Patent ID: 6393135
Filing Date: 2002-05-21
Classification: G07B

Abstract:
A method of producing a postal mailpiece under direction of a software application in a data processing system comprising the steps of:(a) instantiating a mailpiece object by registering a class within said data processing system and naming said class, said instantiation establishing a programming interface for said mailpiece object; (b) establishing the properties of said mailpiece object by: (i) placing a set of object methods within said mailpiece object by utilizing said programming interface; (ii) placing a set of mailpiece production functionalities within said mailpiece object by utilizing said programming interface; and (iii) placing a set of data tables within said mailpiece object by utilizing said programming interface, said data tables including at least one of printing field data, rules for use of printing field data, rules for determining an address sub-field based upon comparison to postal service address field rules, rules for calculating a delivery point barcode in respect of said address sub-field, rules for calculating a Postnet barcode in respect of said address sub-field, and rules for linking said mailpiece object with postal indicia printing means; (c) creating a human interface to allow data to be displayed to a system operator under direction from said object methods, and placing said human interface within said mailpiece object by utilizing said programming interface; (d) embedding said mailpiece object within said software application to provide said software application with a set of mailpiece production capabilities; and (e) utilizing said embedded mailpiece object to produce said postal mailpiece under direction of said software application.