EP1671278A1

EP1671278A1 - Method and device for preparing a mail

Info

Publication number: EP1671278A1
Application number: EP04765300A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bernd Meyer; Jürgen DR. LANG
Original assignee: Deutsche Post AG
Current assignee: Deutsche Post AG
Priority date: 2003-09-26
Filing date: 2004-09-16
Publication date: 2006-06-21
Also published as: US20070043624A1; NO20061795L; CA2539561A1; JP2007507026A; RU2006108883A; WO2005034043A2; DE10345056A1; NZ545626A; AU2004278822A1; RU2343541C2

Description

Method and device for creating a mail item

Description: Technical area

The invention relates to a method for creating a mail item.

The invention further relates to a device suitable for carrying out the method.

State of the art

A generic method is from the international

Patent application with the publication number WO 02/37425 AI known. This document discloses a method for providing postage indicia to mail items, wherein item data is recorded in a first computer and the item data are processed in a second computer.

In this case, the second computer generates individualized data for each of the mail items as a function of the item data. The individualized data is entered in franking marks, the printing of which is controlled by the first computer.

The German patent application DE 102 11 728 AI discloses a method and an apparatus for picking goods. In this case, order-picking containers are transported to order-picking areas under computer control, with a warehouse management control unit transmitting order data to a material flow control computer and the material flow control computer driving destinations of the order picking containers in this way controls that the picking containers are transported to picking areas in which goods to be picked are located.

The international patent application with the publication number WO 00/34899 AI discloses an automated auction process. In this auction process, bidding information from bidders is automatically compared with one another, the maximum price offered by the bidders being determined.

Presentation of the invention

The invention has for its object to further develop a generic method so that goods can be made available in the mail items.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in connection with the preamble of patent claim 1 by the following steps:

Receiving electronic order data;

Separation of the order data in. Address information of a recipient and a goods identification code;

Provision of the address information in a form that can be linked to the goods;

- Linking the goods with the address information and

Delivery of the goods linked to the address information as a postal consignment. It is expedient to carry out the method in such a way that the goods identification code is transmitted to a warehouse management control unit.

A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is distinguished by the fact that, based on the address information of the recipient, a postage paid note is generated.

The term "franking mark" is in no way to be understood as restrictive. According to the invention, it encompasses both known types of franking as well as other notes which enable the mailings to be forwarded further or which provide evidence of a charge for the mailing of the mailpiece. In particular, the term “franking mark” thus also includes posting slips for mail items.

It is also expedient for the order data to be stored in a transaction computer.

This embodiment of the invention enables an even more flexible use of the method and a further increase in the degree of automation.

A particularly preferred embodiment of this is characterized in that the transaction computer carries out an automated comparison between an inventory of goods and one or more existing orders.

It is also expedient that the warehouse management control unit transmits the order data to a material flow control computer and that the material flow control Computer controls a material flow in such a way that the goods and / or further goods are placed in the picking container and / or directly in a transport container intended for dispatch as a mail item.

An equally advantageous embodiment of the invention is achieved in that the transaction computer controls an automated auction process.

It is also advantageous to carry out the method in such a way that the transaction computer automatically transmits the address information of the customer who submitted the highest bid in the auction process to a computer of a seller offering goods for auction.

A combination between the franking mark and the address details is particularly advantageous.

In particular, it is expedient to generate the franking information as disclosed in German patents DE 100 20 561 C2, DE 100 20 563 C2 and DE 100 20 566 C2.

The introduction of a recipient's address information as described in these patents has several advantages. For example, this makes it possible to ensure that the franking marks are secure against forgery and to automatically check the authenticity of the franking marks.

A preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a system and a method for franking letters and parcels, the franking system with a merchandise manager Shaft system is connected in which shipping status and address information is stored.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the system and the method are equipped in such a way that the franking or freight marking of the shipment is controlled by the buyer of a goods who is identical to or determines the recipient of the shipment receiving the goods in whole or in part.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, franking systems are used which are simultaneously used as addressing systems. Thus, by coupling to an address or merchandise management system, address information can be transferred to the franking system, which information is printed out, for example, in a common printing process with the franking.

If the franking requires the inclusion of elements of the recipient address, e.g. In the case of digital franking types such as PC franking, the required address elements can be transferred to the franking system by coupling.

If post or logistics companies require or honor a pre-sorting of the consignments delivered for transport, this can be achieved by linking an inventory management system to a franking system by using sorting-relevant address (e.g. postcode) and consignment information (e.g. dimensions / weight).

With the introduction of digital franking methods, such as PC franking (2001) or the digital sender lung (2003), new possibilities for system and process integration are opened.

A combination of the invention with other digital franking methods is also possible. The following illustration based on the particularly preferred PC franking is only to be understood as an example.

This representation is also applicable to other digital franking methods.

The digital franking methods in which information about the recipient address is incorporated in the franking mark are particularly advantageous, although in principle other digital franking methods can also be used.

For example, PC franking enables the franking and addressing process to be merged. On the one hand, there is the advantageous possibility of franking and addressing in one

To carry out the step and thus save the separate process step of applying a franking, for example in the form of free stamping or sticking on a stamp. In addition, the common franking and addressing is used by a computer system to ensure that parts of the address are included in the franking to increase franking security. With PC franking, for example, the postcode and six letters or numbers from street, house number or post office box are transferred to the machine-readable matrix code of the franking. By cryptographically securing the data content of the machine-readable matrix code, the information contained within the framework of the postal payment assurance can be used to check the authenticity of the franking.

In a particularly expedient embodiment of the invention, the use of PC franking leads to considerable process optimization if the autonomous franking process e.g. in a post office. If the possibilities of system integration are used and mailings or letters are directly franked in one step in the computer-assisted creation, then there is no need for a separate post office for outgoing mail.

The example of PC franking is suitable for realizing a particularly advantageous system integration. If the recipient's address information required for the computer-aided creation of the consignment or letter is not entered manually via a word processing system, but is taken from an electronic address book, the interaction of text processing, address book and franking system can significantly simplify processes in the case of individual mailings , If serial letters are created on the basis of address information from an electronic address list, series frankings can even be carried out.

If the franking system is connected to a system that creates a shipment, such as an ERP system with e.g. Quotation or invoice creation module is coupled, frankings can be generated directly from the inventory management system by the necessary when printing shipments

Address information is passed to the franking created at the same time. The example of PC franking shows that the integration of the franking in a more extensive mailing process cancels the autonomy of the classic franking, but it offers overarching advantages by being embedded in a larger process. Significant process advantages arise in particular through the indirect coupling of the franking system via a word processing system to an address database or through the direct coupling of the franking system to an ERP system.

In the course of the increasing integration of systems for the creation of shipments, merchandise management, franking as well as further systems of suppliers and end customers, a development is currently taking place that cancels the autonomy of the franking process in certain areas and embeds it in the process of creating the shipment.

The embedding of the franking has the consequence that the franking becomes a module controlled by the merchandise management system of the sender. Implemented in software, this means that the franking procedure with the transfer of required parameters is called up by the ERP system and the result of the franking is received and processed by the ERP system. As a result of the fact that the entire control is carried out by the ERP system, the actual printing process for applying the franking mark is often also omitted as part of the franking. With solutions such as PC franking or DV franking, this is generated as a data record in the franking module and reported back to the ERP system. Only the ERP system controls the joint printout of the actual letter, the printout of the recipient's address and the printout of the franking mark only in one printing process. Depending on the type of franking, the parameters that are transferred from the ERP system to the franking module are information that flows into a part of the franking mark that can be read in plain text and / or into a machine-readable part, or from which the required information can be obtained. For example, methods are known in which the ERP system specifies one of the most important parameters of a franking, the franking value, and transfers it to the franking module. On the other hand, there are also "intelligent" franking modules, which determine the franking value of the mail item itself on the basis of transferred mail parameters such as dimensions and weight.

Another peculiarity of modern digital franking systems such as PC franking, DV franking and digital sender franking is that non-postal information can usually be included in the machine-readable portion of a franking mark. This non-postal data can be used, for example, to insert sorting information into the franking mark for the sender, which enables the sender to "recognize" the mail item even after it has been completed and franked by reading out the machine-readable franking note and appropriately sort and deliver. A further use of the non-postal data can be to embed such information that, for example in the case of non-delivery, allows the sender to take appropriate steps without opening the returned item.

All franking processes - regardless of whether the franking is created autonomously in the traditional way or whether it is embedded in a comprehensive process of shipment creation in the course of system integration - are characterized by the fact that they are linear processes that begin with the sender of a shipment and end with the recipient of the shipment. This fact is important because there are new opportunities to map closed ring processes, particularly in the area of electronic system integration.

Ring processes are characterized by the fact that the trigger of a process is also the one to which the result of the process significantly affects. The electronic mapping of ring processes was made possible by the networking of systems from different actors. The advent of the Internet in particular promoted the possibility of technically simple and consistent networking between central systems (servers) and a large number of customer systems (usually clients).

A device according to the invention which is particularly suitable for carrying out the method is distinguished by the combination of the following features:

Means for receiving address information and a commodity identification code identifying a commodity; means for storing the address information and the goods identification code; a means of linking the goods with the address information and a means of linking the goods with the address information.

A particularly preferred embodiment of this device is characterized in that the means for linking the goods to the address information is a printer.

Another equally advantageous embodiment of the device is designed in such a way that the means for linking the goods to the address information is a transmitter that is designed such that it can transmit the address information to a transponder that can be connected to the goods.

The transponders that can be connected to the goods can have different shapes. Miniaturizable transponders are particularly suitable here. Such transponders preferably represent simple-to-produce electronic circuits with a transmitting and / or receiving unit. In particularly expedient embodiments, these transponders do not have their own energy supply, but are activated by short-term energy supply, in particular in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

Further advantages, special features and expedient further developments of the invention result from the subclaims and the following illustration of preferred exemplary embodiments with the aid of the figures.

From the drawings shows

Fig. 1: A flow chart of a shipment creation with a separate franking step; 2 shows a block diagram of a method according to the invention with a franking step integrated in the creation and addressing of the mail item;

3: a basic principle of a ring process used according to the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a basic illustration of a development of the ring process shown in FIG. 3 to form linked ring processes.

In particularly preferred examples, the ring processes are characterized in that the first process step z. B. from the customer of an online shop, from the prospect of a property or from the prospect of a product to be auctioned. Unlike traditional business models, it is a customer or prospect who initiates an electronic process that has a direct impact on a provider's electronic management system. Without the participation of the provider, a customer stores his complete master data in the administration system of the provider, expresses interest in buying or offers at an auction.

By integrating the system of the customer (client) and the system of the provider (server), the customer ultimately controls the merchandise management system of a provider from whom he expects services. If these services are finally provided by the provider and the provider also gives the customer an electronic notification of this, the circle called the ring process closes. The following figure shows such a ring process. Ring processes of this type are also referred to as "order-o-delivery" processes because there is an uninterrupted electronic (ring) process chain from the customer-initiated process start (order, order) to the fulfillment of the service (delivery, delivery). electronic

Order-to-delivery ring processes are already common in many large trade organizations to order a replenishment of goods from the manufacturer.

If the customer is not an end customer, but a dealer, it is common that client systems of the dealer do not interact with server systems of the manufacturer or wholesaler, but that merchandise management systems are used on both sides. In this case, the merchandise management system initiates a ring process of ordering goods from the manufacturer or wholesaler and also receives the delivery status electronically when the goods are delivered.

This results in the possibility of chaining

Ring processes that are currently being implemented by many corporate groups and trade organizations. A customer can, for example, start an initial ring process by entering an order on a system of a supplier or dealer and possibly receiving a delivery status. This system of the dealer / provider in turn orders the goods in a second electronic ring process from the system of the wholesaler, which then possibly opens a third ^" ring process for ordering from the manufacturer.

A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that frankings in the sense of an electronically mapped ring process from the recipient of a Program or initiated and / or controlled. As a result, effects of process optimization can also be applied to the area of franking.

The method is expediently carried out in such a way that the control takes place via an ERP system.

It is advantageous that the shipping status maintained in the ERP system is used and updated for control purposes.

The method is expediently carried out in such a way that the system of the recipient which triggers the franking process, the merchandise management system of the provider and the franking system for electronic data exchange are connected to one another via data networks.

It is expedient that the recipient of a consignment controls the franking by specifying the desired postal service provider or the desired postal service.

It is advantageous that the franking system offers the recipient interactively selectable alternatives with regard to the postal service provider or the postal service.

It is expedient that the recipient of a consignment controls the franking by transmitting postal and recipient-related information to the franking system.

It is advantageous that the franking system determines the completeness and correctness of the postal and recipient-related information and transmits the result to the recipient. It is expedient that the recipient of a consignment controls the franking by triggering or authorizing the franking.

An advantageous embodiment of the method and a preferred embodiment of the system are characterized in that the franking system works asynchronously using the intermediate merchandise management system as a buffer.

It is expedient that the franking system notifies the recipient that the franking has been carried out.

It is advantageous that the franking values arising in the context of the franking are accounted for and processed in the ERP system.

Further advantages and useful peculiarities of the inventions result from the subclaims and the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, customers of an online auction house can buy the goods, control or influence the franking when the goods are sent.

For this purpose, the merchandise management and administration system of the online auction house, which is developed as an auction system, is connected to the mailing system of the shipper. Frankie-irrelevant information can be entered and selected by the customer. Selected frankings are activated and taken into account from a financial point of view in the auction system. For the sender of the goods, this integration means that frankings can be created together with address labels or addressed letters / invoices, without the need for the franking to be specifically determined by the sender. This acceptance of franking activities by the recipient simplifies and speeds up the sending process.

The illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention are only to be understood as examples and show the various possible uses of data links used according to the invention.

Claims

Claims:

1. Method for creating a mail item, whereby job data for a mail item to be printed and / or sent is generated in an order component, the following steps are carried out: receiving electronic order data;

- Separation of the order data into address information of a recipient and a goods identification code identifying a product;

Provision of the address information in a form that can be linked to the goods;

Linking the goods with the address information and

Delivery of the goods linked to the address information as a postal consignment.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, which also means that a franking mark is generated taking into account the address information of the recipient.

3. The method according to one or both of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the order data are stored in a transaction computer.

4. The method according to claim 3, so that the transaction computer carries out an automated comparison between an inventory of goods and an order or several existing orders.

5. The method according to one or both of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that a warehouse management control unit transmits the order data to a material flow control computer, and that the material flow control computer controls a material flow in such a way that the goods and / or further goods are placed in order picking containers and / or be introduced directly into a transport container intended for dispatch as a mail item.

6. The method according to one or more of claims 3 to 5, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the transaction computer controls an automated auction process.

7. The method according to claim 6, so that the transaction computer automatically transmits the address information of the customer who submitted the highest bid in the auction process to a computer of a seller offering goods for auction.

Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that that a franking mark for the mail item is generated automatically.

9. The method according to claim 8, so that the generation of the franking mark is controlled by the warehouse management control unit.

10. The method according to claim 8, so that the generation of the franking mark is controlled by a computer of the recipient.

11. The method according to one or more of claims 8 to 10, so that the franking is notified to the recipient that the franking has been carried out.

12.Device for creating a mail item, g e k e n n z e i c h n e t d u r c h the combination of the following features:

- A means for receiving address information and a commodity identification code identifying a commodity;

- means for storing the address information and the goods identification code; - a means of linking the goods with the address information and

- a means of linking the goods with the address Information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, d a d u r c h g e k e n n e z e i c h n e t that the means for linking the goods with the address information is a printer.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, so that the means for linking the goods to the address information is a transmitter that is designed to transmit the address information to a transponder that can be connected to the goods.