Patent Grant
8801044
The present application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,080, issued Apr. 15, 2008, and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/041,689, filed Mar. 4, 2008, now issued as U.S. Patent on Mar. 4, 2010, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
The present invention relates generally to a mail creation system that uses an input of a single web of paper to create content and envelopes for creation and mass-production of a finished mailpieces.
Inserter systems are typically used by organizations such as banks, insurance companies and utility companies for producing a large volume of specific mailings where the contents of each mail item are individualized to a particular addressee. Also, other organizations, such as direct mailers, use inserters for producing a large volume of generic mailings where the contents of each mail item are substantially identical for each addressee. Examples of such inserter systems are the 8 series, 9 series, and APS™ inserter systems available from Pitney Bowes Inc. of Stamford, Conn.
In many respects, the typical inserter system resembles a manufacturing assembly line. Sheets and other raw materials (other sheets, enclosures, and envelopes) enter the inserter system as inputs. Then, a plurality of different modules or workstations in the inserter system work cooperatively to process the sheets until a finished mail piece is produced. The exact configuration of each inserter system depends upon the needs of each particular customer or installation.
Currently materials are received from multiple sources for creation of mailpieces. A first source is a continuous web of printed material that comprises the individualized content, such as a statement, or bill. A second source of material may be inserts, such as advertisements or special offers, that are fed from separate feeders to be joined with the statement papers. A third source is business reply envelopes (BRE's) to be included with the statement. A fourth source is the stack of envelopes that comprise the outer package into which the collated individualized statement, inserts, and BRE are to be inserted. Each of these sources is introduced to the inserter machine at a different location.
A workflow for creating mail pieces requires that the proper physical material sources be obtained and input into the conventional inserter machine. A delay might occur if proper inserts or envelopes were not available to be used for a given mail run. Also, operator labor is required in order to maintain the appropriate stacks of envelopes and inserts that are to be included with the mail run. Labor and expense are also required for ordering, warehousing, and moving materials to the inserter system.
At an input end of the inserter system, the continuous web must be separated into individual document pages. This separation is typically carried out by a web cutter that cuts the continuous web into individual document pages. In a typical web cutter, a continuous web of material with sprocket holes on both side of the web is fed from a fanfold stack from web feeder into the web cutter. The web cutter has a tractor with pins or a pair of moving belts with sprockets to move the web toward a guillotine cutting module for cutting the web cross-wise into separate sheets. Perforations are provided on each side of the web so that the sprocket hole sections of the web can be removed from the sheets prior to moving the cut sheets to other components of the mailing inserting system. Downstream of the web cutter, a right angle turn may be used to reorient the documents, and/or to meet the inserter user's floor space requirements.
The separated documents must subsequently be grouped into collations corresponding to the multi-page documents to be included in individual mail pieces. This gathering of related document pages occurs in the accumulator module where individual pages are stacked on top of one another. The control system for the inserter senses markings on the individual pages to determine what pages are to be collated together in the accumulator module.
Downstream of the accumulator, a folder typically folds the accumulation of documents, so that they will fit in the desired envelopes. To allow the same inserter system to be used with different sized mailings, the folder can typically be adjusted to make different sized folds on different sized paper. As a result, an inserter system must be capable of handling different lengths of accumulated and folded documents. Downstream of the folder, a buffer transport transports and stores accumulated and folded documents in series in preparation for transferring the documents to the synchronous inserter chassis.
Insert feeders then add the additional insert documents, such as advertisements or special offers, to the collations. Business return envelopes (BRE's), if applicable may also be fed from a separate envelope feeder to become part of the collation. The completed collations are then transported on the conveyor to an insertion station where they are automatically stuffed into envelopes provided from yet another envelope feeder. After being stuffed with the collations, the envelopes are removed from the insertion station for further processing. Such further processing may include automated closing and sealing the envelope flap, weighing the envelope, applying postage to the envelope, and finally sorting and stacking the envelopes.
The current generation of high speed mail creation equipment has a number of limitations. First, the current generation of high speed mail creation equipment is quite expensive and complicated. The dedicated processing for each of the elements of the mail pieces is one of the reasons why the mail creation equipment is so expensive and complicated. The equipment design could be made significantly less expensive and simpler if some of the dedicated steps for handling the variety of mail piece components could be either eliminated, or made common.
Secondly, it is known that the step of inserting the contents of the mail piece into the envelope is a trouble prone step in the mail creation process. The performance of the equipment could be improved substantially if this step could be eliminated.
Thirdly, in the current equipment, each of the mail piece components must be sourced or created separately, and brought to the mail creation equipment for loading just prior to running the job. Often, this materials management operation involves multiple steps, including ordering, printing, shipping, transporting, warehousing, and materials movement to and from the mail creation equipment. Each of these steps involves labor and expenses that are properly part of the cost of creating the mail pieces. The cost of creating mail pieces could be reduced substantially if a single item containing all of the components of the mail piece could be ordered, printed, shipped, transported, warehoused, etc.
Fourth, when mail pieces are created from discrete elements, each of these elements must be fed, registered, transported, etc. Each of these steps introduces additional potential for malfunctions. A machine to create mail without at least some of the traditional steps will be more reliable. It would be beneficial if more elements of the mail piece could be cut from a continuous web, for example a roll, of paper in order to eliminate the unreliability of feeding and registering these components.
Finally, for some types of jobs such as bank statements, account information, insurance communications, etc each mail piece tends to be unique. The number of sheets of information to be included in each mail piece is a variable. Because of the limitations of the current generation of mail creation equipment, typically only one type of mail piece can be created within any one job. So, for example, the envelope to be used in the mail pieces is a No 10 envelope, which is capable of accepting up to about five sheets of paper tri-folded prior to insertion. If more than five sheets are to be sent to persons on the mailing list, typically this situation is handled as an exception. For example, if one of the mail recievers is to receive nine pages of information, this much paper cannot be successfully trifolded and inserted into a No 10 envelope. So, if the individual sheets of the mail pieces are being cut from a roll containing all the sheets for all the recipients, the nine pages for the mail receiver in this example would be cut from the roll and set aside for processing later—either manually, or with another set of equipment, or after setting up the mail creation equipment to handle half folded contents inserted into 6″×9″ envelopes. In some cases, the number of sheets to be sent to one of the mail receivers on the list may exceed the number that can be inserted into a 6×9″ envelope. For example, if fifty pages are to be sent so one of the mail recievers within the job, then these must also be cut from the roll, compiled, and set aside for manual or automated processing into a flats envelope without folding the sheets. (Flats envelopes are larger sized envelopes for holding unfolded sheets.) It would be beneficial if a system or method existed that could create No 10, and 6×9, and flats envelopes within the same jobs, and without exception handling.
This proposed method and system addresses these limitations of the current mail creation equipment. It simplifies the equipment by eliminating a number of sub-systems required in the current equipment such as dedicated feeders for each of the mail piece elements, it improves reliability by eliminating some of the more trouble prone steps such as feeding and inserting. It saves “back office” costs associated with separately ordering, shipping, warehousing, and handling multiple elements typically included in the mail pieces. (Only a single continuous web of printed material must be ordered prior to the job; and in some implementations, the web could be ordered blank and printed using a printer that is on-line to the mail creation process.) The proposed method and system generally simplifies the entire mail creation process. And it enables automatic creation of multiple types of mail pieces in the same job and eliminates the steps of handling different types of mail pieces in separate processes.
With regard to simplification of the equipment, an example of a subsystem that can be eliminated by the present invention is the addressing subsystem. In a conventional system, addresses are typically printed on the envelopes by a separate imaging system, such as a high speed ink jet printer. As described below, the present invention enables addressing by the same imaging system that prints the mailpiece contents. Thus the present invention allows simplification by eliminating a subsystem, and saves the associated costs of labor and supplies.
In a first embodiment, the present invention provides a method for producing a continuous web of printed material for use in creating mailpieces. The continuous web has a width and a length, the length comprised of a series of attached sheets. The series of attached sheets are comprising envelope sheets and content pages. The method for producing the web includes printing content pages onto the continuous web. The content pages are rectangular in shape, having a long dimension and a short dimension. The short dimension is parallel to left and right edges of the web. The method also includes printing envelope sheets. The envelope sheets are printed to have an envelope sheet width dimension parallel to the width of the web, the envelope sheet width dimension being the same as the content page long dimension.
In a preferred embodiment, the step of printing content pages includes printing written matter such that lines of writing are parallel to the left and right edges of the web. Similarly, the step of printing envelope sheets may include printing envelope matter such that lines of writing are perpendicular to the left and right edges of the web.
In this embodiment, the step of printing the content pages includes dimensioning the content page short dimension to be less than or equal to an envelope width formed from the envelope sheets. The envelope width is parallel with the web width and less than the web width.
In one embodiment, there is an additional step of printing BRE sheets in series with the content pages and envelope sheets. The BRE sheets are dimensioned to form BREs small enough to fit inside envelopes formed from the envelope sheets. In this embodiment, the step of printing envelope sheets includes printing BREs with individualized return addresses.
In a preferred embodiment, the method includes a step of printing a control code on one or more of the sheets for a given mailpiece. The control code includes information for controlling assembly of the mailpiece. The control code may have mailpiece information embedded directly in the code, or it may include a pointer to a mailpiece control file in the control code. The control code may be printed on a portion of the sheets that is intended to be discarded.
Two sets of sheets may be printed across the width of the web by printing content pages onto the continuous web such that two end-to-end content pages are printed across the width of the web. Also, two side-by-side envelope sheets are printed across the width of the web and in series with the end-to-end content pages.
In an additional embodiment, the step of printing envelope sheets may include printing postage indicia on the envelope sheets.
In an alternative web arrangement, the continuous web may be printed such that two side-by-side content pages are printed across the width of the web, the content pages printed to be rectangular and having a long dimension parallel to the length of the web and a short direction parallel to the width of the web. In this embodiment, a single envelope sheet positioned across the entire width of the web, in series with the side-by-side content pages.
In a further embodiment, the method includes determining a processing time in the mail creation machine for a content page group for the given mailpiece. The method also determines a processing time in the mail creation machine for the at least one envelope sheet for the given mailpiece. Based on these processing times, the steps of printing the content pages and printing the envelope sheets includes a further step of separating the content page group and the envelope sheet for the given mailpiece, along a direction of the length of the web, so as to reduce a delay between completion of the content page group and of the envelope sheet in the machine. The amount of separation is a function of the determined processing times of the content page group and the envelope sheet. The step of separating may include interspersing sheets belonging to different mailpieces between the content page group and the at least one envelope sheet for the given mailpiece.
Further details of the present invention are provided in the accompanying drawings, detailed description, and claims.
a-3c depict exemplary embodiments of web arrangements for use with the present invention.
a-4c depict exemplary embodiments of steps for assembling mailpieces from the single web.
The in-line envelope solution in accordance with the present invention is a method or system that creates a complete mailpiece from one continuous paper stream. For a given mailpiece, the paper stream contains variable numbers of pages, variable size documents (including inserts), an optional BRE, and the envelope. The machine cuts and folds the documents and envelopes, creates the envelope and BREs, and assembles the mailpiece in one self-contained system.
The present invention may be used advantageously with improved color Variable Data Printing (VDP), allowing graphical, color content to be printed in-line with text. With increased use of color VDP technology, sophisticated mail communications can be printed in a single step onto a continuous web of material. The present invention provides a method for handling that continuous web to more efficiently produce finished mailpieces.
Adopting color VDP printing techniques with the present invention will allow efficiencies by allowing mailers to: eliminate preprinted forms, eliminate preprinted inserts, mix application processing, and reduce operator error. A key benefit of color VDP applied with the present invention will be the capability to eliminate the preprinting of forms and inserts, reducing inventory and operational complexity. Larger, more densely presorted mailstreams can be created by combining different applications. Including both the forms and the inserts in the printstream will greatly reduce operator error potential for loading the inserter incorrectly.
By including the envelope in the printstream to be prepared in accordance with the present invention, the following advantages are realized: variable size envelopes inline—trifold and halffold, special envelopes for thicker mail, personalization of envelope and BRE, close-faced envelope and BRE, reduction in operator paper handling and lifting, reduction in operator errors, no manual job changeover, and reduction in inventory. The invention further simplifies inserting equipment (for example eliminating multiple feeders and address printers) for reduced cost and improved reliability.
Because the envelope is created dynamically with the document, there can be mixed envelope sizes included in the run. It is not uncommon that mailers have high volume applications with a large number of lower page count documents intermixed with a few high page count mailpieces. The lower page count documents work better as tri-fold, while the higher page count ones must be half-folded. In traditional solutions, this can only be accomplished in two separate runs.
Using the present invention, the envelope is made for the mailpiece, and can be of varying size. For example, a larger envelope with an extra fold can be used to create more volume within the envelope for a very thick mailpiece.
Another benefit of the present invention is personalization of a close-faced (without a window) BRE and envelope. While many BRE's are open window, there is a preference for closed envelopes because of enhanced reliability in automated processing, particularly in the United States Postal Service. The close-face mailing envelope is the preferred solution from both a processing and an aesthetic point of view.
The personalization of the BRE and envelopes also allow mixed applications to be processed with fewer restrictions than would be if the envelopes were preprinted as in the traditional process. The BRE can also be personalized with the recipients' own return address rather than the current practice of reliance on the sender to fill it in.
The operations benefits are also significant. Traditional high volume systems result in operators having to lift over a ton of material a day, often requiring two operators per machine. An alternative solution is to install robots to lift and place material. This can be very costly, as well as restrictive since the robots are fixed in place and trained for very specific activities. The operator of a machine using the present invention needs only to load a roll of paper and clear completed envelopes at the end of the process. The potential for operator error of using wrong BREs and envelopes is also eliminated. Also, compared to loading of materials into a conventional inserter, the number of operator required actions for the present invention are substantially reduced.
The present invention could eliminate all inventory except the rolls or stacks of paper for printing the mailpieces. It may also be useful for providing a complete disaster recovery option. Currently, envelopes and BREs must be stocked or at least quickly available to match the application in all disaster recovery locations. Often, the inserts are not used since they may not be available at all. With the present invention, the machine creates the whole mailpiece, the data file can be processed at any site from a roll of blank paper, and the exact mailpieces will be produced.
In the preferred embodiment, the present invention may be used for creating a variety of mail piece types including tri-fold sheets inserted into a No 10 envelope, half-fold sheets inserted into a 6″×9″ envelope, and non-folded sheets inserted into a flats envelope, in which all (or most) of the elements of all of the various types of mail pieces are printed on a continuous roll of paper. The proposed system is capable of fabricating a variety of types of envelopes from portions of the printed material on the continuous web, cutting a variable number of sheets from the same web, assembling the sheets into sets, folding (or not folding) the sheets, then fabricating the appropriate type of envelope around the assembled set of sheets, the type of envelope being a function of the number of sheets in the mail piece content. Additionally, other elements of the mail pieces such as business reply envelopes can similarly be printed on the same web of paper and fabricated into the appropriate shape for inclusion in the mail piece in a single process.
Multiple types of mail pieces can be created automatically, continuously, and in random order, including tri-fold sheets inserted into a No. 10 envelope, half-fold sheets inserted into a 6″×9″ envelope, and non-folded sheets inserted into a flats envelope, all from elements printed in serial order on a continuous web of paper. The proposed method and system fabricates a variety of types of envelopes from portions of the printed material on the continuous web, cuts a variable number of sheets from the same web and assembles them into sets, folds (or not folds) the sheets, then fabricates the appropriate type of envelope around the assembled set of sheets, the type of envelope being a function of the number of sheets in the mail piece content. Additionally, other elements of the mail pieces such as business reply envelopes can similarly be printed on the same roll of paper and fabricated into the appropriate shape for inclusion in the mail piece in a single process.
At a cutting step 12 the web is first provided to a cutting module. The cutting module may be comprised of a guillotine cutter, a laser cutter, a die cutter, a rotary cutter, or a combination of suitable cutting means. In the preferred embodiment, the cutter cuts variable length sheets depending on which element of the mailpiece is being cut. In addition to varying sizes, the sheets may be cut into varying shapes. Coded markings on the web are scanned by the system and indicate what cuts are to be made. For example, a statement sheet may be cut to a standard 8½×11 sheet. If the sheet is an advertisement or insert, it is typically cut smaller. Envelope sheets require that portions of the sheet be cut away in order to form flaps to be folded. Combinations of cutting mechanisms can be used. For example, a guillotine cutter can be used to make cuts across the transverse width of the web. A laser cutter can be used to cut unique features and shapes into the sheet.
Downstream of the cutting step 12, the process flow can vary depending on the type of sheet that has been cut from the continuous web. If the sheet is an envelope sheet it is directed to envelope creation processing 13. If the sheet is a content page, such as a statement, or advertisement, it is directed to a content processing 14. Content processing 14 may include further steps of accumulating sheets into a coherent set, and folding the set an appropriate number of times.
For envelope creation processing 13, further cutting is required to form the envelope flaps. In one embodiment, to cut away material to form the envelope flaps, a die cutter may be employed in the envelope creation processing 13 downstream of a guillotine cutter used in the cutter step 12. Different die cutters may be placed in series so that depending on the envelope size desired, the appropriate die cutter can be used. The number of different envelope sizes that can be created will be limited by the number of die cutters. To allow greater variation, a laser cutter may be used in envelope processing 13. In another embodiment, the laser cutter may be included in cutter step 12 to cut the required envelope shape.
Once the envelope flaps are formed, and excess material has been cut away and removed, the envelope processing step may include application of adhesive to the envelope flaps, in order to facilitate the eventual closing and sealing of the mailpiece. Adhesive may also be applied as part of the downstream enveloping step 15. For envelopes, the preferred adhesive will typically be a quick drying glue.
In the enveloping step 15, the envelopes and the content are combined so that the content is enclosed within an envelope. In one embodiment, the envelope sheet and flaps have been formed in upstream processing. The content materials are then positioned on the envelope sheet. Once the content is placed on the face of the envelope sheet, then the flaps are folded closed around the content. Glue that has been applied to the envelope flaps at the envelope creation step 13, or at the enveloping step 15, secures the flaps closed, to form a closed envelope around the content.
In step 16, a postage indicia may be placed on the closed envelope. Alternatively, the postage indicia may have been placed on the mailpiece at printing step 11. Finally, the finished mailpiece is sent to an output stage 17 for stacking, sorting, and preparation for postal pick-up and delivery.
In
In the envelope creation path of
For purposes of the present application, it should be understood that different branches in the flow diagrams of
A system controlling assembly of mailpieces from a single web must be able to handle a number of variables for each mailpiece. Variables include: variable number of pages, variable page dimensions, optional folded pages, sub-accumulations within the mailpiece, both pre and post folding, variable size BRE creation, and variable sized outside envelope creation. Control is preferably achieved by scanning codes printed on the web for instructions to be provided to the system. The codes may include mailpiece information and instructions embedded directly in the code. In the preferred embodiment, the codes include a pointer to a mailpiece instruction file stored in a control computer.
The information derived from the codes should contain all of the attributes for each individual mailpiece in the form of parameter values. Preferably, all of the parameters can be determined from a one or multi-dimensional barcode printed on components of the web. The parameters for mailpiece creation, as used by the system, may include: all necessary envelope dimensions for outside envelope and BRE, glue placement locations, sheet dimensions for every sheet (not necessarily rectangular), fold type, all necessary insert dimensions, sheets per mailpiece, enclosures per mailpiece, pre-folder accumulation instructions, post folder accumulation instructions, and location and orientation of each individual mailpiece component within the web comprising a finished mailpiece.
On envelope templates 35 and 36, areas S represent scrap portions that will be cut away in order to form the closing flaps of the envelope. It should be understood that the term “envelope templates” or “envelope sheets” refers to entire sheet, including scrap portions S, or the like, that may be cut away from the periphery. Glue locations 39 depict the preferred locations for placing glue to hold the finished envelope together. In the depicted embodiment, sheets 34 are standard letter sized, for example 8.5″ by 11″ in the U.S. Any arrangement of text and graphics can be printed on the sheets 34, although in one exemplary embodiment sheets 34 will represent pages of a statement with a top and bottom of the statement page being at the left and right sides of the web 31. The width of the statement sheets 34 will be 8.5″ along a direction of the length of the web, while the height of the statement sheets will be 11″, the width of the web. In this exemplary embodiment, statement text is written in lines perpendicular to the width of the web, so that the finished 8.5″ by 11″ page will be read in a “portrait” orientation. Alternatively, it will be understood that the text can be written in lines parallel to the width of the web so that the finished page will be read in “landscape” orientation.
The next element, abutting the No 10 envelope template 35 is a single sheet 34 for the next mail piece—designated set m+1, page 1. In this example, mail piece m+1 contains only a single sheet 34 of information to be included in the No 10 envelope template 35 abutting this sheet on the bottom edge. The first component of a third mail piece, designated set m+2 abuts the No 10 envelope template 35 on the bottom edge.
The example continues in
In
It will be appreciated that the examples in this application use US standard sizes, but that the invention is not limited to any set of standard dimensions. The methods and systems described in this description also apply to mailpieces of any dimensions, including standard sizes for Europe, or other regions. Such standard sizes are well known in the art, and do not need to be listed in this application.
The relative positions of the pages and envelopes for a given mailpiece, as shown in
Conversely, for a different mailpiece, accumulating and folding of content sheets may be the slower process, and thus the content sheets could be placed in advance of the corresponding envelope sheet. Component sheets of different mailpieces may be interspersed with one another in order to gain the best optimization of processing time for the entire web.
The optimization of placement of mailpiece components on the web is carried out as part of the web printing process. The processing times for various stages in the system will be known. Accordingly, optimized placement of pages on the web can be accomplished by determining the relative processing times needed to create the various components in the system. Then, in the printing process the components can be separated, along a direction of the length of the web, so as to reduce a delay between completion of the various components, as a function of the determined processing times. This process will preferably allow sheets belonging to different mailpieces to be interspersed with one-another. For example, content materials for one mailpiece may be printed between the content pages and the envelope sheet for another mailpiece. By reading codes on the mailpiece components, the system is able to track the positions of the various mailpiece components placed apart on the web, and ensuring that the components are properly assembled.
Finally, the envelope 35 is assembled around the packet 43A in steps 46, 47, and 48 wherein the various panels of the envelope are folded around the packet to create a sealed mail piece. In this embodiment, glue is placed on glue regions 39 to sealing the closed envelope. These last steps of folding the portions of the envelope template around the mail pieces are common in the following examples, and are not shown in the
The cut sheets 34 are accumulated into a set 51, while traveling in the original web direction. The set 51 is then folded into packet 53. This folding step changes the travel direction of the packet 53 so that it is now traveling orthogonally to the original web direction and in the same direction as the right angle turned envelope sheet 35. Then at step 55 the folded packet 53 is joined with the envelope template 35. In further steps 56, 57, and 58, the envelope flaps are folded shut around the packet to form a mailpiece.
In the examples discussed so far, the web has been configured with one sheet across its width. In the following description, additional embodiments and processing steps are depicted for webs wherein more than one sheet may be positioned across the width of the web. In conventional inserter equipment, it is known to process “2-up” webs having mailpiece pages positioned side-by-side. The side-by-side pages are split and cut into individual sheets for further processing.
In
Also, in this web portion 70 side-by-side insert sheets 75, and a 6″×9″ envelope template 74 are in series with the other components. It can be seen that envelope templates 73 and 74 span across the entire width of the web 70, while each sheet 71, 72 and insert 75 only spans half of the web width. As a result of this arrangement, the mechanism for splitting the side-by-side sheets 71 and 72 cannot continuously cut. The splitting mechanism must be retracted or stopped in order to allow the envelope templates 73 and 74 to pass without being split. Such a splitting mechanism may be comprised of a blade that extends and retracts in accordance with the position of the web below. Alternatively, the cutting mechanism may be a laser cutter that is turned on or off depending on whether the sheet needs to be split.
Steps for processing the web 70 of
As seen in
The laser cutter is preferably controlled in accordance with the control codes scanned from the web. Thus, variable holes, cuts and perforations can be provided on an individualized basis in different mailpieces created from the same web. The control codes, or the mailpiece file linked to the control code, will include all instructions for controlling the laser cutter.
As an alternative to the laser cutting embodiment, it will also be understood that variably cut sheets can be made using other technologies. For example, die-cutting technology may be selectively applied to cut and remove scrap material, to achieve similar results to those depicted in
In one embodiment, the control codes can be printed on scrap portions of the sheets that are intended to be cut away and discarded. For example, the scrap portions S used to form the envelope templates 35, 36, 37, and 38, as depicted in
Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment 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.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20100167895 A1 | Jul 2010 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12041689 | Mar 2008 | US |
| Child | 12721586 | US | |
| Parent | 11061252 | Feb 2005 | US |
| Child | 12041689 | US |
