Patent Application
20060200429
The present invention relates generally to an envelope inserting machine and, more particularly, to a prepaid inserting machine.
A mass-mailing system, in general, has an enclosure supply section and an insertion station. The enclosure supply section has a gathering section where the enclosure material is gathered before it is inserted into an envelope in the insertion station. This gathering section is sometimes referred to as a chassis subsystem, which includes a gathering transport with pusher fingers rigidly attached to a conveying means and a plurality of enclosure feeders mounted above the transport. If the enclosure material contains many documents, these documents must be separately fed from different enclosure feeders. After all the released documents are gathered, they are put into a stack and the stack is conveyed to an insertion station to be inserted into an envelope. Envelopes are separately fed to the inserting station, one at a time, and each envelope is placed on a platform facing down with its flap flipped back all the way. At the same time, a mechanical or pneumatic device is used to open the envelope. The stack of enclosure material is than automatically inserted into the opened envelope.
Some mailing systems have a folding station for folding the enclosure material into a packet. The packet is then conveyed to the inserting station for insertion.
An exemplary mass-mailing system 1, as shown in
Inserter machines are well known in the art, and need not be described in detail for purposes of this application. For example, DePasquale et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,368) discloses a mail inserting and collating apparatus that includes an envelope conveyor for continuously conveying envelopes along a predetermined route to receive a plurality of inserts. The inserted envelopes are then sealed in another path. Chodack et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,357) discloses a method for synchronizing an envelope inserter wherein the motion of a collating transport motor is synchronized to an overhead transport motor so that the collation of enclosure material can be inserted into an envelope. Allen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,680) discloses a system for providing a set of collated enclosure material to an inserter system for envelope insertion purposes. Belec et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,388) discloses an envelope insertion station operatively connected to a document feeding device for receiving documents to be inserted into an envelope.
Typically an enclosure supply station 10 comprises a plurality of enclosure feeders 12, as shown in
Inserter machines can be leased to a mailer who may not have the need or financial resources to buy such a machine. Thus, it is advantageous and desirable to provide a method and device to allow and monitor the use of the leased machine to make sure that the machine is used in accordance with limitations agreed in the lease.
In an inserter machine that a customer or a lessor uses to process mailpieces for a prepaid quantity, a mechanism is installed in a substantially inaccessible manner to keep count of the processed mailpieces. The machine will be disabled when the prepaid quantity is used up. However, it is advantageous to give the user a warning message when the remaining count is low so that the user has a choice to keep using the machine until the prepaid quantity is depleted, or to prepay for an additional quantity. A counter, which is substantially inaccessible to the user, is decremented when a mailpiece is processed. The counter can be incremented for replenishing. The count on this inaccessible counter is read by a data processor so that the count can be displayed on a separate counter or display device. When the count falls below a certain threshold, the warning message can be displayed on the same display device or announced in a different manner. The communications between the data processor and the hidden counter can be encoded or encrypted in order to prevent the user from deciphering. The counter and data processor can be implemented in the central control console that controls the operations of the inserter machine. If the user attempts to interfere or to alter the communications between the data processor and the counter, the user faces the risk that he inadvertently interrupts the normal operations by the central control console, rendering the inserter machine inoperable.
a is a block diagram showing a central control console in a mailing machine, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
b is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.
As described previously in regard to the inserter machine as shown in
Alternatively, the sensor 64 can be used as a counting device. As shown in
When a user prepays for the use of the machine, the processor 220 sends a signal through the communication link 266 to set the counter to the prepaid quantity. The setting signal is denoted by SI. The processor 220 also sends a different signal to the counter 262 in order to decrement the counter for each completed mailpiece. The decrement signal is denoted by SD. Through the communication link 266, the processor 220 “reads” the remaining count on the counter 262. The count reading signal is denoted by SC. The remaining count on the counter 262 can be displayed on the message unit 240 to allow the user to know how many more mailpieces he can rightfully make.
In order to prevent the user from reading the messages in the signals conveyed between the counter 262 and the processor 220, it is advantageous to encode or encrypt those signals. For example, while the decrement signal SD can be a single pulse with a certain pulse width, the signal sent from the processor 220 through the link 266 can be a long string of pulses. Likewise, the remaining count in the counter as conveyed to the processor 220 is embedded in a code known to the processor 220. For signal concealment purposes, it is possible to use a counter signal processing unit 264 to encode or encrypt the signals conveyed from the counter 262 to processor 220, and to decode or decipher the signals conveyed from the processor. With the counter signal unit 264, the processor 220 can receive an encoded or encrypted signal from the processing unit 264 acknowledging receipt of the decrement signal SD or of the setting signal SI, for example.
With encoded or encrypted communications between the counter 262 and the processor 220, it would be difficult for a user to tamper with the counter in an attempt to increase the remaining counter or to block the decrement signal. While it may be possible for a user to read the signals through the link 266, it would be difficult for the user to change the signals without interrupting the normal operations of the inserter machine. For example, by blocking the decrement signal, the user may inadvertently resets the counter 262 to zero. Furthermore, the processor 220 can be programmed to notice any changes in the acknowledgment signal after a decrement signal or a setting signal is sent. If changes are detected, the processor 220 can send out a warning message on the message unit 240 or to halt the operations.
Under normal operations, when the count on the counter 262 falls below a predetermined threshold, it is advantageous to send a warning message to the user, indicating that the prepaid quantity is about to be used up. The user has a choice to prepay for an additional quantity or to continue the operations. If the user decides to prepay for more, replenishment can be accomplished through a transceiver 250 by an authorized party. Alternatively, the authorized party can increment the count on the counter via the user interface 230 through an authentication process. The authentication process is illustrated in
The method of controlling operation of an inserting machine, according to the present invention, can be illustrated in the flowchart 500, as shown in
It may be desirable that, when the user wants to replenish the counter by prepayment, the user is required to enter a password or code between step 510 and 520 in an authorized replenishing process (marked by letter A), as shown in
Alternatively, replenishment may be carried out by the service center by a signal sent over a communication network after the user agrees to pay for the additional usage.
In sum, the present invention provides a method and device for preventing counter tampering in an inserting machine with prepaid use limitations. According to the present invention, the counter is maintained in a substantially inaccessible manner. It is advantageous to have a separate counter 262, along with a counter signal processing unit 264, operatively linked to the signal/data processor 220. In order to ensure that the counter 262 has not been altered or otherwise tampered, it is possible to protect the processor 220 in a physically secure structure, for example, in a sealed metal box. The physically secure structure can be designed to provide an indication if physical tampering is detected. It is also possible to monitor the count on the counter 262 at step 530 (marked by letter B) using a known encryption and decryption technique, as shown in
Using the enhanced embodiment of the invention, the inserter machine can be self-regulating to ensure that usage rate requirements are complied with. At step 710 the inserter determines the current time increment for which rate regulation will be considered. The time increment can be static intervals that are programmed into the counter 262. For example, the time increment could be a Sunday to Saturday calendar week, or a calendar month. Alternatively, the time increment may be dynamically determined as predetermined amount of time prior to the current time. For example, the relevant time increment could be determined to be the previous ten days, or the last 500 hours. For this embodiment, a clock mechanism is considered to be part of the counter 262, although the physical location of the clock may be anywhere in the control system, for example in the processor 220.
At step 720, the counter 262 determines the number of mailpieces processed during the current time increment. This time increment number is a subset of the total number of mailpieces processed. At step 730, the time increment number is compared to a predetermined limit for that increment. For example, the machine may only be rated to process 100,000 mail pieces per day. Thus the time increment could be set to one day, and the predetermined limit would be 100,000 pieces. Preferably, these limitations would correspond to use limitations identified in the lease agreement.
In one embodiment, if it is determined at step 730 that the predetermined maximum has been exceeded, an inquiry is made at step 740 to see whether the limit has been exceeded previously. Step 740 allows that first time, or accidental, violations result in a warning given at step 760. Upon receipt of the warning, the user can adjust his usage accordingly, or make alternative arrangements to handle an increased capacity. If it is determined that the limit has been repeatedly violated, the machine is shut down at step 750. The number of warnings that may be given can be more than one, and it is not intended that the invention be limited to any particular number of warnings before shutting down the machine.
If the machine has not exceeded the predetermined limit for the time increment, then at step 770 the equipment continues with normal operation, and the counter continues to be decremented in step 780.
It should be understood that the process of
Thus, although the invention has been described with respect to one or more embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and deviations in the form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the scope of this invention.
