METHOD FOR DISPATCHING MAIL PIECES

Abstract: Method for dispatching, by one mailer to a number of different addresses, mail pieces, such as letters. For this purpose the mailer collects the still unfranked mail pieces in a special collective package, together with an order signed by him. The order card is provided with a preferably machine-readable identification of the mailer. The mailer submits the closed collective package for dispatch. In a distribution node, the package is opened; the mail pieces are counted, weighed and franked by a franking machine. On the basis of the mailer identification and the data in the franking machine, the mailer receives a specified invoice, and the payment is taken care of automatically.

Description: Method for dispatching mail pieces. A. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a method for preparing for dispatch, submitting and dispatching at least two mail pieces destined for different addressees, still unfranked at the moment of being submitted for dispatch, such as letters. The customary course of affairs on the occasion of dispatching, by a specific mailer, a number of mail pieces for different addressees is that the mailer provides each mail piece with the required franking, e.g., by sticking on postage stamps or by a franking machine providing a frank. Said method has the drawbacks that the mailer either must have sufficient stamps at home, or must dispose of a franking machine and sufficient credit with the postal service in question. Moreover, providing each individual mail piece with franking is time-consuming, particularly when this involves larger numbers and/or when for the various mail pieces there are also owed different franking amounts . B. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object is to eliminate the above objections by a method according to the invention, namely, to provide a method which makes it possible to submit the mail pieces unfranked for dispatching and only afterwards, in one go, to pay for this service. This renders it superfluous for a mailer to dispose of a stock of stamps or a franking machine. In addition a mailer, when he uses the method according to the invention, need not individually weigh the mail pieces to be dispatched in order to determine the correct franking. For that purpose, a method according to the invention comprises the following steps: collecting, by the mailer, the mail pieces in random order of addressing, in a collective package specially intended for that purpose, under addition of an order form signed by the mailer, by means of which order form the mailer declares that he will pay the amount owed for franking the mail pieces in the collective package, and which order form is provided with an identification of the mailer; closing the collective package; submitting the collective package for dispatch in the manner usual for mail pieces, such as by depositing it in a street mailbox or by submitting it to a post office; transporting the collective package along the usual route for mail pieces to a first sorting location of the postal service in question; opening and emptying the collective package at said first sorting location; having the mail pieces from the collective package counted, weighed and provided with a frank by a device appropiate for that purpose, with data obtained during said process regarding the mail pieces being stored in memory means coupled to the device, which data file is provided with the identification of the mailer as derived from the order form; drawing up a summary, on the grounds of the data file, of the amounts to be paid by the mailer for franking and making use of the method, which summary is returned to the mailer; - transporting the mail pieces to the addressees. To be capable of applying the method according to the invention, the mailer should have provided himself in advance with a collective package intended for that purpose and having an asscociated order form, designed in accordance with the specifications drawn up by the postal service in question. Furthermore, at locations of said postal service where mail pieces arrive after collection for a first sorting, there must be equipment present for opening and emptying the collective packages, as well as for counting, weighing and franking mail pieces. At such locations, said equipment may be deployed in an economically sound manner; decentralised processing at individual mailers is converted into more centralised processing of mail flows. In a first preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the order form is part of the collective package. In a second preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the amounts owed for franking and utilisation of the method are automatically debited against an account belonging to the mailer, the computation and the debiting being based on the data file in the memory means coupled to the franking machine and the identification derived from the order form. According to a third preferred embodiment, the mailer makes use of envelopes marked "postage paid" , while the application of a frank at the first sorting location is omitted. C. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention will be explained in greater detail using a description of an exemplary embodiment, reference being made to a drawing in which: FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram associated with an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention, in which the order document is a separate document which, together with the mail pieces to be dispatched, is deposited into the collective package; FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the collective package for use in the method according to the invention; FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the order document for use in the method according to the invention. D. DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT The method according to the invention offers private persons and small-business users the opportunity of submitting for dispatch a number of mail pieces destined for different addressees and still unfranked, and thereby offers them an ease of use comparable to that available to employees of larger companies who submit a batch of mail pieces to a mail room available at such companies. Incidentally, when in such companies collective packages are made available per department, the method may also be applied there and no use need be made of the mail room for that part of the mail flow from a department which is dispatched in departmental collective packages . In FIG. 1, (C) is the offerer in question of mail pieces (Pl...Pn), the client, hereinafter to be referred to as the mailer. In the exemplary embodiment to be discussed here, use is made of a separate order document (0) , completed by the mailer (C) . A possible embodiment of such an order document is discussed in the description of FIG. 3. In step 1, the mailer (C) deposits the mail pieces to be dispatched, together with the order document (0) , in the collective package. A possible embodiment of such a collective package is discussed in the description of FIG. 2. In step 2, the mailer closes the collective package. In step 3, he submits the collective package for dispatch in the manner customary for mail pieces; this may be done, e.g., by depositing the collective package in a street mailbox, or by submitting it at the counter of a post office. The collective package is thus included in the daily flow of mail pieces which are being processed by the postal service in question. In step 4, said postal service sees to the transport of the collective package included in the postal flow to a first sorting location. In step 5, the collective package is opened at said sorting location and the mail pieces PI ... Pn are retrieved therefrom. In step 6, said mail pieces are counted, weighed and provided with franking. The equipment required in steps 5 and 6, such as envelope-emptying machines and franking machines, may be of a type generally known in the industry, so that this point need not be gone into. If it is permitted to deposit mail pieces in a collective package to which different tariff lists are applicable, such as a combination of domestic mail and mail destined for abroad, in step 6 part of the address information on mail pieces Pl...Pn should be read as well. If, on the other hand, it suffices to introduce the method for one type of mail, e.g., letters for domestic destinations, the reading of information on destination addresses may be omitted. This also applies when for different types of mail collective packages are introduced having different external characteristics or encodings. In step 7, the relevant information on the order document (0) is read in parallel to the franking of the mail pieces Pl...Pn. (0) preferably comprises the identification of the mailer in the form of a bar code. For bigger clients acting as mailers, the postal service in question may provide the collective packages after having preprinted thereon the bar code of the mailer; smaller clients will have to stick on such a bar code themselves. In step 8, the mail pieces Pl...Pn continue on their way through the processing system of the postal service in order to arrive - franked and all — at the respective addressees. In parallel thereto, in step 9 the data required for invoicing the mailer (C) is stored in memory means coupled to the franking machines and reading equipment used in steps 6 and 7. In this manner, data relating to numbers and weights of mail pieces, as well as franking amounts owed, is stored together with the identification of the mailer in question as derived from the order document (0) . On the basis thereof, a summary (B) of amounts due , resulting in a total amount due , is drawn up and returned to the mailer (C) . In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the total amount due is automatically debited against an account belonging to the mailer; to that end, the order document therefore also is an authorisation document. FIG. 2 shows a possible embodiment of the collective package for use in the method according to the invention. In this case, in fact it involves a reclosable envelope, shown here in folded-up state and having, e.g., a lip (L) provided with an adhesive strip, and furthermore provided with an indication (such as an imprint (Al)), from which it is apparent that the envelope is intended for use in the dispatching and franking method described above. In addition, it is recommended that the mailer, if the order document is not coupled to the collective package (or even printed thereon) , provide the envelope with an identification of the mailer by filling out name and address in a box (SI) and/or provide for a bar code (BS1) applied to the envelope. The dimensions and the design of the collective package, of which FIG. 2 displays only one of the possible embodiments, are determined by the postal service in question. FIG. 3 shows a possible embodiment of the order document for use in the method according to the invention. In the event that amounts due should be debited automatically, the order document also serves as an authorisation form. The order document includes at least one box (S2) for data on the name, street and city of the mailer, an imprint (A2) which shows that the document is intended for use in the dispatching and franking method described, and a box (SG) for the signature of the mailer. Furthermore, the order document is preferably provided with bar codes (BS2, BO, BL) for the identification of the mailer (the "client number"), an order number, and a delivery-location/sequence number. The boxes (N) and (D) are intended for a sequence number for use in the postal service in question and for the date of posting. The table (T) may comprise data, such as a product description, and quantities, weights and the like. The imprint (A2) may comprise a reference to general conditions and information on the types of mail piece to be dispatched by way of said method. The design of the order document, shown in FIG. 3, is only one of the possible designs; the location and dimensions are determined by the postal service in question. It should be noted that the order document may also be attached to the collective package, or may be printed on the collective package. In the latter cases A2 , BS2 and S2 take the place of Al , BS1 and SI, respectively. A possible embodiment of said variant is the one in which the lip (L) is elongated and the order document is attached to said lip. It should be noted that, when using the method according to the invention, the mailer may be permitted to use envelopes having the imprint "postage paid" for the mail pieces, without the mailer needing to go to a location of the postal service in question for submitting such mail pieces, as is currently required. The mailer may deposit such mail pieces in a street mailbox in a collective package. In such cases, providing a frank at a first sorting location by the postal service (step 6) may of course be omitted.

Claims: E. CLAIMS 1. Method for preparing for dispatch, submitting and dispatching at least two mail pieces destined for different addressees, still unfranked at the moment of being submitted for dispatch, such as letters, comprising the following steps: collecting, by the mailer, the mail pieces in random order of addressing, in a collective package specially intended for that purpose, under addition of an order form signed by the mailer, by means of which order form the mailer declares that he will pay the amount owed for franking the mail pieces in the collective package, and which order form is provided with an identification of the mailer; closing the collective package; submitting the collective package for dispatch in the manner customary for mail pieces, such as by depositing it in a street mailbox or by submitting it to a post office; transporting the collective package along the usual route for mail pieces to a first sorting location of the postal service in question; - opening and emptying the collective package at said first sorting location; having the mail pieces from the collective package counted, weighed and provided with a frank by a device appropiate for that purpose, with the data obtained during said process regarding the mail pieces being stored in memory means coupled to the device, which data file is provided with the identification of the mailer as derived from the order form; drawing up a summary, on the grounds of the data file, of the amounts to be paid by the mailer for franking and making use of the method, which summary is returned to the mailer; transporting the mail pieces to the addressees. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the order document is part of the collective package. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2 , characterised in that the amounts due for franking and making use of the method are automatically debited against an account belonging to the mailer, the computation and the debiting being based on the data file in the memory means coupled to the franking machine and the identification derived from the order form. 4. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 , characterised in that the mailer makes use of envelopes marked "postage paid" , while the application of a frank at the first sorting location is omitted.

Inventors: GEHLEN JEROEN HUBERTUS MARIA, GEHLEN, JEROEN, HUBERTUS, MARIA
Applicants: GEHLEN JEROEN HUBERTUS MARIA, KONINKL KPN NV, GEHLEN, JEROEN, HUBERTUS, MARIA, KONINKLIJKE KPN N.V.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: G07B17
IPC codes: B07C1, G07B17