Patent ID: 6988349

Claim:
A method of processing mail pieces on a plurality of inserter systems without modification to a mailer's legacy computer system, each of the plurality of inserter systems having different proprietary control systems, the method comprising the steps of: generating a printstream in the mailer's computer remote from the plurality of inserter systems; transmitting the printstream from the mailer's computer to a printer for producing printed documents; delivering the printed documents from the printer to the plurality of inserter systems; transmitting the printstream from the mailer's computer to a workstation computer coupled to the plurality of inserter systems; interpolating the printstream in the workstation computer to generate reprint data containing electronic files corresponding to each of the printed documents produced by the printer; interpolating the printstream in the work station computer to generate job tracking data containing job level data for the mail pieces that are to be assembled in the plurality of inserter systems; processing the printed documents in the plurality of inserter systems for generating the mail pieces; and associating data from the job tracking data with the generated mail pieces to monitor the performance of the plurality of inserter systems, interpolating the printstream in the work station computer to generate one or more Mail Run Data Files (MRDF) in an appropriate format for each of the different proprietary control systems and containing piece level data for the mail pieces that are to be assembled in the plurality of inserter systems; and providing the one or more Mail Run Data Files to the plurality of inserter systems interpolating the Mail Run Data Files for operation of each inserter system interpolating the Mail Run Data Files.