balance value is stored non-volatilely in the memory means. After subtraction of the calculated postage value from the aforementioned credit balance value, a stationary printhead prints the franking imprint given simultaneous conveying of the letter. A printing width of approximately 1" is thereby achieved. So-called PC frankers are also known wherein the credit balance memories are implemented in specifically protected, additional hardware of the PC, with the franking imprint being carried out by a connected office printer. For assuring the accounting security, the franking imprint contains cryptographically encoded characters.

The postage fee tables are updated from time to time. Generally, the fees for specific carrier services are thereby raised, however, fundamentally new structures of the fees can also be defined. This applies to national postal services as well as to private carriers.

As long as franking systems are provided only for accounting with one carrier (previously, the national postal service), the invalidity of the old postage fee tables and the necessity of reloading a new table were sufficiently simple and infrequent so that they could be overseen by the meter manufacturer and user. A remote data center can then initiate the communication of a current table (as disclosed in German OS 28 03 982). When, however, the franking system is set up for accounting via-a-vis various carriers, a specific solution must be created so that the postage fee table that is valid for the selected carrier is always available.

In the simplest case, this could be accomplished by, after selection of the carrier, setting up a long-distance telephone connection to a remote data center that is operated by the manufacturer of the franking system or by the respective carrier, with the current postage fee table being transmitted into the franking system and stored therein. If a postage fee table of this carrier was already stored, an inquiry can be limited to whether a new one has become valid in the interim. A disadvantage of this system is comprised therein that costs that can reach the order of magnitude of the postage fees under certain circumstances are incurred for setting up the telephone connection.

An improved method requires this connection setup to be implemented only at certain times, for example the first time the franking system is turned on for the day, as disclosed in German OS 42 13 278. If, however, the franking system is not turned off on a daily basis and is instead operated in standby mode when franking is not being carried out, the connection setup for updating cannot be implemented.

Another solution is to have the respective carrier define the provisional validity duration of its postage fee table in advance, and this information is transmitted into the postage meter machine together with the table itself. The expiration date set by the respective carrier is then stored therein for that carrier, and a connection for transferring a new postage fee table is automatically initiated when this date arrives, as was disclosed in German application P 195 49 305.2-53, corresponding to co-pending U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,813. Given unscheduled, short-term changes in the fees, however, a readjustment of every machine in use would then have to be carried out by a service technician.

European Application 493 948 discloses a coupling to a personal computer in order to use this as an input means. The postage fees are stored in various registers that are allocated to various authorities, however, this publication does not describe whether and how these authorities are selected by the customer or how an allocation ensues. This specific solution for a postage meter machine stores the debiting data for various services. A disadvantage of this known system is the outlay arising due to the need for a separate interface between the postage meter machine and a work station used as the input means. A separate printer is connected to the separate interface in order to print out debiting (accounting) reports.

German OS 39 03 718 also discloses a coupling to a personal computer in order to print out department-related accounting data via a separate printer. A disadvantage is that a control unit must be connected as a separate device between the individual devices such as the scale, the postage meter machine and the personal computer. The employment of manually plugged chip cards in order to enter accounting reports into the personal computer, moreover, represents an impediment for automation of the production of accounting reports.

European Application 600 749 discloses a mail processing machine with a bar code user interface. Commands for controlling the mail processing machine are entered via a bar code reader pen (wand). This, however, requires a catalog having a list of bar code commands, and manual sampling thereof. A manual positioning of a reader pen and sampling for entering commands reduces the input dependability as well as an assumption of responsibility on the part of the user, i.e., one must assume that the user would not undertake any manipulation with fraudulent intent. As a guard against misuse, no commands that could be misused with fraudulent intent can be found in the list. An entry of unlisted commands effecting a falsification, i.e., a correspondingly generated bar code, however, cannot be prevented. Most steps have been taken to insure that the sequence of the bar code inputs can only ensue according to the sequence of pieces of mail supplied.

European Patent 498 955 discloses a method and an arrangement for sending electronically stored letter contents, whereby the scale can be eliminated because the postal matter contains only one insert that always has the same weight. The pieces of mail contain chip cards that are placed in addressed envelopes. A franking tape is printed in the postage meter machine or the addressed envelope is franked before the envelope stuffing. This known arrangement, however, does not afford the possibility of supplying the mailings to the postage mater machine unordered with several, or different, inserts without again having to utilize a scale for determining the weight. A personal computer serves as an input means for entering the shipping data into the postage meter machine, which undertakes the accounting.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,506 discloses a mail processing system with a number of devices that operate in a PC-supported manner and already have connected postage meter machines available. The individual devices carry out functions for recompilation of the letters, namely in the sequence of the postal area codes of their addresses. The aforementioned functions includes opening letters, sensing specific locations, possibly reprinting the letter or comments, folding, envelope-stuffing, postage calculation and sorted deposit or, bundling. Some public mail carriers offer discounts for postal matter pre-sorted in this way. This method is complicated insofar as it may require another printout of the letter. Installation of a high-performance computer is required in the mail station, which must be operated by appropriately trained personnel.

German OS 38 08 178 discloses a mail processing system with a first computer that produces the documents on fan-fold paper and that is in communication with a second computer that controls devices in the mail station. The communication is achieved by markings printed on the document and, by a communication element. The envelope stuffing, addressing and franking of the mail can be indirectly controlled by a printed coding identifying the respective piece of mail. Parameter values that are employed for controlling the envelope stuffing, addressing and franking of the mail are allocated to these identification codings in a data bank. The data bank is connected to the second computer to which the respective identification coding of the piece of mail is communicated via a connected sensor means. The address printing in the mail station is emphasized in this document as an advantage in view of the easy, subsequent modification of, among other things, the addressing of stuffed envelopes, and thus avoiding a bill-like appearance of the envelopes that is associated with window envelopes.

Such window envelopes are allegedly not opened by some recipients because they may contain bills. Apart from the fact that it would be senseless not to open window envelopes because they may contain bills, since cost-increasing reminders would be delivered anyway to such companies or persons, window envelopes nonetheless are not favored by many mailers. This disfavor against printing an address when preparing the letter at a location which will be visible through an envelope window, and against employing window envelops per se, leads to the aforementioned equipping of the mail station with complicated technology. When settings must be undertaken in the mail station in order to utilize beneficial services of a different private carrier, however, even the aforementioned equipping of the mail station with complicated technology still proves inadequate because correspondingly more highly qualified employees are then required. The weight and the postage amount are identified before resending postal matter. In conjunction with the increasing proliferation of private carriers competing with one another, beneficial special fee schedules for transport services and service performances related thereto are also being increasingly offered. A reduction of the weight by reducing the number of inserts for the envelope often suffices for meeting the prerequisites for making use of such special fee schedules. A great deal of redundancy and design latitude in the informational offering exists in direct marketing. For example, the format, the number of lines, letter height, etc., could be optimized for cost reasons. The number of pages could also be reduced when preparing the letter. The employees in the mail station, however, are not in a position to undertake such entries or modifications in the data bank. The employees of the mail station would then have to instruct the other employees whose produce the letter contents, or these mail station employees would have to make such changes themselves. Such a procedure, however, would only lead to unnecessary delays in the mail processing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a mail processing method and arrangement which eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide such a method mail processing system with the capability of determining the most beneficial carrier for a given piece of mail. A further object is to provide a more flexible mail shipping system that can be expanded to future services of various private mail carriers and that calculates the postage value according to currently valid fee schedules.

The occurrence of manual errors given input of data determining the postage into the franking system should also be reduced.

An automatic unit for setting the most beneficial carrier and other critical data and for the accounting of postage fees should be created for data processing in the franking system.

Despite a multitude of mail carriers, an easily surveyable and duplicatable accounting should be made available the customer. An additional object is to in enable the presentation of accounting statements according to cost centers according to public and private mail carriers on the basis of displays and printouts.

With the increasing liberalization of mail delivery, there is customer interest in having a mail processing system with which it is possible to select the optimum carrier for a given piece of mail from the offerings of various competing carriers. This presumes that such a mail processing system makes information for this selection available to the customer and also handles the calculation of the fees for the desired shipping service. For accounting, the franking system must be equipped with the postage fee schedules of the respective carriers.

In accordance with the inventive method and arrangement, a pre-selection of a group of carriers from which the desired carrier can be subsequently selected ensues in the initialization of the postage meter machine in the mail processing system. An inventive routine in the personal computer automatically insures coincidence with current carrier-related data stored in the postage module.

An automatic carrier selection according to the customer's criteria set for shipping a particular item inventively ensues in a personal computer of the customer remote from the mail system where the postage meter machine is located.

This ensues with the steps of processing inputs with respect to service requirements imposed by the customer with regard to the carrier, and automatic selection of those carriers from a group of carriers that meet the service demands that have been made, calculating the postage fee on the basis of the weight of the piece of mail, letter or other item and on the basis of current fee schedules for selected services, and implementation of comparisons of the postage fee for cost optimization in the more specific, automatic selection of the most beneficial carrier.

An optimization program inventively is executed on the personal computer that suggests proposals for low letter carrier costs. This has the advantage that changes in the letter content, in the number of pages or in the addressing can be undertaken and are monitored directly by the editor of the document.

The automatic carrier selection corresponding to the criteria set for shipping has the advantage, compared to a manual selection, that the most beneficial carrier is also selected mistake-free based on objective criteria. Manual selection of the most beneficial carrier for the shipping of an item would, under certain circumstances, require a time-consuming comparison of the transport and fee schedule conditions of the carriers applicable to the user of the franking system. Since the system relieves the customer of this manual comparison, significant time and cost advantages are obtained by each customer.

Using a personal computer for this purpose affords comfortable dat input and simulation capability by displaying a number of parameters on the screen for mailings that are yet to be produced, which can be advantageously utilized in the entry of further shipping data.

A mail carrier selected with the keyboard/display unit (user interface) of the personal computer or automatically, the postage value of the letter produced and further shipping information such as the shipping class, as well as the cost center are, at least, displayed and stored. For storing, datafiles respectively allocated to every piece of mail or letter are created in the personal computer.

In a first embodiment of the invention, shipping and/or cost center data are printed alphanumerically in the address field or are printed in addition to the letter content.

The invention can also avoid limitations in the implementation of the mail processing. Window envelopes, standard envelopes as well as other envelope shapes as are preferred by some private carriers can be employed, whereby envelope stuffing can be implemented in the office in which the letter is produced. Moreover, addressing of the mailings is already implemented in the office.

The franking ensues as is standard in the mail station with a postage meter machine, but the possibility has now been created of undertaking automatic inputs on the basis of scanning the mark or address and to generate arbitrary imprints in the franking in the desired way as is required by some private carriers.

This embodiment proceeds on the basis of the standard, spatial separation of the mail station from the remainder of a modern office, in which the letter contents and mailing information are produced in the office and the fee for shipping the item is changed to the specific department or office (cost center) which produced it. This is particularly advantageous when a number of small companies work in one office, sharing one mail station but having to be debited separately according to services of the carriers and independently of the other small companies. A separate cost center number is then allocated to each small company (or department of one company). A debiting related to the cost center or a department-related debiting, ensues in the postage meter machine in the mail station. The inventive method and arrangement allow the production of correspondingly separate accounting reports for the small companies or departments, and for the public or private mail carriers.

Additional, specific hardware, known as a security module, is required in order also to achieve a reliable accounting of the monetary imprint with a personal computer. Proceeding on the basis of the idea of combining the advantages of both a postage meter machine and a personal computer, the letter weight can also be determined in the personal computer, which should assumes sub-functions in order to replace the scale function. To that end, an average page weight is stored, referred to the respective cost center and the number of pages supplied from the personal computer at that cost center are multiplied by this average weight in order to determine the weight of the letter. The postage value is then subsequently calculated (adding the container weight (envelope weight) which is constant).

The operations implemented in the personal computer in the office further include the text production and processing, entry of the address and allocation of a cost center number for a debiting related to the cost center, as well as menu-guided entry of other shipping information for selection of the most beneficial carriers.

A mail carrier is selected and at least the selected carrier is using the display unit and keyboard of the personal computer. The selected mail carrier information is stored in a specific sub-area of the letter datafile, and is not to be printed out with the letter content.

A letter produced at a personal computer has a specific format with an area for a specific, imprinted address. The aforementioned shipping data are referred (allocated) to the respective recipient address, so that this data can be retrieved by conducting a search based on the recipient address.

Versions of the first embodiment of the invention proceed from the capability of modern office printers of printing a letter recipient address as well as at least the postage value, the cost center and/or carrier information on an envelope. The printing can also advantageously ensue as a machine-readable mark, for example in the form of a bar code.

This embodiment of the invention is also based on the scanning this data from the letter or envelope in the remote mail station with a commercially obtainable scanner and automatically entering the scanned data into the postage meter machine. At least one scanner is arranged in the mail delivery stream so that different formats can also be scanned.

The operations implemented in the mail station include at least the scanning of the address field or of a mark with the cost center and/or carrier information. After scanning the aforementioned information from the letter or from the envelope, further processing of this information ensues fully automatically in the postage meter machine up to the franking of the mailing.

A postage meter machine with automatic data processing according to a second embodiment of the invention scans only the address and then establishes communication for the allocated datafile in the personal computers. The datafiles are referred to below as letter files. These letter files with the stored letter contents, addresses and shipping data are stored ordered according to the current production data. The memory means, for example hard disks, of all personal computers connected to the postage meter machine via a communication means thus form a component of a distributed data bank. The advantage of this embodiment that no separate (dedicated) data bank is required from which data must be communicated to the postage meter machine.

In a third embodiment of the invention the letter-producing personal computer is also used for determining the most beneficial carrier, for making the postage calculation, as well as for driving an office printer for producing a carrier-specific franking imprint. In a version of this third embodiment, the letters are produced on different personal computers, of which, however, only a sub-set are programmed and are provided with the necessary security measures to function as a franking system. In this case, the personal computers are networked with one another in order to exchange relevant data for this purpose.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a is a block circuit diagram of a mail processing system with a postage meter machine, according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1b is a block circuit diagram of a mail processing system with a postage meter machine, according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1c illustrates a table of comparable carrier services for use in the inventive method and apparatus.

FIG. 1d illustrates method steps for determining the most beneficial carrier in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2a is a block circuit diagram of a postage meter machine with automatic data input, according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2b is a block circuit diagram of a postage meter machine with automatic data input, according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3a is an overall flowchart of a postage meter machine with integrated postage calculation and with automatic data processing according to the first postage meter machine embodiment.

FIG. 3b is an overall flowchart of a postage meter machine with integrated postage calculation and with automatic data processing according to the second postage meter machine embodiment

FIG. 4 is a computer routine for determining the most beneficial carrier in the inventive method and postage meter machine.

FIGS. 5a-5c together for a flowchart of evaluation of a data entry for the postage meter machine constructed and operating in accordance with the principles of the present invention in the framework of an input/display routine according to the first embodiment.

FIGS. 6a and 6b together from a flowchart for an automatic data entry in accordance with the invention on the basis of the scanned letter recipient address.

FIG. 7a is a flowchart for the franking mode with a carrier and cost center-related processing of accounting data in a postage meter machine constructed and operating in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 7b is a flowchart for the accounting and printing routine in franking mode with carrier and cost center-related accounting in a postage meter machine constructed and operating in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 7c illustrates a format for carrier-related accounting data in the postal registers in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 7d illustrates a format for a two-dimensional cost center/carrier matrix in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for forming request data for a data transmission from a data center in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for the communication mode for a postage meter machine constructed and operating in accordance with the principles of the present invention in order to implement a data transmission.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for a routine for receiving and handling communicated service performance data in a postage meter machine constructed and operating in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for a method for operating a mail processing system employing the first embodiment of the inventive postage meter machine, with scanning of the mark or recipient address.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for a method for operating a mail processing system employing the second embodiment of the inventive postage meter machine, with scanning of the mark or recipient address .

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for a method for operating a mail processing system employing a third embodiment of the inventive postage meter machine, with scanning of the return address and the recipient address.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The block circuit diagram shown in FIG. 1a for a mail processing system with a postage meter machine shows the transport flow of mail from a modern office 21 to a mail center. In at least one such office 21, letters or inserts are produced on a number of personal computers PC.sub.a, PC.sub.b, PC.sub.c, . . . , with associated printers D.sub.a, D.sub.b, D.sub.c, . . . , and possibly other connected periphery devices. An envelope 30 (which can be a printed or otherwise differently identified) or a pre-printed envelope can be employed for stuffing which takes place at respective automated or manual stuffing locations K.sub.a, K.sub.b, K.sub.c . . . .

In the mail station, at least one of the scanners scans the information with respect to page count and carrier or cost center that is printed on in the address field, or that can be scanned through a window of a window envelope, or is applied to the envelope on a self-adhesive label. At least one letter sensor 16 and a scanner 26 are electrically connected to the postage meter machine via a register unit 19 and a data line 18, as shown in FIG. 2a, and are preferably arranged in a scanning and delivery station AZ preceding the postage meter machine FM. A line 17 provides a communication connection as needed with a remote data central DZ.

The mail processing system is composed of a personal computer that is equipped with routines for pre-handling, printing out a document together with address field and mark, a printer and a postage meter machine that is equipped with routines for scanning the address field or mark in a mail station and for processing the data. The personal computer executes routines pre-handling including a routine for processing mailings and producing a document thereabout or for producing a letter, as well as a routine for determining the most beneficial carrier. The postage meter machine is equipped with a programmable processor system that is programmed for detecting a piece of mail in the transport path to the postage meter machine, and scanning a mark or the recipient address in the address field of supplied pieces of mail. As a result, information with respect to postage value as well as carrier and/or cost center information is automatically entered into the postage meter machine, and at least one call (retrieval) of non-volatilely stored setting data ensues for an automatic print data input into the postage meter machine. The postage meter machine also executes a routine for automatic modification of the non-volatilely stored setting data, for automatic print data input and checking, as well as for display in the aforementioned automatic input. Lastly, the postage meter machine processes the data in a franking mode with an accounting related to the carrier and/or cost center, before the franking.

The programmable processor system in the postage meter machine is programmed: to call further non-volatilely stored setting data in a sub-step 2040 of the first step 201 for an automatic print data entry into the postage meter machine and automatic entry of shipping information in the first step 201, which includes a mail carrier number (CIN) for the selected carrier, as well as for calling a routine for generating carrier-specific print formats given selection of a predetermined mail carrier number (CIN) and for the automatic print data input in the second step 209.

The routine for the automatic modification of non-volatile stored setting data includes a formation of request data for the reloading of current carrier data and/or carrier fee schedules. After the communication of the cost center and/or carrier information from the personal computer to the postage meter machine, the latter automatically checks whether the selected carrier is available in its memories, or whether the fee schedule table data of the selected carrier are current. If not, a communication to the remote data central is undertaken. Specific request data are thereby sent and the required data are received from the data central; this data then is loaded into the memories of the postage meter machine. Before processing the data in the franking mode, a communication with the remote data central ensues whereby, on the basis of the communicated, aforementioned request data, carrier-specific datafiles containing at least carrier-identifying image and current fee schedule datafiles are transmitted from the data central to the postage meter machine.

The postage meter machine thus automatically checks whether the selected services are current and available and otherwise enters into communication with a remote data central, whereby specific request data are sent and the required data are received from the data center, and loads the required data into its memories.

Subsequently, other personal computers can also be supplied with the updating data when a corresponding, suitable communication connection 47 is made from the data center DC to the personal computers PC.sub.a. At least one of the personal computer PCa, PC.sub.b, and PC.sub.c, for example the personal computer PC.sub.a, is equipped with a communication unit 40 or is connected to such a communication unit via a data line 41. The personal computers PC.sub.a, PC.sub.b and PC.sub.c are networked with one another on the basis of a local network (LAN) 34 and are equipped with an updating routine that automatically insures a coincidence with current, carrier-related data that are stored in the postage meter machine. When the request for updating is communicated to the data center DC from a postage meter machine FM, the data center DC first sends updating data sets to the postage meter machine FM and then to the aforementioned communication unit 40. For example, a different telephone connection with its own telephone number is provided for the communication unit 40. The updating routine in the personal computer PC.sub.a monitors the communication unit 40 with respect to calls on the part of the data center DC.

Inventively, a check routine assures that the postage values are calculated according to the current fee schedules. These current fee schedules are offered in nonvolatile memories of the franking system for all carriers of the group. The PC of the franking system can call the aforementioned fee schedules via communication means in order to carry out corresponding calculations for determining the most beneficial carrier.

The postage fee tables non-volatilely stored in the franking system are updated when a connection setup to a data center DC ensues after the expiration of certain deadlines. A typical time span for the validity of a postage fee table is one year. The typical validity durations of the postage fee tables of the individual carriers are stored in non-volatile memories of the franking system, as is the date of the most recent fee change. The probable point in time for the expiration of a postage fee table of a specific carrier can then be determined therefrom. This point in time is monitored for each of the carriers pre-selected after the first day of a month, being monitored with the assistance of the internal clock of the franking system. When the point in time arrives, a connection is set up to the corresponding data center DC and the new postage fee table is loaded.

In another version, at every reloading of the franking system with a credit balance for the set carrier, the validity of his carrier-specific data--including the postage fee table--is checked in order to undertake the updating of the carrier-specific data as needed.

Some carriers have only one carrier-specific print image but do not communicate a credit balance pre-paid by the user into the franking system. In order to assure the current nature of such data, including the carrier-specific logo, the validity of the carrier-specific data in another version is checked dependent on the piece count of processed mailings.

The combination of the aforementioned versions yields a time-oriented, count-based and event-oriented monitoring of the current nature of the carrier-specific data for the correspondingly selected carrier from a group that was pre-selected from a number of public and private carriers.

Alternatively, the communication unit 40 of the personal computer PC.sub.a can communicate with a communication unit 23 of the postage meter machine in the two embodiments. The postage meter machine then preferably sets up communication to the personal computer PC.sub.a in order to communicate sets of updating data. The communication unit 23 can be a modem, other communication means, for example a chip card write/read unit or a mobile radio telephone receiver/transmitter unit.

Advantageously, a solution is created in order to be able to load at least the fee schedule tables of the respective carrier which is valid for the location of the system as needed, and to call them for a mail carrier. (USPS, UPS, DEUTSCHE POST AG or others).

The printer, in particular, can be a commercially available printer equipped for printing envelopes that is connected to the personal computer. Further, address printing can ensue onto self-adhesive labels that are stuck onto the envelope.

A window envelope or a pre-addressed envelope is employed for stuffing. Given the employment of window envelopes, the mail can also be possibly placed into envelopes in the mail station when the required information can be taken from the window field by scanning.

The block circuit diagram for a mail-processing system with a postage meter machine shown in FIG. 1b in a second embodiment additionally has a communication connection 24 between the postage meter machine FM and at least one personal computer in the office 21.

In the mail station, at least one of the scanners scans the letter recipient address that is printed on in the address field, or that can be scanned through a window of a window envelope or is applied to the envelope as a self-adhesive label. The scanner is electrically connected to the postage meter machine FM via a data line 18. The printed-on information may include the page count, that is communicated to the postage meter machine FM in order to at least determine the weight data of the letter in the postage meter machine FM. The postage meter machine FM can engage in communication as needed with a data center DC via a suitable communication link 17.

The postage meter machine can form request data from the address data of the letter recipient scanned with scanners in the mail center in order to request additional data in the office 21 that are communicated directly to the postage meter machine from the respective personal computer PC.sub.a, PC.sub.b, PC.sub.c, via the data line 24. The scanner 26 (and other scanners) can be components of an automatic scanning and delivery station arranged in the mail station at the mail station at the start of the transport path to the postage meter machine FM.

The scanner 26 (and other scanners, if present) is positioned at a suitable location in the mail path preceding the postage meter machine. This position is derived as a result of uniform mail regulations for the position of the address. Corresponding programs for the position of the addresses exist in memories of the respective personal computers PC.sub.a, PC.sub.b or PC.sub.c in the office 21 that drive a printer in common or use separate printers according to the aforementioned areas to be printed. A bar code can additionally be printed on the envelope, i.e., in the address field of the envelope. A differently positioned further scanner 26.1 can be provided for a different format of the envelope. The scanners 26 and 26.1 are connected, together with a first mail sensor 16, to with a register unit 19 that intermediately stores data and implements a parallelto-serial conversion. For serial data transmission, the register unit 19 is electronically connected via the data line 18 to an input/output control unit 4 of the postage meter machine, as shown in FIG. 2b.

The inventive method and apparatus are based on an intentionally produced relationship between the address of the letter printed out and allocated information in the letter files in one of a number of personal computers, whereby, after scanning the address, formation and communication of search request data and a search in the memories of the personal computer, additional information for the aforementioned address required for the automatic data entry is electronically transmitted to the postage meter machine via a data line. The allocation of the information to the address is fetchably stored in the personal computer, for example ordered according to time data, in order to enable access to the most current datafile with the same address as the scanned address. The allocation of the information ensues in the personal computer upon the storage of the addresses that are printed out with the letter contents. After a first preparatory step for creating a letter file within the framework of a letter production program, further preparatory steps are executed, and an allocation of the printed-out letter to the aforementioned address and the allocation of aforementioned, transmittable, additional information to the address is fetchably stored in the personal computer according to time data. This additional information inventively includes the page count of the produced letter.

Upon a scanning of the return address, the corresponding cost center or department can be identified in a manner analogous to that for the carrier information. The personal computers in the office are searched by the postage meter machine in the mail station for a cost center number that is allocated to the return address. Such a method for data processing in a mail shipping system includes known steps for printing out a document together with an address field and mark, scanning the mark in a mail center, and processing the data as well as franking with a postage meter machine. As a result of the scanning of the return address and/or of the mark for the return address and searching of the personal computer for a stored allocation to the aforementioned return address, the cost center number is inventively automatically entered into the postage meter machine, with an automatic entry of the imprint number on the basis of the entered cost center number, for automatic print data input and for cost center-related accounting before the franking.

In a version of this embodiment, scanning of the return address as well as of the letter recipient address and/or of the corresponding mark on the piece of mail takes place in the transport path to the printhead of the postage meter machine FM. Subsequently, the postage meter machine FM searches a personal computer for allocated, stored information. The determination of the personal computer responsible for the storage of the letter file on the basis of the return address is advantageous in this version. The search process for the relevant letter file is thereby shortened significantly in the case of a large number of personal computers in the office 21.

If the addresses are scanned through a window envelope with the scanner 26, the allocated information with respect to the cost center and the number of pages as well as further shipping data, including the carrier identification number (CIN), that are stored in the personal computer in the office 21 can electronically called by the postage meter machine FM in the mail station via the data line 24. The aforementioned, allocated information stored in the office 21 serve for the automatic setting of the postage meter machine FM, which makes a manual operation virtually superfluous.

Of course, such a pre-set carrier can nonetheless be manually changed in the mail station when, for example, the input was not actuated in the office 21 or when some other carrier is more favorable. When shipping a number of letters produced on the same day to the same postal zip code, it is generally assumed that it is more economic not to use a number of different private carriers, but instead to ship all such letters using the same carrier. A complete automation can be achieved when the best carrier is determined in the office 21, as explained below with reference to FIGS. 1c and 1d.

A postage meter machine with automatic data processing according to the second embodiment of the invention scans only the address and then searches for the allocated datafiles in the personal computers. The datafiles with the stored letter contents, addresses and shipping data are stored ordered according to the current production data. The memory means, for example hard disks, of all personal computers connected to the postage meter machine via a communication means are a component part of a distributed data bank.

Inventively, at least the recipient address that is printed out together with the letter content and that is visible in the window of a window envelope is scanned in the mail station. The clear text recognition, such as using an optical character reader (OCR), ensues in the scanner itself or in the postage meter machine FM, which then electronically communicates the recipient address thus converted into electronic data to a personal computer via a communication means as search request data. The personal computer searches all datafiles (letter files) to which a letter content is allocated according to recipient address, and electronically communicates the allocated cost center and shipping information to the postage meter machine FM via the communication means.

A mail carrier selected with the user interface of the personal computer is stored as mail carrier information allocated to the letter recipient address in the letter file every time a letter is produced, but is not printed out together with a contents of the letter. For a subsequent franking, the allocated carrier information can thus be determined again later via the recipient address as a search request. According to the second embodiment, this information is electronically transmitted from the personal computer to the postage meter machine FM via the communication means. In the third embodiment of the invention, this information is transmitted to the corresponding security module. This implements the postage calculation and generates the print format pertaining to the selected carrier and the selected carrier service and sends this to the connected printer.

A further version of the second embodiment of the invention proceeds from the capability of modern office printers of printing a letter recipient address as well as a return address on an envelope. A letter produced at the personal computer has a format with respective areas for a specific, imprinted return address and recipient address when, alternatively, a window envelope is employed. The appertaining data for an automatic data input into the postage meter machine FM can then be derived from the return address and from the recipient address in this version.

Some mail carriers require that a bar code be printed in addition to the clear text address in order to achieve a machine-readability of the addresses in a simpler way. With the invention, there is then a possibility of franking such envelopes. This requires scanning the addresses from the letter or envelope in the remote mail station with a commercially obtainable scanner and automatically entering them into the postage meter machine FM. At least one scanner is arranged in the mail delivery stream so that different formats can also be scanned. After the clear text recognition (OCR) or bar code recognition, a formation of search request data ensues in the postage meter machine, the search request being electronically communicated to the personal computer via a communication means. The allocated carrier information can thus be determined again later using the recipient address as a search request and can be electronically transmitted from the personal computer to the postage meter machine via the communication means.

Compared to the first embodiment, the second embodiment has the advantage that no additional information have to be printed in the address field of the letter. It is possible, however, to further shorten the search in the distributed data bank by printing a single auxiliary information identifier. This is especially advantageously utilized given a large number of personal computers in the offices 21 that all send mailings or letters to a postage meter machine FM.

The auxiliary information is preferably the date and time of day when the letter was stored. The required shipping information are stored according to data and time of day on a hard disk of that personal computer on which the letter text was written. Another auxiliary information identifier can be a code for the identification of the personal computer.

If the personal computers were individually interrogated for a letter file currently stored under the address, this could lead to confusion if different letters to the same addresses were produced at different personal computers on the same day. Such confusion is made less likely by incorporation of time data in addition to the date that is already printed on the letter. Confusion that could still occur if different letters to the same addressee are produced at the same personal computer on the same day can be precluded by an identification code in another version. Such an identification code contains at least one character, for example a letter, for the identification of the personal computer or text files with identical addressees. This code can be automatically produced by an expanded text program in the personal computer.

An advantage of the first and second embodiments, including the aforementioned versions, is that a mail-processing system is provided in which the sequence of the supplied letters in envelopes can be interchanged in the further processing between personal computer and postage meter machine. The chronologically and locally unordered deliveries of the letters that have been printed and placed in envelopes to this mail station do not allow a prescribed sequence in the processing of the letters. Insuring manipulation-proof functioning even when interchanging the sequence of the mailings is of decisive significance when letter texts are produced on a number of personal computers but are franked in only one mail station. In the third embodiment, the problem is avoided by initially implementing the franking with the PC franker immediately after the creation of the letter and a corresponding franking imprint ensues on the empty envelope. Only then is the letter placed in the envelope, this being generally manually done given a low mail volume.

A further advantage of the second embodiment is that the shipping class could be redefined between the time the letter text is produced and the franking thereof in the mail station. For example, an originally standard letter can be made into an express mailing or, given a registered letter, the return receipt subsequently can also be determined to be required. The postage meter machine reports the completion of the franking to the corresponding personal computer and initiates an "o.k." mark in the corresponding text file. The letter writer thus always has the possibility of checking at the personal computer to determine whether the in-house processing of his letter has already ensued.

The debited postage fee can also be transmitted from the postage meter machine to the appertaining personal computer and can be cumulatively stored in the personal computer. It is thus possible at any time to check how much postage was incurred by letter mail that was produced on this personal computer. This is meaningful especially when the personal computer represents a personal computer cost center, i.e. when exactly one cost center is allocated to each personal computer.

The invention also makes it possible to produce a correlation of the departmentrelated accounting in the personal computer to the department-related accounting of postage fees according to cost centers in the postage meter machine, with little outlay.

Another version is based o a number of personal computers in the office belonging to a common cost center and sending mail to the same postage meter machine. When non-volatilely stored setting data for entering the print data into the postage matter machine are called, then the same cost center number is called and, consequently, the same advertising slogan (cliche) is also printed out during franking. The letter recipient addresses and the letter files created at different points in time, however, are different. Selected, different carriers can then be allocated to these, stored as carrier identification number (CIN). The interrogation of the letter files by the postage meter machine on the basis of the sensed address enables the changes of a carrier selected for shipping the postal matter to be automatically taken into consideration. A variable, carrier-related logo can therefore be printed out during franking.

In another version the personal computers in the office do not belong to a common cost center, but always select the same carrier. When non-volatilely stored setting data for the input of the print data into the postage meter machine are called, then the same carrier number or CIN is called. The interrogation of the letter files created at different points in time by the postage meter machine on the basis of the scanned address enables the different cost centers to be automatically taken into account. The routine for automatic modification of non-volatilely stored setting data contains a sub-routine for allocating a cost center number to a slogan number for the automatic entry of the slogan number given input of the associated cost center number. It is thus possible that, via the slogan number allocated in this way, the variable, specific advertising slogan for each cost center (department or, respectively, small company) is automatically set and printed out during franking.

On the basis of the address scanned by the postage meter machine, the combination of the aforementioned versions enables the different cost center and carrier selection to be automatically taken into consideration in conjunction with the postage value communicated to the postage meter machine. Simultaneously with the carrier selection, the postage meter machine can also interrogates other selective print types (for example, air mail, return receipt, etc.) or other settings.

The communication of the required setting information to the remote postage meter machine is initiated via a data line on demand by the postage meter machine, whereupon the postage meter machine is supplied with data from the aforementioned personal computer.

The operations performed in the personal computer in the office 21 include the text production and processing, including a determination of the number of pages, entry of the address and allocation of a cost center number for a cost-center-related accounting, the menu-prompted selection of the shipping types, shipping forms, or determining further or other information about the most beneficial carrier, the formation of carrier information and the allocation of all information to the aforementioned address as well as storage of the allocation. As needed or periodically, accounting reports that are correlated with the cost-center-related accounting in the postage meter machine are printed out via an ordinary, connected printer, these being correlated with the cost-center-related accounting in the connected postage meter machine according to the first and second embodiments.

The inventive improvements of the franking system achieve a largely automatic processing of the letter while making use of different fee schedule structures of various carriers, while still allowing flexibility with respect to the debiting vis-a-vis different carriers. Given the elimination of the governmental mail monopoly for sending letters, an increase in mail delivery by regionally, nationally or internationally acting private carriers can be expected. It is in fact already known from package shipping systems to prepare accounting statements for various carriers. The accounting statements for various carriers given utilization of package shipping systems generally ensues with a debit note method. Such an accounting, however, does not make any automatic processing, postage calculation and security monitoring available to the customer as is prescribed, for example, by postal authorities for the letter processing, whereby a credit balance is administered in the franking system. A protected accounting vis-a-vis various private carriers is also established in a franking system for letter processing that is equipped with the inventive features.

If a carrier or service was newly selected and the postage table for the selected service or carrier is not available or does not belong to the permanently stored postage tables due to limited memory capacity, the franking system automatically dials a data central operated, for example, by the franking system manufacturer and the required updating data are loaded into the memories of the franking system. Each postage table can have a date allocated to it for when it takes effect and/or for the minimum validity duration. The franking system contains a real-time clock to whose date the minimum validity duration of the corresponding postage table is compared in order, if necessary to request a new table via the data center. A corresponding identifier can be printed in the franking field for identifying the postage table employed.

The postage calculating module of each personal computer requires the same stored postage table belonging to the carrier. The coincidence is produced with an updating routine in the personal computer. The specific postage is calculated on the basis of data that already exist, such as format, type of shipping, as well as on the basis of a page count and of the average page weight.

The charge to the user with the specific postage amount is debited on the postage account of the carrier that is likewise automatically set. This is possible both in a debit note method as well as in a pre-paid method. In the debit note method, a debit account is read, whereby the stored value is incremented by the postage value to be franked. In the pre-paid method, a pre-paid amount is maintained in the credit account of the postage meter machine as an electronic credit. Another accounting version is to undertake the accounting on a specific chip card (similar to a telephone card or value card) brought into contact with the franking system, that is edited by a number of carriers. As the result of the selection of the carrier that has already been undertaken, however, a universal carrier card can be employed instead of a value card, with a memory area for each carrier in which the accounting data are stored being reserved therein.

By using a modem, an electronic communication of accounting data to the remote data center can ensue at time intervals, the remote data center implementing the accounting with the carrier on commission from the customer. Alternatively, the data central, after an inquiry at the customer's bank directed to the solvency (credit check), can grant the customer a credit and communicate a credit balance. Information about the appertaining type of accounting and the respective logo that identifies the employment of a current carrier fee schedule are allocated to the selected carrier. The aforementioned information and the allocation are stored in the franking system for each selectable carrier. As needed, a document about the successful recrediting can be printed out with the printhead of the postage meter machine for each mail carrier respectively after a completed recrediting. For the first and second embodiments, this requires a switching of the postage meter machine to an internal printing mode. It is also provided that a listing regarding individual financial recrediting data within a time span and other register or service data are printed out as document by the printhead of the postage meter machine when this is desired.

FIG. 1c shows a table of comparable carrier services as an example of a possible embodiment of the stored data.

The user of the mail shipping system first determines what service requests are to be made of the carrier. To that end, the user enters the data about the delivery zone and the desired special services such as express delivery or return receipt with the keyboard of his personal computer. Given stacked post, the user likewise must entry the scope of individual mailings the stack will comprise. In a first selection step, a determination is made with the assistance of a mask as to what carriers offer the requested service profile at all. When, for example, a shipping into the delivery zone B ensues and when a return receipt is requested, only carriers 3 and 5 according to the above table in FIG. 1c proceed into the further selection. In a second selection step, a cost optimization is implemented taking the basic fee schedules B, the special services such as return receipt S and the disk count scale R into consideration:

B3+S3-R3=P3

B5+S5-R5=P5

The summed individual fees yield the postage fees P3 and P5 for both of the carriers 3 and 5 who have proceeded into the further selection.

In a third step, the postage fees P3 and P5 are compared and the most costbeneficial carrier is suggested to the customer of the postage meter machine as optimum carrier P(min). Given a letter quantity of 200 letters, the above example yields:

P3=3.70 DM

P5=4.55 DM,

as a result

P3=P(min)

derives as the optimum carrier.

In an especially user friendly version, the user of the mail shipping system is also presented with the second-best carrier or others. The user of the mail shipping system can then agree with the optimization proposal for non-quantifiable reasons (for example, familiarity with a specific carrier).

An exemplary embodiment that is shown in FIG. 1d is directed to the method for determining the most beneficial carrier.

When the franking system is commissioned, this must be initialized in view of its location and a selected number from a series of mail carriers. A comparable initialization step 500 for every personal computer connected to the mail processing system is likewise provided, corresponding sub-steps being allocated thereto. Each of the personal computers can thus be initialized for a group of carriers in a sub-step 5000, whereby an identical group is also pre-selected in the correspondingly initialized franking system.

According to the customer's wishes, a selection of the carriers provided for the mail shipping is already undertaken in the initialization by the dealer. This can ensue based on criteria like

local presence

speed of delivery,

dependability or

favorable fee schedules.

For this purpose, the data of the standard commercial carriers can already be stored in the franking system by the manufacturer and can be confirmed by the user or dealer. Additional carriers that, for example, are only locally active can be re-loaded via the keyboard on the basis of a corresponding interrogation routine. As a result of the pre-selection, carrier-related data of a group of carriers exist in the memories of the franking system. The data in the non-volatile memories of the franking system are constantly monitored for carrier-specific criteria.

The pre-selection of a group of carriers for the franking system and the storing of the carrier-related fee schedules of the services offered ensues, for example, with diskettes via the diskette drive, or via CD-ROM or via other transmission means. The desired carrier is then selected from the aforementioned group of carriers by the customer or automatically according to the criteria input by the customer. The current nature of the stored data is assured by an appropriate routine that is likewise loaded with one of the aforementioned transmission means. In a sub-step 5000 for pre-setting the group of carriers, the pre-selection leads to 10 locally active carriers. A sub-step 5063 within a program run for personal computers allows an automatic carrier selection according to the selected services and/or other criteria. In the example shown in FIG. 1d, the carriers are identified with the numbers 1, 2, 4 and m, these carriers offering the desired service or, respectively, meeting the desired criteria. In a following sub-step 5064, the respective postage value P1, P2, P4 and Pm is calculated for the aforementioned, selected carriers, this postage value being derived according to the current fee schedule. A comparison and evaluation in terms of the most beneficial postage value subsequently ensues. For example, the postage value P4 was identified as most beneficial postage value, for which reason rank I is allocated to the fourth carrier. The first, second and an m.sup.th carriers lie on the following places II-IV. The result is displayed and stored.

The second embodiment employs a data line 24 between the postage meter machine and a personal computer as component part of a communication means.

It is inventively assured by a check routine of the franking system that the postage values are calculated according to the current fee schedules. After the manufacturer's offering in the memories of the franking system or after a data transmission from a data central and subsequent storing in the memories of the franking system, these current fee schedules are non-volatilely stored for all carriers of the group. Based on time data and/or piece number data or event-dependent, a monitoring of the current nature of the carrier specific data is undertaken corresponding to the carriers of a group that was pre-selected from a multitude of public and private carriers.

The franking system thus automatically checks whether the selected services are available and otherwise enters into communication with a remote data central, whereby specific request data are sent and the required data are received from the data central, and loads the required data into its memories.

After the pre-setting in sub-step 5000, an automatic carrier selection inventively is executed in the franking system in a sub-step 5063 given every letter production with a processing of inputs with respect to making service demands of the carriers. As a result, a series of those carriers is selected from the aforementioned group of carriers which can fundamentally meet the service demands that have been made.

In a further sub-step 5064, the calculation according to the carrier fee schedule ensues again in the routine of the franking system for the aforementioned series of selected carriers.

The franking system additionally assumes sub-functions in order to replace the scale function. The calculation of the weight of the postal matter or letter is preceded by a calculation of the postage fee on the basis of current fee schedules for selected services. To that end, the average page weight or insert weight, stored respectively related to the respective cost center and the page count or insert count are multiplied in order to determine the letter weight or the postal matter weight.

In addition to the services, the fee schedules of the carriers are also stored in the franking system in a comparable form. The postage values according to the current fee schedules are calculated using the fee schedules in the franking system and based on the calculated weight.

The calculation of the postage fee Pm for the m.sup.th carrier from a group of carriers 1.ltoreq.m.ltoreq.I ensues in the sub-step 5064 on the basis of current fee schedules for selected service demands according to the general equation:

(D.sub.1m * . . . D.sub.rm)(B.sub.m +C.sub.hm + . . . C.sub.hm)+E.sub.1m + . . . E.sub.gm =P.sub.m (1)

with the basic fee schedule B.sub.m for a service of the m.sup.th carrier, fee schedules C.sub.1 through C.sub.h in the range from -.infin. through 0 for I through k services of the carrier (for example, with respect to shipping form and shipping class) or in the range from -.infin. through 0 for 1 through h services of the mail dispatcher (for example, pre-sorting, bundling), rebates for services D.sub.1 through D.sub.r in the range from 0 through .infin. for specific quantities of mail, as well as with fee schedules E.sub.1 through E.sub.g in the range from 0 through .infin. for 1 through n special services of the carrier such as insurance and the like or in the range from -.infin. through 0 for 1 through n special services of the mail dispatcher (for example, with respect to shipping form and shipping class) or one-time price reductions by the carrier.

When another carrier meets the service demands that have been raised, a calculation of the postage fee Pq for the q.sub.th carrier from a group of carriers 1.ltoreq.q.ltoreq.I is likewise implemented on the basis of current fee schedules for selected service demands according to the aforementioned general equation (1). An implementation of comparisons of the postage fees Pq.ltoreq.P.sub.m ?, P.sub.m <P.sub.q ? subsequently ensues for cost optimization in the limited, automatic selection of the most beneficial carrier, or for producing a list sorted according to the costs of the postage fee.

A carrier identification number (CIN) is allocated to each carrier. A calculation of postage value in the sub-step 5064 according to the entered shipping information in the second selection step 5063 precedes the determination of the most cost-beneficial carrier in the sub-step 5065. As a result of the postage value determination in the sub-step 5064, the postage value is stored and the carrier identification number is then incremented. A determination of the postage value then follows in turn for the following carrier according to the entered shipping information, whereby the postage value is stored and the carrier identification number is then again incremented. This procedure is only terminated when the determination for the last carrier coming into consideration from the group has been implemented and when a comparison of the calculated postage values among all carriers of the group of the carriers coming into consideration has been carried out.

The disclosed method for calculating the most beneficial carrier is implemented on the personal computer in a version of the invention. In a further version of the invention the method is conducted in the processor system of the postage meter machine. In this case, the keyboard of the postage meter machine is utilized for the inputs of the postage-defining data, whereas the display of the calculated, most beneficial carrier ensues on the display of the postage meter machine.

The block circuit diagram of a postage meter machine shown in FIG. 2a has a programmable processor system that is connected to at least one scanner 26 and a modem 23, a chip card write/read unit 20 and/or other, corresponding reception means or input means. The scanner 26 for the address is positioned at the start of the secure mail path in the mail center. This position derives as a result of uniform mail regulations for the position of the address. Corresponding programs for the position of the address and of the other information exist in memories of the respective personal computers PC.sub.a, PC.sub.b or PC.sub.c in the office 21 that drive a printer in common or separate printers according to the aforementioned areas to be printed. An additional line can be provided on the envelope or in the address field of the envelope as the area to be printed. A differently positioned further scanner 26.1 can be provided for different formats of the envelope. The scanners 26 and 26.1 together with a first mail sensor 16 are connected to a register unit 19 that intermediately stores data and implements a parallel-to-serial conversion. For serial data transmission, the register unit 19 is electronically connected via the data line 18 to an input/output control unit 4 of the postage meter machine.

In the postage meter machine housing, input and output units such as a keyboard 2, a display 3, the chip card write/read unit 20 and the modem 23 are connected via the input/output control unit 4 to a processor system having a postaloriented security region 50, by a direct connection or via a bus (not shown). The processor system is composed of at least one memory means having a non-volatile memory (NVM) 5a, with carrier specific memory areas C.sub.i, C.sub.m, and an EEPROM 5b, a clock/date module 8 and a processing unit (CPU) functioning as a control unit 6 and, possibly a specific circuit or program source 80 and/or 81 for automating the loading of data from a data central via modem or chip card, or some other suitable transmission means. The special circuit and/or program source 80 and 81 are preferably a component part of a battery-supported, non-volatile memory (CMOS-NV-RAM) in the clock/date module 8. Further supporting programs can be present in the program memory 11 and/or in a non-volatile EEPROM stored in the memory 5b. A print controller 14 is fashioned, for example, as an ASIC and is matched to the respective, preferably digital, printing process, and operates with a print register 15.

The input/output control unit 4 may include the print controller 14 and be connected in to the control unit 6 of the postage meter machine via a bus and, for example, can be fashioned as an ASIC. A printhead 1 is connected to the print controller 14.

The various memories are usually composed of a number of permanent and temporary, non-volatile memories. Together with the control unit 6, one part of the memories forms a postage calculator in a known way an another part forms a protected postal region within the processor system. Work is carried out with the non-volatile memories of the aforementioned, other part of the memories for accounting. It is particularly provided that the protected postal region 50 be equipped with a specific accounting unit that works in a completely counterfeit-proof way and relieves the control unit 6 of this task job. The protected postal region 50 of the processor system of the postage meter machine can be fashioned as a hardware-controlled accounting unit in the form of a special circuit module or, for example, as an ASIC, so that the executive sequence during accounting cannot be manipulated in an unauthorized way, as disclosed in German patent application 196 03 467.1, corresponding to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/788,188 now abandoned filed Jan. 24, 1997, entitled "Postage Meter Machine."

In addition, an area organized according to carrier and cost centers can be provided in a special cost center memory 9 in order to execute operations related to the cost center or cost centers. Additional cost centers can thus being established or deleted without the reliability against manipulation be diminished. The protected postal region 50 within the processor system can only be read, but not overwritten. During the service life of the postage meter machine, data such as the number of pieces franked and total amount used for franking with a postage value can always only be incremented but never decremented. In particular, the postage calculator can be formed of the control unit 6 and memory areas of the EEPROM 5b and/or other non-volatile memories. Some of the memory areas of the EEPROM 5b are intended for the acceptance of fee schedule tables of the individual carriers.

Differing therefrom, individual costs and their data (number of pieces, total amount used) in the cost center memory 9 can be reduced by a predetermined amount, or can be set to zero at the start of an accounting period. The correspondingly actuated keys of the keyboard 2 and/or other input means produce a connection to external memories in order to execute operations related to cost centers.

The program memory 11 of the memory means of the postage meter machine contains programs for initiating and conducting a communication via interfaces in the input/output control unit 4 with the scanner 26 and with input units 20 through 23 and with at least one of the personal computers PC.sub.a, PC.sub.b and/or PC.sub.c at the office 21. In this context each of these personal computers with its connected keyboard and monitor can be considered as a peripheral input/output means for the postage meter machine FM for searching for and entering data. Other peripheral input/output means (not shown in detail) can be connected to the processor system of the postage meter machine. At least one parallel interface to the display unit 3 and, in conjunction with the print controller 14, at least one serial interface for print data control and data transmission to the drive electronics arranged on the printhead 1, can be provided in the input/output control unit 4. A further serial interface can be connected via the aforementioned register unit 19 to a number of scanners or sensors. At least one scanner 26 is a pixel sensor with a high resolution. Its data bits are output in parallel and are converted into serially fetchable data bits with a sensor shift register in the register unit 19 driven by the input/output control unit 4. The input/output control unit 4 is preferably fashioned such that a number of sensors or actuators with one or more connected sensors or actuator shift registers can be connected via a shared serial interface data line 18 to a single shared shift register in an actuator/sensor controller in the input/output control unit 4, as disclosed in greater detail in the German application No. P 44 45 053.2, corresponding to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/568,019 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,721 ("Internal Postage Meter Machine Interface Circuit" Rieckhoff et al) filed Dec. 6, 1995 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

The base (not shown in detail) of the postage meter machine is composed of the printhead 1 and a power electronic/sensor/actuator module 12 that contains an energy supply and control for the drives (paper transport, printer, tape, tape dispenser) and the required drive motor. The printhead and the module 12 and an encoder 13 for acquiring the transport speed of the piece of mail lie in the base and are coupled to the processor system directly and/or to the processor system and, possibly to other peripheral input/output means in the mail station or in the office 21 via the input/output control unit 4 via appropriate interfaces.

The postage meter machine has a reception means such as an external modem 23 and a modem interface in the postage meter machine for the external modem 23 or for an internal modem. A communication with the remote data central DC is enabled via modem. An electronically stored credit thus can not only be replenished in the postage meter machine, but also current fee schedule table data and other data can be communicated.

In another version, a telecommunication network is provided that externally contains a memory with the fetchable data and/or flags for reloading of auxiliary functions and information into the postage meter machine. The external memory is supplied with updating data from the public postal authority and/or private carriers, preferably via the aforementioned data central DC.

Alternatively, an external memory with required updating data can be provided in a mobile radiotelephone communication network and can be addressed by a corresponding communication connection and communication means. An intermediate storage in the transmission means ensues, and data packets are then transmitted under the control of the postage meter machine and an automatic transfer of the current fee schedule by the postage meter machine is thereby potentially assured. The storage of the fee schedules ensues according to various public mail carriers or private carriers in separate memory areas of the aforementioned postage calculator.

Specific inputs can be undertaken with an alternative input means, particularly a chip card. This is brought into contact with the chip card write/read unit 20 serving as an input means. The interface board of the chip card write/read unit 20 is connected to a serial interface of the postage meter machine. The contacting means in the write/read unit 20 comprises at least six contacts and the data exchange between the unprotected and/or the protected card memory area and a non-volatile memory of the program memory 11 of the postage meter machine is automatically serially undertaken in the framework of a communication protocol as soon as the chip card has been plugged into the plug-in slot of the write/read unit 20.

Such a special mail station chip card for the employees in the mail station can be advantageously utilized for entering location data. A correspondingly programmed chip card is delivered to the user after authorization of a new location or a change in location. Before the machines of the mail station are transported to a new location, it is necessary to turn them off. A location-specific initialization of the postage meter machine automatically ensues after turn-on. So that the postage meter machine need not be switched on or off often at the same location, a standby mode is provided.

With the same chip card delivered to the user, a corresponding postmark imprint text part for the modified name of the municipality and, if needed, for the modified postal zip code is loaded into the postage meter machine in addition to the setting in order to be able to modify the print image data already stored in conformity with the change in location, as is disclosed by European Application 566 225.

Every allocation of semi-variable print image data (window data) that fill up a specific window in the print format (frame data) is stored in specific memory areas of, for example, the EEPROM 5b and/or of another non-volatile memory of the postage meter machine FM.

In the franking mode a cost center-specific accounting of the automatically or manually set postage value ensues before the printout of the franking format, this being explained in greater detail in connection with FIGS. 7a through 7d. It is also provided that a printout can be produced for the cost center-specific accounting by the postage meter machine, as disclosed in German OS 42 24 955. In the first embodiment of inventive mail shipping system, a print requirement upon introduction of a sheet of paper into the printing region is recognized by a standard, mail sensor 16 and, as a reaction to a preceding, manual input including entry of the cost center number in conjunction with a function key, the postage meter machine then produces a printout. The postage values that have been used are listed individually and cumulatively related to various carriers. The cost center printout is regularly sent to the appertaining department in the office 21 or in response to a specific request.

The block circuit diagram of a further version of the franking system shown in FIG. 2b has a programmable processor system that is connected to at least one scanner 26 and a modem 23, a value card write/read unit 20 and/or other, corresponding reception means or, respectively, communication means for communication with the office 21. The scanner for the address is likewise positioned at the start of the secure mail path in the mail center. Of course, a plurality of personal computers PC.sub.a, PC.sub.b, . . . PC.sub.n through PC.sub.m in the office 21 can communicate with a single postage meter machine when these are successively requested, for example, to search their files stored under time data for a relevant letter recipient address and allocated cost center and/or shipping information. Files having the same recipient address in the address data area are not relevant when these were not stored on the same day. For example, the requested carrier and/or cost center information are then electronically communicated to the postage meter machine via a data line.

Similar to FIG. 2a, input and output units 2, 3, 20 through 23 in the block circuit diagram of FIG. 2b are connected via the input/output control unit 4 to a processor system that has a postal-oriented security area 50. A permanent memory PSP 11 of the memory means of the postage meter machine contains programs for a communication--via interfaces in the input/output control unit 4--with the scanner 26, the input unit 20 through 23 and--via a data line 24--with at least one personal computer in the office 21. A personal computer (PC) including picture screen and appertaining keyboard can be viewed as being a peripheral input/output means for searching and input of data. Moreover, a connection to an existing computer network can be enabled by a separate device 29. Further peripheral input/output means (not shown in detail) can also be connected to the processor system of the postage meter machine. Accounting information is communicated via the aforementioned data line 24 to the appertaining department in the office 21 either regularly or as a reaction to a message request. Documents about reloadings with credit, fee schedule, image and other data that have ensued are also printed out in a mail-carrier-related format in the mail station with the printhead 1 of the postage meter machine. As needed, a document (receipt) about the accomplished reloading after a reloading has been undertaken can be produced separately for each mail carrier when the postage meter machine is switched to an internal printing mode. A self-adhesive franking tape is then preferably printed. A listing concerning individual financial reloading data within a time span and other register or service data can be printed out as a document by the printhead of the postage meter machine when this is desirable. After an electronic communication, such a document can also be printed in the office 21. As needed, data for a carrier are also produced for whom the postage values of all cost centers serviced by this carrier are compiled. This is meaningful when the departments are fiscally independent units, i.e., when a number of small companies that use an office 21 and the mail station in common but must carry out separate accounting at the carriers.

In a further version for conducting a cost-center-specific accounting in the inventive mail processing system, an automatic entry of the cost center number into the postage meter machine is undertaken as a reaction to an inquiry from a personal computer in the office 21 via the data line 24, and, in conjunction with a specific program stored in the program memory PSP 11, a data communication to the personal computer in the office 21 can be undertaken for listing the cost-center-specific accounting. The cost center printout can then be undertaken by the appertaining department in the office 21 itself with a printer connected to the requesting personal computer. Moreover, the communicated listing can be compared to an internally stored listing in the personal computer of the office 21. If changes are made at the mail station in the setting of the carrier in order, for example, to use beneficial offers or discounts of other carriers, then this can be checked by means of such a comparison.

The arrangement for data entry into a postage meter machine includes input means and output means that are connected to a processor system. The postage meter machine has an input/output control unit 4, a register unit 19 for automatic entry of data and for controlling connected periphery devices, as well as a means 20 for communication via chip card or as well as a modem 23 for communication to a remote data central DC and a communication link 24 to a personal computer (PC) in the office 21. A processor system includes a control unit 6 such as a microprocessor that is programmed with a routine for interpreting the scanned data and that is programmed with a routine in order to find the data of a datafile of the personal computer (PC) in the office 21 from the quantity of interrogated datafiles respectively allocated to a letter contents. As a result, the postage value, the mail carrier number (CIN) and further shipping information as well as the cost center number are automatically entered into the postage meter machine and processed. The control unit 6 is also programmed with a routine for conducting an accounting on the basis of the scanned data.

At least one scanner 26 is connected to the register unit 19. At least one scanner 26.1 is arranged in the mail delivery stream so that different formats are also sensed. For other envelope formats, further scanners for address scanning can be arranged in the transport path of the postage meter machine FM.

Programs corresponding to the postal regulations for the position of the address and of the other information exist in memories of the respective personal computers PC.sub.a, PC.sub.b or PC.sub.c. A processing means for the scanned information is preferably integrated into the postage meter machine FM in order to determine address data.

The scanners together with a letter sensor 16 are connected to the register unit 19, that intermediately stores data and implements a parallel-to-serial conversion. The register unit 19 is electronically connected via the data line 18 to the input/output control unit 4 of the postage meter machine FM for serial data transmission.

The location of the optical recognition means as the scanner 26 need not necessarily be bound to the postage meter machine FM. For example, an integration of a scanner located in an automatic feeder or in an automatic separator, remote from the postage meter machine FM, is also possible. The latter separates the pieces of mail for automatic feed.

The invention is not limited to this embodiment since, of course, other peripheral input/output means can be connected to a shared, serial interface via the register unit 19 and the data line 18.

It is provided that the scanner 26 (and others, if present) can each contain an electronic circuit for image evaluation. A mark reader means with subsequent image evaluation can be realized as disclosed, for example, in the German Published Application 43 44 471.

It is also possible for the electronic circuit in the scanner to only support an image evaluation which ensues in the postage meter machine FM. Alternatively, a version is also provided wherein the electronic circuit in the scanner only supports (by providing data) an image evaluation which ensues in the postage meter machine. On the basis of the identified addresses, the carrier and/or the cost center is successfully identified in the postage meter machine FM.

As a result, carrier information that is required for a carrier-specific input of logo print data is automatically entered into the postage meter machine FM. The microprocessor of the control unit 6 is programed with a routine stored in a memory area 81 of the clock/date module 8 in order, as needed, to correspondingly load the data of the automatically set, new mail carrier in automatic routines.

Additionally, the microprocessor of the control unit 6 is programmed with a further routine in order, after turn-on, to initialize the postage meter machine in a location-specific manner and, as needed, to load further data into the postage meter machine FM. This may include necessary franking image data prescribed or required by the carrier, analogous to the sovereignty characters of the national, governmental mail carriers, as described in detail in German application 195 49 305.2.

This type of reloading is particularly provided for digital printing processes that allow a program-controlled embedding of variable or semi-variable window pixel field data in constant frame pixel field data. Such a method for controlling the column-by-column printing of a postage stamp character image in a postage meter machine is disclosed, for example, in European Application 578 042.

The arrangement for data entry into a postage meter machine has input and output means that are connected to a processor system. It is provided that the input means, such as the keyboard 2 includes first actuation means in order to set the postage meter machine to a different mail carrier. The input means also has second actuation means for the specific setting of a new mail carrier. The microprocessor of the control unit 6 is programmed with a routine in order to correspondingly load the data of the new mail carrier that has been set in automatic routines 1000 of the communication mode 300 and in order to generate a change in the print format. The generated change data are non-volatilely stored under a number and allocated to the respective mail carrier, or are non-volatilely stored allocated to a carrier identification number (CIN) corresponding to the selected mail carrier.

It is also provided that the communicated sub-image data files, allocated to a carrier identification number (CIN) corresponding to the selected mail carrier, are non-volatilely stored in the postage meter machine FM in order, given selection of a predetermined mail carrier number, or CIN, to generate specific print formats. The communicated sub-image data files, pixel image data files and the modify data generated by automatic or manual input are present stored in non-volatile memory areas of write/read memories 5a and/or 5b, and/or in a memory area of the clock/date module 8.

The overall flowchart FIG. 3b for the postage meter machine of FIG. 2a is shown in FIG. 3a. After a start 100, a start and initialization routine 101 is executed which includes a sub-step 1011. After turn-on, a communication requirement is formed in the sub-step 1011 in order to initiate an automatic communication with the data center, for example, via modem 23, and in order to implement a corresponding data transmission wherein the municipality name in the date stamp is modified corresponding to the current location.

The location-specific offering of data ensues optionally or corresponding to the existing postage meter machine type with a card-like transmission means or with corresponding reception means, ensuing from an external memory via a communication network (modem, mobile radiotelephone).

Given a location input with a chip card via a chip card reader/write unit 20, authorization must be obtained in advance. This is in fact more time-consuming but allows a location registration for the respective mail processing system in the data center DC.

In another version, an entry of the location is undertaken, for example, by the keyboard 2 instead of with a remote data transmission or instead of chip card when the postage meter machine is turned on, for example, by a new user after a change in location. After the turn-on, such an input possibility is afforded in sub-step 1011 of step 101 of the initialization, namely by entering the postal zip code into the postage meter machine.

During the initialization routine 101, there is also the possibility in addition to the input of the location to change the previous carrier constellation by definition of a new set of mail carriers, for example with an input of a carrier identification number (CIN) corresponding to the name of the mail carrier in sub-step 1012.

When as a result of user selection or the execution of the cost-beneficial routine described above, one of the carriers has been selected for a letter (piece of mail) from the aforementioned set of mail carriers, only the carrier identification number (CIN) need be automatically communicated to the postage meter machine. The data stored in non-volatile fashion under the carrier identification number (CIN) in step 1012 can then be accessed, including carrier-specific fee schedules, routines for the data for the print image generation and carrier-specific print image generation.

After the initialization routine 101, the program branches to a first step 201 a system routine 200 in order to at least call non-volatilely stored settings for the postage meter machine in sub-step 2040 when no piece of mail is detected in the mail delivery path. Step 209 affords the possibility of modifying the aforementioned setting with a manual input.

A piece of mail possibly supplied in the meantime remains in a waiting period, preferably at the start of the delivery path until all manually required inputs have been actuated in the second step 209. The franking mode 400 is reached after further steps of the overall flowchart have been executed. It is recognized therein that the manual input has been terminated by a comparison of the loop traversals after the last input to a predetermined plurality of loop traversals, or a time duration is compared to a predetermined time duration after the last input. A switch is then first made into the standby mode before returning to the system routine 200 at s.

In the first and second