WO2008080401A1

WO2008080401A1 - Method of hybrid mail distribution

Info

Publication number: WO2008080401A1
Application number: PCT/DK2007/000568
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Riis Arndt
Original assignee: Paul Riis Arndt
Priority date: 2006-12-29
Filing date: 2007-12-21
Publication date: 2008-07-10

Abstract

A method is disclosed for payment for the service of receiving, printing and mailing physical mail items by means of a computer system as well as postage may by deducting a specific amount of money or the like from a payment amount represented by a first set of payment data that may be retrieved from a computer readable storage means. This payment amount may be represented in various ways, for more complex computer readable storage means, the magnitude of the payment amount may be stored on tamper-free memory means within the storage means, where the specific amount for payment of a particular mail item is deduced from the stored magnitude and a reduced magnitude is stored on the memory means.

Description

METHOD OF HYBRID MAIL DISTRIBUTION

The present invention relates to electronic mail distribution where mail may be sent electronically from local computer systems to a remote print centre, where it may be printed and mailed by ordinary mail distribution system to a receiver.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic mail distribution systems where mail is sent electronically from one of a plurality of local user units, such as personal computers, to a central print centre, where the electronic mail is printed and forwarded to the receiver via an ordinary common mail distribution system is known from the art, where the print centre may be a local centre within the organisation of the local user units, or the print centre may be one of a plurality of local reception and print centres of different geographical locations, where the local centre for printing a specific electronic piece of mail may be selected to be the one closest to the delivery address of the mail receiver.

Such system is known from WO 2006/073819, disclosing a method, which includes executing a print-mail application on a client device to perform a print-mail process for a printable item that is selectable by the client device. A user of the client device is prompted for client- specified print-mail information, which includes recipient address information. An electronic version of the printable item and the client- specified print-mail information are sent over a network to a receiving centre. The receiving centre determines one or more destination print distribution centres based on the recipient address information. The receiving centre sends the electronic version of the printable item to the one or more destination print distribution centres. A destination print distribution centre prints a copy of the printable item. In an embodiment, the copy is inserted into an envelope for mailing to a physical recipient address. Payment for the mailing of the printable item may be made by credit card or deduced from an account established prior to use.

Another electronic mailing system is known from EP 1 667 072 which discloses a method, a system and corresponding devices for electronic transmission of mail pieces such as post cards from a plurality of local user interface posts, where an electronic version of for instance a post card can be created to a plurality of local reception and delivery centres, where a hard copy of said electronic version of a mail piece is created and subsequently delivered to an addressee. A user located at a first geographical location can purchase a post card comprising a picture of a local site of interest and using a user interface post provide this post card with a text message and additional modifications together with the mailing address of an addressee, thereby creating a modified electronic version of the post card. This electronic version is sent to a reception and delivery centre, for instance a local post office in the neighbourhood of the addressee, where a hard copy of the electronic version is created and finally delivered to the addressee. Payment for the service may be made at the user interface post by means of e.g. credit card or cash.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In order to improve the known systems and make such systems easier and more widespread applicable to users, a method is developed according to the present invention comprising the steps of connecting a computer readable data storage means to a reading means of a local computer system having a data communication connection to a public data communication network, reading a first set of payment data from said computer readable data storage means by means of the local computer system and transmitting a corresponding second set of payment data to a central computer system by means of the public data communication network, generating a set of mail item data specifying the contents and physical delivery address of the printed mail item by means of the local computer system, transmitting said generated set of mail item data to a printer computer system by means of the public data communication network, and printing the mail item by means of the printer computer system from said transmitted set of mail item data. The printed mail item may be an open post card or a letter that is put in an envelope. The delivery address will normally be printed as well and the mail item is then delivered to the delivery address by means of ordinary mail distribution systems.

Payment for the service of receiving, printing and mailing the mail item as well as postage may then be made by deducting a specific amount of money or the like from the payment amount represented by the first set of payment data that are retrieved from the computer readable storage means. This payment amount may be represented in various ways, for more complex computer readable storage means, the magnitude of the payment amount may be stored on tamper-free memory means within the storage means, where the specific amount for payment of a particular mail item is deduced from the stored magnitude and a reduced magnitude is stored on the memory means. In a simpler embodiment, the first set of payment data represents a payment amount, which is added to a payment account in the central computer system, and further payment to the account may later be made by purchasing another similar computer readable data storage means and enter it into a corresponding reader of a local computer system. Alternatively, the first set of payment data may simply represent a unique identification that opens a corresponding unique account in the central computer system allowing a certain total deduction of payment for mail items.

The computer readable storage means may e.g. be a credit card-sized memory card or other memory cards of standard sizes, a stick to be connected to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication port of the local computer system, or it may be a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. The storage means may be of a read-only type or it may in a particular embodiment be of the read/write type, so that the local computer system may store data on the computer readable storage means, e.g. an identification of the computer readable storage means and/ or the user of the system in order to prevent misuse of storage means.

By the term "public data communication network" is understood a public network, such as the so-called Internet, to which a vast number of users may have access without restrictions. Alternatively or additionally, mobile telephone communication networks or other wireless data communication networks may be employed.

With the present invention, which also includes the electronic mail distribution system operating according to the method of the invention as well as the computer readable storage means in question, it is achieved that general accessibility to such mail distribution system is facilitated, in that access may be made by anyone having purchased a computer readable storage means according to the invention and having access to a computer system connected or connectable to the public data communication network. The computer system may be a Personal Computer (PC) or the like, or it may be a portable device such as a mobile telephone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) being wireless connectable to a public data communication network.

The generated set of mail item data may in a particularly preferred embodiment comprise at least one set of image data, representing e.g. the textual matter and/ or illustrations so that the visual design of the printed mail item is controlled from the local computer system.

The method may further comprise the step of reading print-mail application data from said computer readable data storage means by means of the local computer system, wherein the generation of the set of mail item data is performed by means of a print-mail application at least partly defined at the local computer system by said print-mail application data. Thus, the computer readable data storage means may contain a computer programme product that completely or at least partly enables the local computer system to perform the method according to the present invention. Preferably, said print-mail application is constituted by said print-mail application data read into the local computer system in combination with other applications stored on data memory means of the local computer system, such as standard software, word processing programmes, electronic mail programmes etc. The print-mail application may furthermore comprise addressing means to selectively retrieve physical delivery data from database means and forward these data to the printer computer system as a part of the generated set of mail item data. The database means may be stored on data memory means of the local computer system, such as the contact database of electronic mail programmes, or the addressing means may alternatively or additionally be adapted to selectively retrieve physical delivery data from database means stored on data memory means of one or more remote computer systems which are accessed by means of the data communication connection to a public data communication network.

The printer computer system may in a preferred embodiment of the invention be selected from a plurality of printer computer systems having different geographical locations, the selection being performed by the central computer system based on the geographical location of the physical delivery address.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the electronic mail distribution according to the present invention comprises a central computer system, which physically may consist of a plurality of distributed computer systems connected via a data communication network, and a plurality of printer computer systems, which are geographically distributed and connected to a public data communication network to which the central computer system also is connected. Any local computer system, such as PCs or PDAs, may be used with the system.

For using the system, an electronic postage in the form of a computer readable storage means is purchased by the user and connected to the local computer system. From the storage means is downloaded a computer programme product to the local computer system, which is an electronic mail distribution application that cooperates with the standard software for handling electronic mail and for word processing already stored on the local computer system. In these applications, an icon appears which is used to activate the electronic mail distribution system. When e.g. a letter for a receiver is prepared in the word processing application, the icon is pressed by the user to generate an image data file comprising the letter in the format it is to be printed. The electronic mail distribution application prompts the users for a physical delivery address, which may be indicated with a first name, the beginning of an e-mail address or the like, and the application searches the contact database or directory of the applications on the local computer system for a match and suggest is possible one or more physical delivery addresses to the user for selection. Alternatively, the application may perform searches on external databases accessible via the public data communication network to find one or more matches to e.g. a name and partly address for the user to select from. Also, the user may simply enter the correct delivery address.

The electronic postage comprises a unique identification number, which is communicated to the central computer system as a part of the mail item data that are generated by the electronic mail distribution application, which further comprises the generated image containing the letter to be printed as well as the delivery address or data identifying the address. The mail item data are forwarded by means of the public data communication network to the central computer system from which it is forwarded on to the printer computer system most convenient with respect to the physical delivery address of the mail item. The central computer system deduces an amount from the account corresponding to the uniquely identified the electronic postage by means of said communicated unique identification number.

At this printer computer system, the mail item is printed on paper and put in an envelope on which the physical delivery address is printed, and the last part of the distribution of the mail item is taken care of by the ordinary mail distribution system.

Claims

1. Method of distributing a printed mail item to a receiving physical delivery address, comprising the steps of connecting a computer readable data storage means to a reading means of a local computer system having a data communication connection to a public data communication network, reading a first set of payment data from said computer readable data storage means by means of the local computer system and transmitting a corresponding second set of payment data to a central computer system by means of the public data communication network, generating a set of mail item data specifying the contents and physical delivery address of the printed mail item by means of the local computer system, transmitting said generated set of mail item data to a printer computer system by means of the public data communication network, and printing the mail item by means of the printer computer system from said transmitted set of mail item data.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the generated set of mail item data comprises at least one set of image data.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of reading print-mail application data from said computer readable data storage means by means of the local computer system, wherein the generation of the set of mail item data is performed by means of a print-mail application at least partly defined at the local computer system by said print-mail application data.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein said print-mail application is constituted by said print-mail application data read into the local computer system in combination with other applications stored on data memory means of the local computer system.

5. Method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said print-mail application comprises addressing means to selectively retrieve physical delivery data from database means.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein said addressing means are adapted to selectively retrieve physical delivery data from database means stored on data memory means of the local computer system.

7. Method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said addressing means are adapted to selectively retrieve physical delivery data from database means stored on data memory means of one or more remote computer systems which are accessed by means of the data communication connection to a public data communication network.

8. Method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the database means pertains to said other applications stored on data memory means of the local computer system.

9. Method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the step of updating payment data of an identified central payment account by means of said central computer system in response to said transmission of the second set of payment data, the second set of data comprising data for identifying said central payment account.

10. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said printer computer system is selected from a plurality of printer computer systems having different geographical locations, the selection being performed by the central computer system based on the geographical location of the physical delivery address.

11. Electronic mail distribution system comprising a central computer system connected to a public data communication network, one or more printer computer systems in data communication connection with the central computer system, a plurality of local computer systems, which are at least temporarily connected to the public data communication network, a plurality of computer readable storage means each having a set of payment data stored thereon, wherein each of the plurality of local computer systems comprises reading means suitable for reading the computer readable storage means, the system being arranged to perform the method according to any of claims 1-10.

12. Computer readable storage means having data stored thereon so as to be a part of the electronic mail distribution system of claim 11.