GB2392747A

GB2392747A - Postable item eg a greetings card, ordered via the Internet

Info

Publication number: GB2392747A
Application number: GB0230338A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Michael Shute
Original assignee: SENDCARDSDIRECT Ltd
Current assignee: SENDCARDSDIRECT Ltd
Priority date: 2002-09-06
Filing date: 2002-12-31
Publication date: 2004-03-10
Also published as: GB0230338D0

Abstract

Means for generating a postable item include computer memory for storing a plurality of data items representing postage values and means, for example, a computer keyboard, for allowing a user to input one or more data items representing text or other human readable indicia. Control means are operable to cause a printer to print on a substrate a postable item (1) including an image (2) and/or text dependent on the data items input by the user. In the same printing operation, the printer prints on the substrate a postage value selected from the plurality of stored data items in dependence on the substrate selected and on one or more data items input by the user. This allows a franked postable item to be generated in a single operation, with the correct postage value.

Description

POSTAElLE ITEM The present invention relates to a method for producing a

postable item, for example, a greetings card, poster or art-print ordered over the Internet or computer network.

There is an increasing demand from the public to purchase and arrange delivery of goods and services of all kinds over the Internet. This includes a demand for gifts and greetings cards which are to be delivered, not to the customer, but to a third party.

10 It is at present possible to buy and send greetings cards over the lnternet. In general, this is achieved by companies who provide such services keeping a stock of standard, pre-

printed cards which can then be overprinted with a personal message eg ' Happy Birthday' from X'. The overprinted card is then mailed by the company providing the service in an envelope bearing the intended recipient's address.

This arrangement has several disadvantages. Firstly, the resulting card tends to be of poor quality because, in general, overprinting is difficult to achieve without it being apparent that a message has been added to a pre-existing item. Secondly, there is potential for cards to be misdelivered because they may have to be matched up with envelopes which 20 are separate items to which the recipients' addresses have to be applied. Further, where a company is providing a service to a wide geographical area and using cards of different sizes and weights, it is difficult to ensure that the correct amount of postage is paid before the cards are sent. A common postage value cannot be applied to all cards, even if they are all the same size and weight, because the postage value required for one destination 25 will be different to that for a card sent to another.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided means for generating a postable item, including memory means for storing a plurality of data items representing postage values, input means for allowing a user to input one or more data items 30 representing text or other human readable indicia, printer means, and control means operable to cause the printer means to print on a substrate selected from a plurality of available substrates in dependence on one or more data items input by the user a postable item bearing an image and/or text and/or other human readable indicia in dependence on the data items input by the user and, in the same printing operation, to 35 print on the substrate a postage value selected from the plurality of stored data items in dependence on the substrate selected and on one or more data items input by the user.

The invention further provides a method for generating a postable item, the method comprising storing a plurality of data items representing postage values, receiving one or 40 more data items representing text or other human readable indicia input by a user and printing on a substrate selected from a plurality of available substrates in dependence on one or more data items input by the user a postable item bearing an image and/or text and/or other human readable indicia in dependence on the data items input by the user and, in the same printing operation, a postage value selected from the plurality of stored 45 data items in dependence on the substrate selected and on one or more data items input by the user, as well as a computer programme recorded on a machine readable carrier for performing that method.

Still further, the invention provides a postable item generated according to the method 50 outlined above, the postable item comprising a substrate having printed on it an image

and/or text and/or other human readable indicia and a postage value selected from a plurality of stored data items in dependence on the substrate selected by a user and on one or more data items input by the user.

5 An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawing.

As can be seen from the drawing, a postable item in accordance with the invention may take the form of a greetings card 1. The card 1 is of conventional form in that it consists 10 of a sheet of thin card folded along a line 1 a and carries on its front an image 2. The inside ofthe card 1 (not shown) may carry either a general message, such as, 'Happy Birthday', or a personal message from the sender or both. Any text may be printed in separate areas from the image or, if preferred, be superimposed on the image.

15 Alternatively, the postable item may take the form of a poster or print which may, like the greetings card referred to above, include both an image and text, some of which may be personalized to suit the sender and/or recipient.

Although the example shown carries the image on its front face, the image or images may be printed anywhere on the card substrate.

The rear face of the card shown in the drawing differs from conventional greetings cards in that it carries the intended recipient's name and address 4 and a printed postage value 5, both of which are printed directly onto the card itself.

25 As will be described below, the card 1 is generated by means of a single printing operation after which it can be folded and inserted into either a clear plastic sleeve or a window envelope, so that the recipient's address and the postage value are clearly visible.

Both the folding operation and insertion into an envelope can be undertaken automatically by machines of a kind which are well-known for these purposes. This means that the 30 personalised and addressed card can be printed, folded and posted without the need for any human intervention at all. This results in a card of higher quality because there is no overprinting of a pre-stocked cards, and a smaller risk of misdirection because the image, the sender's personal message and the intended recipient's name and address are printed in a single unified operation. Consequently, there is no need to match up the card with a 35 separately addressed envelope. Using the method described below, the print operation also generates the required 'postage stamp' or imprint, allowing the finished article to be mailed without a separate stamping operation.

The supplier maintains, as well as a central supply of basic stationery, for example, blank 40 card suitable for printing, an electronic library of images and/or greetings. In addition, a range of possible postage imprints is stored electronically.

When a customer wishes to arrange for the sending of a greetings card, he or she is prompted to input, for example, by means of the keyboard of a personal computer, data 45 items representing the name and address of the intended recipient, and, perhaps, a personal message or greeting. Alternatively, the customer may simply select one of a plurality of standard greetings.

The customer may, typically, communicate with the supplier over the Internet or another 50 computer network but it will be appreciated that the customer input may be provided in

the supplier's own premises or those of printer to whom the system has been licensed or franchised. By inputting the necessary data items, the customer assembles a card 'profile' which 5 includes the recipient details, an image to be included on the card and a message to be printed on the card. Using this information, the system can print a complete greeting card including an image, suitably positioned on the front of the card, a message from the sender or standard greeting on the inside of the card and the recipient's name and address, in an unobtrusive position on the rear of the card so that it will be visible when the card is I O placed in a window envelope or transparent wrapper. Preferably, all of these elements are printed on a blank card substrate in a single printing operation as this results in better print quality for the finished product. However, the recipient's name and address and the chosen message or greeting may be printed onto a pre-printed image-bearing card if necessary. If the card, including the image, is printed in a single operation, then the customer may also be permitted to enter data so as to select the card size since it is a relatively simple matter to scale up or scale down images stored electronically. This data will, again, form part of the card 'profile'.

When the card profile is assembled, the system determines from the data items input by the customer how big the card is, and, hence, how much it weighs, and where it is to be sent. The latter piece of information can be determined, for example, from the zipcode or postcode forming part of the recipient's address or from a country name appearing in that 25 address. From this information, the system can determine the proper postage to be paid and can retrieve from memory the appropriate one of the range of stored postage imprints so as to print on the card or other postable item a postage mark as part of the printing operation. This postage value or imprint is chosen so that it can be read by machinery used for handling mail by the postal services. Where items are be sent overseas or by 30 special postal services, the imprint may include such wording as 'Airmail', 'Par Avion' or 'Express'.

The item, as printed, may also include other information provided by the supplier, for example, product or design number identification codes. Any of the information may be 35 printed in either human-readable form or in machine readable format, for example, as bar codes. Such information may be visible to the human eye or printed invisibly, using ink of a kind which can be read using, for example, ultraviolet or infra red radiation.

The finished, printed card may be passed through a paper-folding apparatus to form it into 40 the traditional folded card shape and can then be inserted, using known envelope -

stuffing equipment, into an envelope or wrapper having at least one transparent portion so that the recipient's name and address and the postage value are visible.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, an addressed greeting card, bearing a personal 45 message and the required postage value is generated as part of a single printing operation and can be placed in an envelope and posted quickly and efficiently, entirely automatically and without the need for human intervention or excessive handling of the card.

The system preferably generates a single electronic file which contains any or all of the following data the recipient's name and address one or more images to be printed on the finished item 5. a standard greeting selected from a range of predetermined greetings a personal message from the sender to the recipient a postage imprint appropriate to the size of the item and the recipient's address This file can be used to generate the printed file locally or, if preferred, sent electronically 10 to a local print outlet adjacent the recipient's address, so as to minimise postal charges.

Claims

( CLAIMS

1. Means for generating a postable item, including 5 memory means for storing a plurality of data items representing postage values, input means for allowing a user to input one or more data items representing text or other human readable indicia, printer means, and control means operable to cause the printer means to print on a substrate a postable item bearing an image and/or text and/or other human readable 15 indicia in dependence on the data items input by the user and, in the same printing operation, to print on the substrate a postage value selected from the plurality of stored data items in dependence on the substrate selected and on one or more data items input by the user.

20

2. Apparatus according to claim I in which the input means is capable of receiving from the user one or more data items representing the address of the intended recipient of the postable item, the control means causing text representing the address to be printed on the substrate during the printing operation.

3. Apparatus according to claim I or 2 in which the input means is capable of receiving from the user one or more data items representing a message for the intended recipient of the postable item, the control means causing text representing the said message to be printed on the substrate during the printing 30 operation.

4. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which the input means is capable of receiving from the user one or more data items representing the substrate which is to be selected from a plurality of available substrates of 35 different sizes and/or materials.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim further comprising means for inserting the printed postable item into a wrapper or envelope at least a portion of which is transparent to allow the postage value and/or the address of the 40 intended recipient printed on the postable item to be read.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the input means is remote from the control means, the input means communicating with the control means by means of the Internet or a computer network.

s

7. A method for generating a postable item, the method comprising s storing a plurality of data items representing postage values, receiving one or more data items representing text or other human readable indicia input by a user and printing on a substrate selected from a plurality of available substrates in dependence on one or more data items input by the user a postable item bearing an image and/or text and/or other human readable indicia in dependence on the data items input by the user and, in the same printing 15 operation, a postage value selected from the plurality of stored data items in dependence on the substrate selected and on one or more data items input by the user.

8. A method according to claim 7 in which one or more data items input by the 20 user represents the address of the intended recipient of the postable item' text representing the address being printed on the substrate during the printing operation.

9. A method according to claim 7 or 8 in which one or more data items input by 25 the user represents a message for the intended recipient of the postable item, text representing the said message being printed on the substrate during the printing operation.

10. Apparatus according to any of claims 7 to 9 in which one or more data items 30 input by the user represents a substrate which is to be selected from a plurality of available substrates of different sizes and/or materials.

I 1. A method according to any of claims 7 to 10 wherein the printed postable item is inserted into a wrapper or envelope at least a portion of which is 35 transparent to allow the postage value and/or the address of the intended recipient printed on the postable item to be read.

12. A computer programme recorded on a machine readable carrier for performing the method of any of claims 7 to l 1.

13. A postable item generated according to the method of claim 7, the postable item comprising a substrate having printed on it an image and/or text and/or other human readable indicia and a postage value selected from a plurality of stored data items in dependence on the substrate selected by a user and on 45 one or more data items input by the user.

14. A postable item according to claim 13 including text representing the address of the intended recipient of the postable item.

15. A postable item according to claim 13 or 14 including text representing a message for the intended recipient of the postable item.

16. A postable item according to any of claims 13 to 15 including a wrapper or 5 envelope at least a portion of which is transparent to allow the postage value and/or the address of the intended recipient printed on the postable item to be read.