Manual mail sleeve and method for processing manual mail

Abstract

A method is provided for processing mail at a sorting facility, which mail includes automation mail that can be processed automatically by automated machines at the sorting facility and manual mail which, due to its physical characteristics, cannot be processed by the automated machines at the sorting facility. Such a method includes the steps of placing a piece of manual mail into a sleeve such that the combination of sleeve and mail piece can be processed by the automated machines at the sorting facility, and processing the sleeve containing the manual mail piece on the automation equipment along with automation mail. Following processing, the sleeve can either be removed from the mail piece, or left in place for delivery to the postal customer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawing, like numerals denote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of manual mail sorting operations as presently used by the USPS;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a manual mail sleeve according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a manual mail sleeve according to the invention with mail therein;

FIGS. 4A-4E are a series of diagrams illustrating manual loading of a sleeve according to the invention;

FIGS. 5A-5E are a series of diagrams illustrating manual removal of sleeves according to the invention from trayed mail including both sleeved mail and automation mail;

FIGS. 6A-6D are a series of diagrams illustrating manual removal of sleeves according to the invention from a tray contain sleeved mail only;

FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of an automated sleeve loading machine according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial side view showing loading a sleeve using the apparatus of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9 to 13 are a series of partial top views showing an insertion sequence using the apparatus of FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 14 is a front view of an alternate manual mail sleeve according to the invention;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the manual mail sleeve of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a rear view of the manual mail sleeve of FIG. 14; and

FIG. 17 is a front view of another alternate manual mail sleeve according to the invention.

Claims

1. A mail assembly, comprising: a generally flat mail piece have a front side bearing address indicia; anda sleeve for transporting the mail piece through sorting equipment, the sleeve having at least one open edge through which the mail piece can be inserted and removed, a transparent front side and a back side that is opaque to infrared light, wherein the mail piece is inserted with its address indicia visible through the transparent front side of the sleeve.

2. The mail assembly of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has indicia thereon which when scanned by a computerized sorting system indicates to the computerized sorting system that the mail piece is contained within a manual mail sleeve.

3. The mail assembly of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a cut out in its front side that allows the mail piece to have an indicia printed on it.

4. The mail assembly of claim 3, wherein the cutout has an elongated, generally rectangular shape positioned for printing a bar code when the mail piece is fully inserted into the sleeve.

5. The sleeve in claim 1 which has an adhesive that when pinched secures the mail piece within it.

6. A method for processing mail at a sorting facility, which mail includes automation mail that can be processed automatically by automated machines at the sorting facility and manual mail which, due to its physical characteristics, cannot be processed by the automated machines at the sorting facility, comprising the steps of: placing a piece of manual mail into a sleeve such that the combination of sleeve and mail piece can be processed by the automated machines at the sorting facility; andprocessing the sleeve containing the manual mail piece on the automation equipment along with automation mail.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the automated machine is a postal sorting machine.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising removing the sleeve from the manual mail piece when sortation operations are complete.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising delivering the sleeved manual mail with other mail to a postal customer.

10. A sleeve configured for transporting a mail piece through sorting equipment, comprising: a sheet of transparent plastic as its front side; anda sheet of a material opaque to infrared light as its back side, the front and back sides being joined along at least adjacent two side edges and forming an opening through which the mail piece can be inserted and removed.

11. The sleeve of claim 10, further comprising a machine readable indicia on the front side for identifying sleeved manual mail to a mail processing system.

12. The sleeve of claim 10, further comprising an elongated opening in the front side positioned for printing a POSTNET bar code on a front face of a mail piece that has been fully inserted against two joined edges of the sleeve.

13. The sleeve of claim 10 wherein a portion of the back sheet extends beyond an edge of the front sheet which in combination with the back sheet forms the opening through which the mail piece can be inserted and removed.

14. The sleeve of claim 10 wherein the sleeve is rectangular having pairs of long and short sides, and the front sheet further comprises a strip of printable material along an edge of the front sheet along a long side of the sleeve for printing indicia on the sheet.

15. The sleeve of claim 14 further comprising destination indicia printed on the strip of printable material.

16. The sleeve of claim 10 wherein the front cover is joined to the rear cover with a releasable adhesive such that the front sheet may be removed and the back sheet attached to a surface to display information printed on the back cover.