JP2005107857A - Mail delivery system, multifunctional printer, mail delivery method, and mail delivery program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mail delivery system improving the convenience of a sender and a receiver, and capable of improving the work efficiency of a postal service company. <P>SOLUTION: The mail delivery system delivering mail prepared by the sender to a post office near the receiver by using a communication means is provided with an address database storing a postal code in association with a network address of a printer for printing mail, a means for acquiring the writing face information of mail, a means for specifying a destination postal code of the mail, a means for referring to the address database to acquire a network address associated with the destination postal code, a means for sending the writing face information to the acquired network address, and the printer receiving and printing the received writing face information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a postal delivery system that delivers postal items created using a multi-function printer (MFP).

It is possible to send an e-mail by simply writing a document on paper or the like by hand without using a keyboard, and send the document by fax to a post office or an equivalent postal business operator, or There is known an information transmission system capable of electronically transmitting a document to a post office or a postal service provider in a transmission destination area without bringing it in (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-209658 A

  However, in the apparatus shown in Patent Document 1, the sender and recipient must possess means for sending and receiving e-mail such as a personal computer, and the postal items and postboxes received via e-mail also for the post office. Since the processing work is different from the postal mail posted on the mail, there is a problem that the business efficiency of sorting and delivery deteriorates.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is intended to improve the convenience of the sender and the recipient, and to improve the work efficiency of the mail carrier, a mail delivery system, a multifunction printer device, An object is to provide a postal delivery method and a postal delivery program.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a postal delivery system for delivering a postal matter created by a sender to a post office close to the recipient using communication means, the network address of the printing device for printing the postal matter and the mail An address database in which numbers are pre-associated and stored; means for obtaining page information of the postal matter; means for specifying a destination postal code of the postal matter; and referring to the address database, the destination mail A means for acquiring a network address associated with the number; a means for transmitting the sheet information to the acquired network address; and a printing device for receiving and printing the transmitted sheet information. And

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the postal delivery system comprises means for inputting a postal type of the postal matter, a classification database in which classification identification information is stored in advance for each postal code and postal type, and the classification database. Referring to the means for obtaining the classification identification information corresponding to the destination postal code and the inputted postal type, and outputting the mail printed by the printing apparatus based on the classification identification information And a means.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided communication means for communicating with another device via a network, means for obtaining paper space information of a mail piece, means for specifying a destination zip code of the mail piece, and the destination It is characterized by comprising means for acquiring a network address associated with a postal code, and means for transmitting the page information to a device having the acquired network address via the communication means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication unit that communicates with another device via a network, a unit that receives the page information of a mail piece via the communication unit, and a printing unit that prints the page information. It is characterized by comprising.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the network address and the zip code of the printing device for printing the mail are previously set in order to deliver the mail created by the sender to the post office close to the recipient using the communication means. A postal delivery method in a postal delivery system comprising an address database stored in association and a printing device for printing the postal matter, the process of obtaining page information of the postal matter, and a destination of the postal matter A step of identifying a postal code, a step of referring to the address database, acquiring a network address associated with the destination postal code, a step of transmitting the page information to the acquired network address, and transmitting Receiving the printed page information, and printing the page information by the printing apparatus.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the postal delivery system further includes a classification database in which classification identification information is stored in advance for each zip code and postal type, and a process of inputting the postal type of the postal item, and the classification Referring to a database, obtaining classification identification information corresponding to the destination postal code and the inputted postal classification, and outputting a printed postal item based on the classification identification information; It further has these.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the network address and the zip code of the printing device for printing the mail are previously set in order to deliver the mail created by the sender to the post office close to the recipient using the communication means. A postal delivery program operating on a postal delivery system comprising an address database stored in association and a printing device for printing the postal matter, a process for obtaining paper information of the postal matter, A process for specifying a destination postal code of an object, a process for acquiring a network address associated with the destination postal code with reference to the address database, and a process for transmitting the page information to the acquired network address Receiving the transmitted page information and causing the printing apparatus to print the page information. And it features.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the postal delivery system further includes a classification database in which classification identification information is stored in advance for each zip code and postal type, the process of inputting the postal type of the postal matter, and the classification A process of acquiring classification identification information corresponding to the destination postal code and the inputted postal type with reference to a database, and a process of outputting a printed postal matter based on the classification identification information; Is further performed by a computer.

  According to the present invention, the convenience of the sender and the recipient can be improved, and the work efficiency of the mail carrier can be improved. In particular, electronic delivery is possible even if the sender and recipient do not have a computer or other device, and it is also possible for the post office to carry out delivery work by separating it from ordinary mail.

  Hereinafter, a mail delivery system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an MFP installed in a convenience store or the like. Reference numeral 2 denotes a management server that manages e-mail addresses. Reference numeral 3 denotes an MFP installed in the post office. Reference numeral 4 denotes the Internet, and a personal computer 5 can be connected to the Internet 4. Here, it is assumed that the personal computer 5 is owned by the sender. Reference numeral N denotes a computer network (hereinafter simply referred to as a network), to which an Internet 4, two MFPs (convenience stores) 1, one MFP (post office) 3, and a management server 2 are connected. In FIG. 2, only two MFPs (convenience stores) 1 and one MFP (post office) 3 are shown for the sake of simplicity, but more MFPs are connected to the network N. May be.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the MFP 1 installed in a convenience store or the like will be described. Reference numeral 11 denotes a control unit that supervises mail processing. Reference numeral 12 denotes a scanner capable of reading a color image. Reference numeral 13 denotes a printer that prints mail. Reference numeral 14 denotes an input unit including a keyboard or the like. Reference numeral 15 denotes a data reading unit that reads document data recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Reference numeral 16 denotes a document memory for temporarily storing document data. Reference numeral 17 denotes a management information memory for storing management information necessary for processing document data as mail. Reference numeral 18 denotes a billing processing unit that performs billing in response to a mail delivery request. Reference numeral 19 denotes a communication unit that communicates with other devices via the network N.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the management server 2 will be described. Reference numeral 21 denotes an address search unit that searches for an e-mail address of a post office corresponding to the destination postal code. Reference numeral 22 is an address database in which an electronic mail address of a post office corresponding to a destination postal code is defined and stored in advance. Reference numeral 23 denotes a communication unit that performs communication with other devices via the network N.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the MFP 3 installed in the post office will be described. Reference numeral 31 denotes a control unit that supervises mail processing. Reference numeral 32 denotes a printer that prints mail. Reference numeral 33 denotes a sorter for sorting mails printed by the printer 32. Reference numeral 34 denotes a sorting database in which grouping identification information for each zip code or postal type is defined and stored in advance in order to sort mail items by the sorter 33. Reference numeral 35 denotes a mail memory that temporarily stores received mail data. Reference numeral 36 denotes a communication unit that performs communication with other devices via the network N.

Here, a method for delivering mail using the mail delivery system shown in FIG. 1 will be described. There are the following three options for the method of sending the mail by the sender.
(1) A method of transmitting document data and destination information created using application software on the personal computer 5 to the MFP 1 via the Internet 4.
(2) A method in which document data and destination information previously created using application software on the personal computer 5 are recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and brought to a convenience store in which the MFP 1 is installed.
(3) A method of bringing the document contents written in advance on a medium such as paper into a convenience store in which the MFP 1 is installed.
The sender can arbitrarily select one of these three methods and send out the mail.

  Next, the operation of each apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the control unit 11 acquires electronic data of a document that the sender wants to send as mail. At this time, if the document is recorded on the recording medium as electronic data, the electronic data is read from the data reading unit 15 (step S1) and stored in the document memory 16 (step S4). Further, the control unit 11 displays a management information input instruction message on a display (not shown). In response to this, the sender inputs the destination (address, postal code, address) and postal type (express delivery, registered mail, etc.) from the input unit 14. The control unit 11 stores the destination information and postal type information input from the input unit 14 in the management information memory 17. However, if the address and address are included in the document data, it is not necessary to input them, and only the postal code need be input.

  When the document is transmitted via the Internet 4, the control unit 11 receives electronic data via the communication unit 19 (step S2). Then, the control unit 11 checks whether the received electronic data includes destination information and postal type information, and if not, notifies the sender that the electronic data is incomplete by electronic mail. . On the other hand, if there is no deficiency in the electronic data, the control unit 11 extracts the document data from the electronic data and stores it in the document memory 16 (step S4). Further, the destination information and the postal type information are stored in the management information memory 17.

  If the content of the document is written on paper, the control unit 11 reads the content of the paper surface with the scanner 12 (step S3), and stores the read content in the document memory 16 as document data (step S4). The paper surface to be read here is preferably a postcard, and the paper surface to be read as document data is both the front surface and the back surface. In addition, a postal code, an address, and an address must be written on the surface of the postcard in the same manner as a normal postcard. The control unit 11 extracts a zip code area from the image data read by the scanner 12, and identifies the zip code of the destination by image recognition of the zip code. Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the postal code can be specified (step S5). If the postal code cannot be specified, an instruction message for inputting the postal code is displayed on a display (not shown). In response, the sender inputs the postal code from the input unit 14 (step S6). This process (steps S5 and S6) is executed only when the scanner 12 reads the contents of the page. Further, the control unit 11 displays an instruction message for inputting the postal type. In response to this, the sender inputs the postal type from the input unit 14. Subsequently, the control unit 11 stores the destination information and the postal type information input from the input unit 14 in the management information memory 17.

  In FIG. 2, steps S1, S2, and S3 are not executed simultaneously in parallel, but one of the processes is executed once according to one method selected by the sender. When the processing up to this point is completed, the document memory 16 stores document data as postal items, and the management information memory 17 stores at least the zip code.

  Next, the control unit 11 reads the zip code stored in the management information memory 17 and transmits an address search request including this zip code to the management server 2. The address search unit 21 receives this address search request. In response to this, the address search unit 21 extracts the zip code included in the address search request. Then, the address search unit 21 reads out the e-mail address of the post office (post office where the postal item having this postal code should be delivered) corresponding to this postal code from the address database 22, and searches for the e-mail address by address search. As a response to the request, the address search request is returned to the MFP (here, MFP1). As a result, the MFP 1 obtains an e-mail address corresponding to the postal code (step S7).

  Next, the control unit 11 sends an e-mail attached with the document data stored in the document memory 16 and the destination information and postal type information stored in the management information memory 17 to the acquired e-mail address. Transmit (step S8). When the transmission is completed, the control unit 11 notifies the billing processing unit 18 of the size (data amount) of the data attached to the e-mail. In response to this, the charge processing unit 18 calculates a charge according to the scale of the data, and displays the billed amount on the display. The clerk at the convenience store looks at this display and charges the sender for this amount. In addition, when the collection data is input via the Internet 4, the billing is settled by a predetermined settlement method.

  Next, the document data, the destination information, and the postal type information transmitted from the MFP 1 are received by the MFP 3 installed in the post office (step S 9) and temporarily stored in the postal matter memory 35. In response to this, the control unit 31 reads the postal type and postal code from the data stored in the postal matter memory 35. And the control part 31 reads the grouping identification number corresponding to a mail classification and a postal code from a classification database. Subsequently, the control unit 31 reads out the document data stored in the postal matter memory 35, outputs this document data to the printer 32, and outputs the grouping identification number to the sorter 33. At this time, if the address and address are stored in the mail memory 35, the control unit 31 also outputs the address and address information to the printer 32. In response, the printer 32 prints the document data (step S10). At this time, the printer 32 prints the postal code at a predetermined position, and when the address and address information is also output from the control unit 31, the address and address are printed at the predetermined position. If the address and address information are not output from the control unit 31, the address and address are printed as a partial image of the document. Further, the sorter 33 outputs the printed document to the output shelf corresponding to the grouping identification number output from the control unit 31.

  As a result of this operation, postal items classified by postal code and postal type are output to the output shelf of the sorter 33. In addition, since the output mail is output in a state similar to that of a normal postcard, subsequent delivery operations can be performed as with normal mail.

Note that all the MFPs 1 installed in a convenience store or the like may be installed in a post office. Further, the address database 22 may be included in each MFP, and the management server 2 may not be provided.
In the above description, a postcard has been described as an example. However, if a postal device is provided with a sealing device, it can also be applied to sealed mail processing.

  Further, a mail delivery process is performed by recording a program for realizing the function of the processing unit in FIG. 1 on a computer-readable recording medium, causing the computer system to read and execute the program recorded on the recording medium. May be performed. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices. The “computer system” includes a WWW system having a homepage providing environment (or display environment). The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In addition, those holding programs for a certain period of time are also included.

  The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the “transmission medium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, and what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... MFP (convenience store)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Control part 12 ... Scanner 13 ... Printer 14 ... Input part 15 ... Data reading part 16 ... Document memory 17 ... Management information memory 18 ... Charge processing part 19 ... Communication unit 2 ... Management server 21 ... Address search unit 22 ... Address database 23 ... Communication unit 3 ... MFP (post office)
31: Control unit 32 ... Printer 33 ... Sorter 34 ... Sorting database 35 ... Mail storage 36 ... Communication unit

Claims (8)

A postal delivery system for delivering postal items created by a sender to a post office close to the recipient using communication means,
An address database in which a network address of a printing device that prints mail and a postal code are stored in association with each other;
Means for obtaining page information of the postal matter;
Means for identifying the postal code of the postal item;
Means for referencing the address database to obtain a network address associated with the destination zip code;
Means for transmitting the page information to the acquired network address;
A postal delivery system comprising: a printing device that receives and prints the transmitted page information. The postal delivery system includes:
Means for inputting a postal type of the mail;
A classification database in which classification identification information is stored in advance for each zip code and postal type;
Means for referring to the classification database to obtain classification identification information corresponding to the destination postal code and the inputted postal type;
The mail delivery system according to claim 1, further comprising: means for sorting and outputting the mail matter printed by the printing device based on the sorting identification information. Communication means for communicating with other devices via a network;
Means for obtaining postal information on the paper;
Means for identifying the postal code of the postal item;
Means for obtaining a network address associated with the destination zip code;
A multifunction printer apparatus comprising: means for transmitting the page information to a device having an acquired network address via the communication means. Communication means for communicating with other devices via a network;
Means for receiving the page information of the postal matter via the communication means;
A multifunction printer apparatus comprising: a printing unit that prints the page information. An address database in which a network address of a printing device that prints mail and a postal code are stored in association with each other in order to deliver the mail created by the sender to the post office close to the recipient using the communication means; , A postal delivery method in a postal delivery system comprising a printing device for printing the postal matter,
Obtaining paper information of the postal matter;
Identifying a destination zip code of the mail item;
Referring to the address database to obtain a network address associated with the destination zip code;
A process of transmitting the page information to the acquired network address;
Receiving the transmitted page information, and printing the page information by the printing apparatus. The postal delivery system further includes a classification database in which classification identification information is stored in advance for each zip code and postal type,
Entering the postal type of the mail item;
Referring to the classification database, obtaining classification identification information corresponding to the destination postal code and the input postal type;
6. The postal delivery method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of sorting and outputting the printed mail based on the sorting identification information. An address database in which a network address of a printing device that prints mail and a postal code are stored in association with each other in order to deliver the mail created by the sender to the post office close to the recipient using the communication means; A postal delivery program that operates on a postal delivery system comprising a printing device for printing the postal matter,
Processing for obtaining page information of the postal matter;
A process of identifying a destination zip code of the mail,
Processing for obtaining a network address associated with the destination zip code with reference to the address database;
Processing for transmitting the page information to the acquired network address;
A postal delivery program which causes a computer to receive the transmitted page information and print the page information by the printing apparatus. The postal delivery system further includes a classification database in which classification identification information is stored in advance for each zip code and postal type,
A process of inputting a postal type of the postal matter;
A process of referring to the classification database to obtain classification identification information corresponding to the destination postal code and the input postal type;
8. The postal delivery program according to claim 7, further comprising: causing the computer to perform a process of sorting and outputting the printed mail based on the sorting identification information.

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