Patent ID: 9053584
Filing Date: 2015-06-09
Classification: G06F,G07B

Abstract:
1. A system comprising: at least two printing systems, each printing system comprising a printer and an inserter, and each printing system having a different set of capabilities; an interface configured to receive multiple print jobs, each print job assigned for printing at one of the printing systems, each print job comprising mail pieces that correspond with the capabilities of the assigned printing system; and a data center comprising a processor configured to identify mail pieces of the print jobs that have delivery addresses that are not confirmed by a mailing address database (“non-automated mail pieces”), to extract non-automated plain mail pieces that are assigned to the print jobs, to determine a threshold number of non-automated mail pieces to qualify for a bulk postal discount for a print job, and to redistribute the extracted mail pieces across the print jobs in order to qualify at least one of the print jobs for the discount, wherein the extracted mail pieces are assigned to print jobs beginning with the print job having a greatest number of non-automated mail pieces that does not qualify for the discount, and continuing to any further print jobs in the order of descending number of non-automated mail pieces in each print job; wherein a plain mail piece is a mail piece that does not include any inserts, and an insert is a document that has been pre-printed separately from the multiple print jobs, wherein the capabilities of the assigned printing system comprise types of inserts available to the printing system for producing mail pieces that are assigned to the printing system, and wherein the printing systems are configured to produce the mail pieces in accordance with the print jobs as modified by the redistributing of the extracted mail pieces, wherein producing the mail pieces comprises inserting, by an inserter, at least one insert into at least one mail piece.