EP1433143B1 - Method and device for printing mail, use of said device - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for printing mail wherein the mail is fed to a printing device by means of conveyor and is printed in the printing device. The mail is fed by a first conveyor associated with a rotating device used to rotate and/or turn the mail; graphic characteristics of at least one surface of the mail are detected during conveyance of the mail; the graphic characteristics thus detected are evaluated, information being obtained from the result of the evaluation of the graphic characteristics determining which surface of the mail is to be printed; the rotating device rotates and/or turns the mail in such a way that the surface of the mail to be printed is oriented in a desired manner and fed to a printer disposed in the printing device.

Description

The invention relates to a device for printing mailpieces, wherein the mailpieces are conveyed by a transport and fed to a printing device.

In the German patent DE 195 08 180 C2 discloses a method in which the mail items are transported on a conveyor belt extending from a point of delivery of the mailpieces to the printing device to the printing device.

Further, from the US patent US 4,520,932 a device for detecting stamps on mail. The device comprises a plurality of detectors for the detection of stamps, which are arranged on conveyor belts, are transported over the isolated mail. The mailpieces are first fed to a first detector, which recognizes stamps mounted on the front and back sides in the lower area of the mailpieces. Mail items on which the first detector has recognized a stamp are conveyed to a validator and provided with a cancellation mark. If the first detector has not detected a stamp, the mailpieces are rotated in a rotating device by 180 ° and fed to a second detector, which recognizes stamps in the originally upper range of shipments and also controls a validator.

The German Offenlegungsschrift DE 38 21 106 A1 describes a device for turning and stamping mail, in which a detector scans the mailpieces and from the scan data, an address block and a writing direction is determined. A turning device and a stamp device are controlled by a control device as a function of the detection result.

The US patent US 6,085,182 discloses a method and apparatus for postage stamping. The device includes sensors which detect the position of stamps on a mailpiece and transmit it to a microprocessor which controls a plurality of printheads arranged at different heights and activates those printheads which are at the level of the detected stamp.

The object of the invention is to provide a device with which mailpieces can be printed as quickly and flexibly as possible.

This object is achieved by a device having the features of claim 1.

The invention proposes a device for printing mailpieces. The apparatus comprises at least a first conveying means, a first detecting means and a second detecting means for detecting graphic characteristics of at least one surface of the mailpieces and a rotating means for rotating and turning the mailpieces to align the printable surface of the mailpieces with respect to a printing device. the first detection means is arranged on the first conveying means and with an evaluation means for determining and for selecting a surface to be printed on a postal item and for selecting a printed image, by which the presence of a postage stamp on a mail item can be determined. Furthermore, there is a second conveying means, which transports the mailpieces from the rotary device to the printing device. The second detection means for detecting graphic properties of the mailpieces transported on the second conveying means is linked to a control means for printing the mailpieces, whereby a selection of areas to be printed on the selected surface of the mailpieces takes place as a function of graphic properties detected in the second detecting means.

Conveniently, the control means controls activation of one of a plurality of means for printing on the mailpieces.

The device preferably has at least one means for changing a transport path of the mailpieces as a function of the result of the evaluation of the graphic information.

The printing device may comprise a means for printing on mailpieces, which is designed so that the means for printing mailpieces has a plurality of printing areas, and that the individual printing areas are individually activated.

Advantageously, the device contains a print image arrangement with a plurality of individual print images, wherein the individual print images are substantially in the form of Have validation stamps.

It is advantageous that the control means controls activation of one of a plurality of means for printing the mailpiece.

Furthermore, it is expedient that at least one means for changing a transport path of the postal item contains depending on the result of the evaluation of the acquired graphic information.

The immediate generation of the digital franking marks in the device for printing the mail has the advantage that both a franking of shipments in large numbers and a high security against counterfeiting are thereby achieved.

In particular, it is possible with the aid of the invention to print several thousand, preferably two thousand to twenty thousand, mailpieces in one hour.

This requires a suitable conveying speed of the mailpieces, wherein in particular conveying speeds between one meter per second and ten meters per second are advantageous.

Even with a conveying speed of about two meters per second, it is possible to print several thousand pieces of mail per hour.

The device according to the invention is suitable for a multiplicity of purposes. However, it is particularly advantageous to the devices for the validation of Insert mail.

The validation of mail items advantageously takes place in such a way that the activation of the print areas is controlled in such a way that at least one cancellation print is applied to each postage stamp.

In particular, the use of a device for both the validation of postal items and the clearance of other postal items is advantageous.

During operation of the device, the various functions, such as, for example, the validation of the mailpieces, the printing of the mailpieces with address information and the printing of the franking marks, are carried out in each case adapted to the individual, mutually different mailpieces.

However, it is also possible to use a device according to the invention for printing mailpieces in different operating times to different printing tasks.

In this way it is possible to value postage stamps by printing immediately after one another, without converting the device, to print on postal items with franking marks and / or address information, and to use the funds used for further purposes.

In particular, it is expedient to use the graphical information available on the surface of the mailpieces for purposes of payment assurance, that is to say, in particular, for checking whether the mailpieces have a designated one Include franking.

An evaluation of the graphic properties of the mailpieces and use of the acquired graphical information for controlling subsequent processing steps can be used in a variety of ways. In particular, this allows a flexible printing of the mail items.

The mail item is fed to the printing device in such a way that the surface to be printed is substantially perpendicular to the means for printing the mail item in the printing device.

Such a vertical transport makes it possible - possibly waiving the use of a turning module - the process in a device with a short length of investment and a particularly low susceptibility and a simple further processing, especially with sorting and removal after printing to perform.

However, in the event that a relatively expensive printing device is used, which allows, for example, an optional printing of individual surface areas of the mail piece, it is particularly expedient to provide a rotating device for rotating and / or turning the mail piece and thereby the mail item as a function of the result the evaluation of the graphic properties to provide the means for printing.

An embodiment is characterized in that the mail item by the first conveying means of a Rotary device for turning and / or turning the mail item is supplied, that at least one sub-step of detecting the graphic properties of at least one surface of the mail piece during transport of the mail item on the first conveyor takes place, that the detected graphical properties are evaluated, from the result Evaluation of the graphic properties, the information is determined, which surface of the mail piece is provided for printing, and that the rotating means rotates and / or turns the mail piece so that the surface to be printed on the mail piece in a desired orientation to the means located in the printing means Printing is supplied.

This variant provides that the mail item is fed by the first conveying means of the rotating device for rotating and / or turning the mail item, that graphic properties of at least one surface of the mail item are detected during the transport of the mail item on the first conveying means, that the recorded graphical properties be evaluated, which is determined from the result of the evaluation of the graphical information, which surface of the mailpiece is provided for printing, that the rotating device rotates the mail item and / or applies that the surface of the mailpiece to be printed in a desired orientation in a the printing device located means is supplied for printing.

Such a method is particularly suitable for mass processing of mail items, as is done, for example, in letter centers or freight centers.

It is intended to evaluate graphic properties of the mailpieces and to align the mailpieces with respect to a means for printing the mailpieces on the basis of the graphic information determined.

The term graphic properties is meant in its broadest sense. In particular, it comprises image patterns, markings or other evaluable optical properties located on the mailpieces, for example absorption and reflection properties of surface areas of the mailpieces. The reflective properties include any variant that can be broadly understood as a reflection, and in particular, the detection of the presence of fluorescence. In this case, for example, it is checked by the supply of electromagnetic radiation, whether fluorescence phenomena occur.

Surprisingly, it has been found that such a complex process, including the large number of digital processing steps to be performed, can be used to obtain information from the graphic properties in a mass processing of mailpieces with a processing of several thousand items per hour.

It is particularly expedient that the mail items are applied in disorder to the first conveying means. The mail items are in particular a substantially continuous stream of mail items of the same or different sizes.

Such a disorderly delivery of the shipments includes the case that individual mailpieces may overlap. In order to enable a reliable detection of the graphic properties also for this case, it is expedient that the mailpieces run through suitable separating modules.

The term mailing is not meant to be limiting and includes both letters and parcels and parcels.

In particular, the mail items are essentially flat items which, irrespective of their respective postal classification, are also referred to as letters in a representation of exemplary embodiments. The letters are in particular previously known types of letters, such as standard, large and maxi letters.

The mailpieces are expediently fed after turning and / or turning in the rotary device of the printing device by a second conveying means.

Graphic properties are detected in the region of at least one surface of the mailpieces, and based on the detection and evaluation of the graphic information, an area of the mailpieces to be printed and / or a print image is determined and the mailpiece is printed in the area to be printed, for example with the determined print image ,

This makes it possible, by the detection of graphic properties of the surface of the mail items to one or more positions for the attachment of imprints determine.

The imprints can be both fixed, as well as - for example, programmatically - changed, as well as customized for each individual shipment.

A combination of these method steps with a selection of the surface to be printed takes place in a first advantageous embodiment in that after the turning and / or turning of the mail items in the rotary device again graphical properties of the mail items are detected, and that based on the detected graphical properties at least one area the surface to be printed is selected, in which a printing of the mailpieces takes place.

Furthermore, it is expedient to provide the mailpieces with a recipient and / or sender address.

This is done in a particularly advantageous embodiment in that information about recipient addresses and / or sender addresses of the mail items are detected, and that the mail items are printed with the recipient address and / or a code containing the recipient address and / or the sender address.

By linking information about sender identities and the respective services to be provided, it is possible to record and calculate the services on a customer-specific basis. For example, this is also a billing of a possibly chargeable printing of mail with advertising imprints, preferably individualized Address information as possible as the billing of the production of franking marks.

In this embodiment, it is particularly advantageous to print the mailpieces with a respectively individually settable recipient and / or sender address.

An assignment of the letters to an address to be selected is effected, for example, by database information which links the respective mail item to the address to be printed.

Furthermore, it is advantageous that the mailpieces are printed with a freely configurable information, such as an advertising print.

By linking existing and / or ascertained information with further information, in particular by including information stored, for example, in a database, it is possible to create the advertising prints individually.

Thus, all mailings of a sender can be provided with an adapted to the respective sender advertising imprint.

This makes it possible, for example, to provide all mail items of a company with an advertising imprint of the company.

Another advantage is that a handling of letters of different types of franking is possible.

For example, a debit printing is only generated if the mailpieces are provided with a postage stamp. In other cases where it has been determined, for example, that the postal items have already been provided with another franking, such as a franking mark, such devaluation generally does not take place.

Furthermore, it becomes possible to integrate a franking of the letters in the course of processing of the mailpieces.

For example, in the device both the cancellation of postage stamps as well as a printing of postal items with postage indicia, which have no postage stamps.

By exploiting the graphic information, the flexibility of the handling of the letters increases considerably.

In addition, it is expedient that printing takes place with further information.

In this case, it is particularly expedient for the mailpieces to be printed with a graphic representation of coded information. An example of this is a multi-digit - about 11- to 13-digit - recipient address code, which is used for sorting the mail in a subsequent processing step.

Another example of encrypted information to be printed on is digital franking indicia, which are preferably encrypted indications, for example via the Recipient, the sender or the date of despatch.

It is also possible to create such digital postage indicia directly on the basis of graphical information located on the surface of the mailpieces.

For example, a digital postage indicium, which contains in an encrypted form a plurality of identification data, such as the previously mentioned address and date information, is generated by a detection of information located on the surface of the mailpiece.

In this case, for example, the address information detected with one of the detection means is combined with further information by a suitable linking mechanism and introduced into a digital franking mark. For the combination, for example, a combination method, as described in the German Patent DE 100 20 563 C2 the applicant of the present application is described.

The fee to be paid for the production of the postage indicia may, for example, be taken from a virtual postage account of a postal customer or integrated into another payment system.

The use of the respective payment system preferably depends on the respective shipment volume of the customer. Especially for customers with a relatively low shipment volume of about up to fifty postal items per day come micro-payment solutions or debits from the petty cash into consideration. For larger shipments is suitable an interface to other payment applications, for example for integration into a direct debit system.

Further advantages, special features and expedient developments of the invention will become apparent from the ... Subclaims and the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1

eine Prinzipdarstellung des Laufweges einer Postsendung und

Fig. 2

ein Flächenmuster zur erfindungsgemäßen Bedruckung eines Briefumschlages.

From the drawings shows

Fig. 1

a schematic representation of the path of a mailpiece and

Fig. 2

a surface pattern for printing an envelope according to the invention.

The following description explains the invention using an example in which the mailpieces are printed with a means provided for this purpose and wherein the mailpieces are rotated and / or turned as a result of the evaluation of the graphic properties of at least one of their surfaces with respect to the means.

However, the invention also includes such cases in which the mail items are not rotated or turned. In such cases, it is expedient to provide an optionally larger number of means for printing the mailpieces and to activate one or possibly more suitably positioned means for printing the mailpieces in order thereby to be able to dispense with the illustrated turning and / or rotation of the mailpieces.

The invention and its illustrated variants and embodiments relate both to a use of the invention with a turning and / or turning of the mail items as well as in the event that the mail items are not rotated and / or turned over.

In the Fig. 1 illustrated schematic representation of the transport path of the mail shows Embodiment in which mailpieces 10 can be conveyed by a first transport means 20.

In the direction of transport, a first detection means 30 for detecting graphic properties of at least one surface of the mailpieces is located following an application station (not shown) for the mailpieces.

The detecting means 30 may be, for example, a camera connected to an image processing unit. For example, the means for analyzing the graphical information acquired by the camera, not shown for reasons of simplification, comprise program routines which are capable of recognizing graphic patterns on the surface of the mailpieces.

By means of suitable pattern comparisons, it is possible to check whether the respective postal items are provided with postage stamps whose graphic quality is stored in a database.

By comparing between the stored graphical information and the acquired graphical information in the evaluation unit, it is possible to determine whether and how many postage stamps are on the surface of the mailpiece.

In the transport direction, following the detection means 30 is a turning device 40, which can be used for turning and / or turning the mailpieces 10.

Behind the turning device 40 there is another conveying means 70, which can convey the mailpieces 10 from the turning device 40 to a printing device 60.

A second detection means 50, for example a camera or a sensor, detects positions at which graphical features, in particular graphical structures, are located on the surface of the mailpieces 10.

With the aid of the illustrated device, the method for printing the mailpieces is preferably carried out as follows:

Mail items 10 are applied to a conveyor 20 and transported by the conveyor 20 to the rotary device 40.

During the transport of the mailpieces 10 through the conveying means 20, at least one surface of the mailpieces is detected by a detecting means 30.

During the transport of the mailpieces 10 on the means of transport 20 different discharges can take place, for example, in order to discharge mailpieces with smaller consignment sizes from the mailing history.

During the transport between it and the turning device 40, the detection means 30 sends the recorded graphical properties of the mailpieces to an evaluation means. The evaluation means links information about the graphic properties of the mailpieces with further information, in particular transport properties of the conveying means and thus determines when a mailpiece is to be rotated and / or turned, thus making it possible to turn the rotating device 40 as a function of the respective mail item and for the mail item Broadcast determined graphical properties.

In the rotating device 40, the postal item 10 is rotated and / or turned according to the control commands, if this is provided for the subsequent alignment of the mail item 10 in the printing device 60.

Mail items 10, which are already correctly aligned, preferably pass through the rotary device 40 without their angular position being changed.

After processing the mail items in the rotary device 40, the mail items are applied to a further conveying means 70. In the structurally simplified embodiment, the first conveying means 20 and the second conveying means 70 consist of a uniform transport device, for example a circulating conveyor belt.

During the transport of the mailpieces 10 on the second conveying means 70, graphic properties of the mailpieces 10 are again recorded. Preferably, this detection takes place on the same surface, which is also provided for subsequent printing. As a result, markings and special features of the graphic properties to be considered for the printing process can be taken into account. As a result, the position of the postage indicium can be ascertained in the event of devaluation of postage stamps, and the means for printing the mailpieces can be controlled such that at least one printing area is activated, which enables devaluation of the mailpieces.

This makes it possible to adjust the pressure range to be selected very precisely to the position of the postage stamp.

For postal items that do not contain postage stamps, printing with a franking mark is alternatively possible, without any constructive change is required.

Furthermore, it is possible to generate further printing patterns and also to carry out the production of these printing patterns as a function of the graphic properties of the surface of the mailpieces.

In this way, a routing code as a function of an address recorded on the mailpiece can be printed on the mailpieces as a barcode.

It is advantageous to use different printing inks for the different areas of application of the printed images. For example, a fluorescent mark is used for the generation of the guide code because the fluorescent mark can be more easily detected in a sorting machine that controls a sorting pass.

The production of the printed images can take place in various ways, for example by conventional printing methods such as rotary printing, printing with an ink jet or selective irradiation with laser light. Non-contact or low-contact printing methods such as ink-jet printing and laser printing are preferred. In addition, the shape of the printed image is faster adaptable to changing requirements for printing various letters.

For the production of debit printing the use of an ink adapted to the surface of the postage stamps and of the mailpieces is advantageous. The printing ink is expediently selected in such a way that it penetrates into surface areas of the mail items so far that it can not be removed from the mailpieces. In particular, the ink is applied so that a Passage of color is avoided even by thin envelopes.

An example of a preferred arrangement of print areas for invalidation of mailpieces is shown in FIG Fig. 2 shown.

Fig. 2 shows a predetermined surface pattern 100, which ensures the most complete possible coverage of a larger surface of the mailpiece.

In principle, the components of the surface pattern 100 can be chosen arbitrarily. The illustrated checkerboard arrangement of the pressure areas is particularly useful because it ensures that the cancellation stamp created by the print can print to any point on the surface.

This makes it possible to allow franking of postal items with Postwertzeichen anywhere.

The selection of the respective printing areas for the cancellation stamps 110 takes place as a function of the respectively detected position of the postage stamps 120.

Preferably, the printing area is selected in which the center of gravity of the postage stamps 120 is located. In the event that the virtual center of gravity of the postage stamps 120 is in the range between two printing areas or at the intersection of four printing areas, it is also possible to activate a plurality of printing images representing a cancellation stamp.

A deviation from the printing of the center of gravity of the respective Postwertzeichen can be done programmatically.

As a result, the position of the cancellation stamp 110 can also be adapted to wishes of stamp friends.

For example, this makes it possible to provide individual postage stamps 120 with a cancellation stamp on their right edge.

The illustrated embodiments are to be understood as exemplary only.

In particular, it is expedient to combine different printing processes and thus to further increase the processing speed of the mailpieces and to enable an integration of different printing forms in the processing operation of the mailpieces.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

mailings

20

first subsidy / means of transport

30

first detection means

40

rotator

50

second detection means

60

print Setup

70

second funding

100

surface pattern

110

canceller

120

Postage stamps

Claims (5)

1. A device for printing mailpieces (10), whereby the device comprises at least one first conveying means (20), a first detection means (30) and a second detection means (50) for detecting graphic properties of at least one surface of the mailpieces (10) and one printing device (60), and a rotating device (40) for rotating and turning over the mailpieces (10) in order to arrange the surface to be printed in a desired orientation relative to the printing device (60), whereby the first detection means (30) is located at the first conveying means (20) and is connected with an evaluation means for determining and selecting a surface of a mailpiece (10) to be printed on and for selecting an imprint image, by which the presence of a postage stamp on a mailpiece can be determined, whereby a second conveying means (70) is present, which transports the mailpieces (10) from the rotating device (40) to the printing device (60), and whereby the second detection means (50) for detection of graphical properties on mailpieces (10) that are transported on the second conveying means (70) is connected to a control means for printing the mailpieces (10), whereby a selection of areas on the surface of the mailpieces (10) to be printed on is carried out as a function of graphical properties acquired in the second detection means (50).
2. Device according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the control means controls the activation of one of several means for printing the mailpiece (10).
3. Device according to Claim 1 or 2,
   characterized in that
   the device has at least one means for changing a transport route of the mailpieces (10) as a function of the result of the evaluation of the graphic information.
4. Device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 3,
   characterized in that
   the printing means (60) comprises a means for printing mailpieces (10), whereby the means for printing the mailpieces (10) is configured in such a way that it has several printing areas, and in that the individual printing areas can be activated individually.
5. Device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 4,
   characterized in that
   the device comprises an imprint image arrangement with several individual imprint images, whereby the individual imprint images are essentially in the form of cancellation stamps (110).

Images