Patent ID: 8724140
Filing Date: 2014-05-13
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of optimizing an input file to create an output print control file prior to printing to increase throughput of a mail inserting system, wherein document pages of the output print control file are destined for at least a first print stream processing module (PSPM) and a second PSPM of the mail inserting system, the method comprising steps performed by a processor for: (a) obtaining an input data file or a print file, representing a plurality of documents to be printed, wherein representations of the documents contained within the obtained print file or input data file are optionally sorted into mail sort groups based on one or more relevant parameters; (b) based on configurations of the first and second PSPMs and one or more attributes of each document, allocating and ordering representations of pages of the sorted document representations for increasing the throughput of the mail inserting system to an output print control file, wherein: the representations of documents are allocated into electronic first and second print stream processing module inputs (PSPMI), wherein the first PSPMI is to be processed on the first PSPM, and the second PSPMI is to be processed on the second PSPM, while maintaining the sort groups together within the first and second PSPMIs and taking into consideration the processing configuration of the first and second PSPMs on the mail inserting system, the representations of documents are allocated to the first PSPMI in a two-wide page configuration and the representations of documents are allocated to the second PSPMI in a one-wide page configuration, while maintaining integrity of the sort groups, the representations of documents are allocated in the PSPMIs according to a page count for each document representation in the respective PSPMI based on the processing parameters of each PSPM to yield optimal processing throughput for the mail inserting system with both the first and second PSPMs running concurrently, and allocations within the output print control file enable the first and second PSPMIs to be separated post printing into two separate printed rolls of paper or two separate printed fan folded paper stacks to be processed on the first PSPM or the second PSPM, and (c) generating the output print control file containing optimized representations of the documents allocated to the first and second PSPMIs, suitable for controlling at least one printer capable of printing the document pages in a three-wide format to produce the printed representation of the first PSPMI and second PSPMI for supplying printed material to the mail inserting system which optimizes inserter throughput while maintaining the sort groups.