Patent ID: 7254931

Claim:
A method for creating mailpieces from a single web of printed material, wherein the web of printed material includes a continuous web of printed material for use in creating variable content mailpieces, the continuous web having a width and a length, the length comprised of a series of attached sheets, the series of attached sheets comprising envelope sheets and content pages, the content pages being rectangular in shape and having a long dimension and a short dimension, the continuous web further comprising printed content pages on the continuous web such that two side-by-side content pages are printed across the width of the web, the long dimension of the content pages being parallel to the length of the web; and printed envelope sheets being in series with the side-by side content pages with a single envelope sheet positioned across the entire width of the web, the series of attached sheets further including identification markings corresponding to instructions for assembling mailpieces from the content sheets and the printed envelope sheets whereby there are variable quantities of content sheets that correspond to printed envelope sheets for particular mailpieces; the method comprising: scanning the identification markings; splitting the side-by-side sheets apart along the length of the web; cutting consecutive attached sheets, across the width of the web into separated sheets; transporting the separated content page sheets in a first direction parallel to a direction of the web; merging and accumulating content pages belonging to a same mailpiece as identified in the instructions corresponding to the scanned identification markings; transporting the envelope sheet and bypassing the accumulating step; merging the accumulated content pages with the corresponding envelope sheet as identified in the instructions corresponding to the scanned identification markings; and enclosing the accumulated content pages in the enclosing envelope sheet.