GB2439164A

GB2439164A - Laser cancellation of postage stamps

Info

Publication number: GB2439164A
Application number: GB0707374A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rohan Kanishka Ananda A Hewage
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-05-17
Filing date: 2007-04-05
Publication date: 2007-12-19
Also published as: GB2438280A; GB0707374D0; WO2007132349B1; WO2007132350A2; GB0610301D0; WO2007132350A3; WO2007132347A1; WO2007132349A1; GB0707373D0

Abstract

A method of processing postal items in which a postage stamp 13 includes a dye which changes colour when subjected to a low power CO2 laser 14. The colour change results in a mark 11, indicating cancellation of the postage stamp 13.

Description

1 2439164 Method and apparatus for cancellation of postage stamps This

Invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing Items of mall. In prior art technology, automated mall processing machinery is designed for high speed culling, facing and cancelling and In these phases of operation letters culled-out of Incoming malt, are faced to a standard position and then have the postage stamps evaluated and cancelled. The mail Items are then directed to another machine (automated address reading machine) which reads the address and imprints a machine readable address postal code induding Information of post code of address for the onward direction of the postal items. Postal items which cannot be handled In this way at high speed are diverted for manual processing.

The concept of cancellation of postage stamps wIth Ultraviolet (UV) radiation was disdosed In US patent 3,995,741 Henderson In 1976.

Us 3,995,741 Henderson method Is focused on relieving three colours, representing the destination code, embedded In a postage stamp or similar attachment with IN radiation. This Invention has been derived from US 2,609,928 and US 3,105,908 which are explain the use of UV radiation to activate the code sensing apparatus, US 3,488,511 and Us 3,745,527 on application of colour code directly to the postage stamp for destination coding purposes. This US 3,995,741 Henderson invention explains the combination of these to mark a colour code revealed by UV radiation to designate three colour destination codes readable to a colour code reader.

The teachings In the above patent impose few problems making it difficult to use In practical application.

1. The natural sunlight contains UV and the exposure of postage stamps to natural sunlight inItiates the colour changing process. To overcome above UV sensitive * stamps are expected to be handled safeguarding against sunlight and practically general public cannot be expected to be so vigIlant with a commodity item like a postage stamp. Even at lower dosage of UV sensitive dye, the postage stamps tend to change colour and cancel themselves over time (aging).

2. If the sensitivity of UV reactive dye was reduced to avoid such colour change, the responsive tIme at cancellation equipment increases and the rate of cancellation drastically falls down. In addition, an exceptionally powerful IN light has to be used in the radiation equipment.

In the present invention, to overtome above drawbacks, CO2 laser is used and this makes it different from US 3,995,741 Henderson invention.

In CA2279666A1 also explains the use of CO2 laser in cancellation of postage stamps by buming/ semi-burning the exposed area. Bum or semi-bum with CO2 laser is the basis of CA2279666A1 Invention. The major drawback of this invention on practical application Is that it is difficult to target only the postage stamp to radiation. Thus the envelope area surrounding the postage stamp 5 is also gets the burning effect.

The high speed operation of machine has not permitted practical application of such high accuracy on target. The marred envelope area 6 may be the area needed for imprinting the machine readable address postal code 7 during the next phase of mail processing, by automated address reading machine. This machine readable address postal code contains information of post code. Thus the machine readable address postal code 8 becomes unusable as It is cluttered with CO2 laser burn marks requiring it to be manually address sorted.

This major drawback Is explained and Illustrated In given figures.

Figure 1: shows a, b, c and d, square letters are running on belt, according to four possible orientations, to be cancelled by a high power CO2 laser beam.

Figure 2: shows the high power CO2 laser beam bum marks on the postage stamps and surrounding envelop areas 6.

These cancelled letters are collected in different pockets 1, 2, 3 and 4, according to the orientations of a, b, c and d square letters.

To be sent to the next automated address reading machine, to read the post code of address and imprint the address postal code, which indudes the Information about post code of address, the square letters are to be arranged, manually in bulk, as below.

The letters with the orientation of square letter a collected in, say In pocket 1, turned by 90 clockwIse, The letters with the orientation of square letter b collected In, say in pocket 2, turned by 180 , The letters with the orientation of square letter c collected in, say in pocket 3, turned by 90 anti-clockwise, The letters with the orientation of square letter d collected in, say in pocket 4, as they are packed for the next phase.

FIgure 3: shows the cancelled Items of mall such arranged, with the addresses 9 in a vertical position, for feeding Into the automated address reading machine, corresponding to a, b, c and ci.

FIgure 4: shows the corresponding a, b, C, d oriented letters after imprinting the machine readable address postal codes which contains information of post code of address.

Out of a, b, c and d square letters, only b and d have the machine readable address postal codes 7, are imprinted on an area, unspoilt by high power CO2 laser. The square letters of a and c have their machine readable address postal codes 8, are imprinted on an area marred by high power CO2 laser.

Thus 50% of the square letters would get rejected at, the stage of automated address reading machine, because these imprinted address postal codes 8 on a and c square letters, are unreadable. These letters are needed to be manually address sorted.

The second drawback possible to observe is the significantly high cost of high power CO2 laser machine compared to low power CO2 laser machine.

To overcome these major drawbacks, present Invention uses low power CO2 laser which Is not strong enough to burn the postage stamp as well as the envelope area surrounding the postage stamp, avoiding the risk of obscuring the address or marring the area, which is needed for imprinting the machine readable address postal code. Therefore this feature makes, the present invention fundamentally different from CA 2279666A1.

Figure 5: shows how cancelling unit with low power CO2 laser beam control mechanism 10 directIng a low power CO2 laser beam 14 on a postage stamp 13 and making an Imprint on it. The postage stamp after cancellation 11 Is Imprinted, so that it Is dearly visible as a cancelled postage stamp. The surrounding envelope area 12, after the cancellation process, does not have any bum marks. The items of mali (envelopes) are mechanically moved across the cancellation mechanism 10.

To create the marking on the postage stamp or its equivalent, by the low power CO2 laser, an IrreversIble CO2 laser reactive dye Is applied on it or the postal stamp is made induding a CO2 laser reactive agent. Especially, this dye has to be non-reactive to UV, making It exposable to normal sunlight, environmental heat or any other environmental condition without creating a handling restriction for the general public.

FIgure 6: shows a postage stamp 13 and its low power CO2 laser reactive dye area 16 which appears on a part of the postage stamp.

Figure 7: shows a postage stamp 13 and Its low power CO2 laser reactive dye area which appears all over the surface of the postage stamp (an alternate to fig.6).

In this invention, a permanent impression mark is resulted only on the postage stamp or its equivalent.

In cancellation a postage stamp or an equivalent, any machine readable or identifiable property available on It, preferably a code is distorted or changed, so that the postage stamp or an equivalent could be Identifiable to the naked eye or the machine as already cancelled.

Other important aspect of present invention is that the response time of the low power C02 laser reactive dye to low power C02 laser is very much tower than reaction time of UV sensitive dyes under UV light exposure. Thus Improving the cancellation speed enabled it to be used In commercial applications.

Further to that, this mechanism may be used to create a dear and sharp pre-defined impression as selected by the cancelling authority whereas the UV is capable of creating a smudged Image. This pre-defined Impression by low power CO2 laser could be changed or modified easily, within very short time as wish by the user (e.g. during the Christmas, a Christmas tree could be used as the pre-defined Impression).

Claims

Claims: 1. A method of handling mail, affixed with a postage stamp or a

marking for such an item equivalent to such a stamp, which is sensitive to C02 laser, exposing to CO2 laser resulting a permanent colour change, and making the postage stamp (or an equivalent) cancelled with a pre-defined impression.

2. A postage stamp (or an equivalent) according to daim 1, wherein contains a dye which is not reactive to any source of Ultraviolet (UV).

3. A postage stamp (or an equivalent) according to any preceding daim 1 to 2, wherein contains a dye which covers all over the postage stamp surface or a part of the postage stamp surface.

S. Wherein the CO2 laser according to any preceding daim 1 to 3, is low power, not strong enough to burn the postage stamp, postage stamp surface, envelope or envelope surface surrounding the postage stamp due to exposure.

5. A postage stamp (or an equivalent) according to any preceding claim 1 to 4, wherein contains a dye which Is not reactive to environmental heat or any other condition In environment.

6. Wherein the pre-defined Impression according to any preceding daim 1 to 5, could be changed or modified easIly as wish by the user.

7. A postage stamp (or an equivalent) according to any preceding daim 1 to 6, wherein the distortion or change of the property Is machine readable or identifiable.

8. A postage stamp (or an equivalent) according to any preceding daim 1 to 7, whereIn the distortion or change of property defines the state of postage stamp or an equivalent, as used or new.

9. A postage stamp (or an equivalent) according to any preceding dalm 1 to 8, in which the distortion or change in property is visible to the naked eye to identify the state of the postage stamp or an equivalent as new or used.