Patent ID: 8682479

Claim:
A system for proactively grouping disparate mail items that are queued to be produced in a processing facility, wherein the system comprises: (a) means for assembling virtual mailing trays, wherein said virtual assembly means comprises: (i) means for receiving mail item document data; (ii) means for building print jobs and virtual mailing trays based on said document data; (iii) means for establishing a schedule for mail item production; (iv) means for extracting postal code information from the mail items within said virtual mailing trays; (v) means for determining which mail items present the highest probability of increased discounts by schedule using USPS rules; (vi) means for determining which virtual trays are optimal for commingling; (vii) means for building optimal sort schedules for next time periods for an available sorter based on tray eligibility, print job time and date, and USPS rules; (viii) means for establishing that each said sort schedule is optimal for commingling production, adjusting each non-optimal sort schedule as needed using GUI and re-determining said discount probability, and passing on each optimal sort schedule; (ix) means for notifying an associated controller of eligible trays and sort machine assignments; and (b) means for assembling one-pass physical mailing trays from said virtual mailing trays, wherein said one-pass physical mailing tray assembly means comprises: (i) means for printing document data and inserting all documents, return envelopes, and other inserts into envelopes; (ii) means for placing envelopes into mailing trays; (iii) means for determining if each said mailing tray is optimal for commingling and directly mailing each said tray that is not optimal; (iv) means for storing each said mailing tray that is optimal for a selected sorter based on an established time period for sorting; (v) means for loading sort schemes on said selected sorter; (vi) means for physically sorting and commingling on said selected sorter the mail pieces for a pre-established period of time; (vii) means for closing out said selected sorter after said pre-established time period; and (viii) means for mailing each sorted and commingled mail tray.