Patent ID: 6959923

Claim:
A method of adjusting mail stack pressure in a mail stacking device, wherein the mail stacking device is adapted to stack a plurality of mailpieces into a stack, each mailpiece having a thickness, said stacking device comprising: a stacking deck having an upstream end and a downstream end; a moving mechanism disposed on the stacking deck for supporting the stack, the stack having a first end and a second end; a supporting means positioned relative to the moving mechanism for supporting the second end of the stack; a mailpiece receiving mechanism, disposed at the upstream end of the stacking deck, for sequentially receiving mailpieces into the first end of the mail stack, wherein for each received mailpiece, the moving mechanism is adapted to move in a moving direction from the upstream end toward the downstream end so as to adjust the pressure in the stack due to receipt of said mailpiece in the stack, said method comprising the steps of: monitoring creation of the mailpieces to determine the number of enclosure materials included in each envelope and the number of folds made to the enclosure materials; receiving information about the thickness of sheets of the enclosure materials; receiving information about the thickness of the envelopes; calculating the thickness of each mailpiece based on the number of enclosures, the number of folds, the thickness of the sheets, and the thickness of the envelope; obtaining the calculated thickness of the received mailpiece in the stack, and adjusting the movement of the moving mechanism based on the calculated thickness of the received mailpiece.