Patent ID: 7379194

Claim:
In a mailing machine having a horizontal feed deck and a vertical registration wall adjacent said deck, a method of measuring a mailpiece being supported on a top surface of the feed deck and registered against an outer surface of the registration wall, the method comprising: sweeping a laser beam from a laser through an arc by controlling a steerable mirror to vary an angle at which the steerable mirror reflects the laser beam, the steerable mirror being located at an elevation below the feed deck and between the laser and the registration wall; reflecting the laser beam toward a sensor using a first reflecting device and a second reflecting device; determining a first angle at which the laser beam is directed, based on a response of the sensor, when the laser beam is blocked by the mailpiece and is not detected by the sensor; determining a second angle at which the laser beam is directed, based on a response of the sensor, when the laser beam ceases to be blocked by the mailpiece and is detected by the sensor; calculating a first dimension of the mailpiece based on the first angle, a vertical distance between the steerable mirror and the top surface of the feed deck, and a horizontal distance between a locus at which the laser beam strikes the steerable mirror and the outer surface of the registration wall; and calculating a second dimension of a mailpiece based on the second angle, the vertical distance between the steerable mirror and the top surface of the feed deck, and the horizontal distance between the locus at which the laser beam strikes the steerable mirror and the outer surface of the registration wall.