DE102012014580A1 - Method for adding franking and post information to post package e.g. envelope, involves scanning a pre-printed bar code on post package, and transmitting barcode information electronically to postal companies - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves scanning a pre-printed bar code on the post package such as envelope, parcel box, and shipping crate. The barcode information is electronically transmitted to the postal companies. The barcode is considered as optical machine-readable information feature. The customer identification information and payment information with barcode information are transmitted to postal companies. An independent claim is included for a method for manufacturing envelope, parcel box, and shipping crate.

Description

Background of the invention

Field of the invention

The invention falls within the field of mailing methods and describes a method for assigning monetary value or recipient information or other information to a mailing whose mailing package (eg envelope or parcel box) already contains a pre-printed, complex barcode.

State of the art

Deutsche Post AG currently uses the target code Barcode System to sort letters and postcards largely automatically. Here, a fluorescent barcode is printed on the envelope in the first sorting system that passes a letter. This barcode contains the postal code of the recipient as well as further recipient information. The contained barcode information can then be read in a time-saving manner by automated scanners, which enables a fast automated sorting of the mail at all successive stations of the letter transport.

Another application of barcode technology by Deutsche Post AG is realized in so-called online stamps. A customer can buy and pay for such online brands of any value on the Internet. even print on envelopes, adhesive labels or letterheads. Two-dimensional barcodes are used in this method to make the authenticity of each printed stamp verifiable. The high informative complexity of the 2D barcodes makes random guessing of barcodes difficult enough to avoid counterfeiting.

Another system used by postal companies is the Business Reply Mail (BRM) system. In this system, companies or government agencies are authorized to use preprinted frankings for mailing letters. The franking imprint contains the authorization number and the value of the franking.

Description of the invention

As a barcode throughout the specification is meant any form of an optically machine readable information feature.

One aspect of the invention is a method to add monetary value to a mail piece for franking by scanning a complex bar code that was already printed upon purchase by the manufacturer of the used envelope or shipping box. The scanned barcode information is transmitted electronically to the postal company, at the same time payment, customer, recipient and / or other information can be transmitted.

Another aspect of the invention is a method for assigning information such as, among other things, recipient information, routing information, or mail tracking information, by scanning a complex barcode that was already printed upon purchase of the used envelope or shipping box by the manufacturer. The scanned barcode information is transmitted electronically to the postal company together with the information to be linked.

Another aspect of the invention is a method that enables the automatic sorting and routing of mail by scanning from a machine a complex bar code which was already printed by the manufacturer when purchasing the used envelope or box and which by the sender of the Mail has been previously scanned and electronically linked with franking and / or information.

A typical scenario of today's mail is that a customer of a postal company buys stamps and stores them until he or she wants to send a letter. To send, he writes the name and address of the recipient on an envelope, weighs the letter, sticks stamps in the equivalent of the resulting postage costs on the envelope and throws the letter in a mailbox. The postal company empties the mailbox at regular intervals and brings the letter to a sorting system, which automatically deciphers the recipient's address, encodes it into a barcode and prints it on the envelope. This is followed by an automated routing of the letter by the bar code is read in successive sorting stations and the letter is loaded in the most favorable outgoing mail traffic for transport to the next sorting station. After reaching a local post office near the recipient address letters are sorted together by a sorting system, which are to be discharged by a postman in a specific area. The postman throws the letter either in the mailbox of the recipient or passes it personally to the recipient during his tour of the village.

• 1. Der Absender hat zum Versand eines Briefes nicht genug oder nicht die passenden Briefmarken zur Hand.
• 2. Das Postunternehmen wiegt den Brief und stellt fest, dass er unterfrankiert ist, was darauf zurückzuführen sein könnte, dass der Absender den Brief nicht wiegen konnte oder wollte.
• 3. Die Anlage, die automatisiert die Adresse des Empfängers entziffert, versagt eben darin, was an einer schwer leserlichen Handschrift liegen kann.
• 4. Der Absender hat die Postleitzahl oder einen anderen Teil der Anschrift des Empfängers nicht zur Hand und muss diese mit relativ hohem Zeitaufwand recherchieren.
• 5. Ein Empfänger mit häufig wechselndem Aufenthaltsort, wie z. B. ein viel reisender Wissenschaftler, kann seine Post nur dann in Empfang nehmen, wenn er sich an einer definierten Adresse aufhält wie z. B. in seinem privaten Wohnhaus.
• 6. Der Absender kennt die Preisstruktur des Postunternehmens nicht auswendig und kann einen Brief nicht ohne unnötigen Zeitaufwand korrekt frankieren.

This standard scenario regularly causes some inconvenience:

• 1. The sender does not have enough or not the matching stamps to hand over a letter.
• 2. The postal company weighs the letter and finds that it is underfranked, which may be due to the sender not being able or willing to weigh the letter.
• 3. The system, which automatically deciphers the recipient's address, simply fails in what can be a hard-to-read manuscript.
• 4. The sender does not have the postal code or any other part of the address of the recipient at hand and must research it with a relatively high expenditure of time.
• 5. A recipient with frequent changing whereabouts, such. B. a much traveling scientist, can only receive his mail when he is at a defined address such. In his private home.
• 6. The sender does not know the pricing structure of the postal company by heart and can not correctly frank a letter without undue delay.

The invention described herein comprises a postal system based on the fact that on each mailing package (e.g., envelope or cargo box) that a mailer acquires to use the system, an individual complex barcode is already printed. An individual barcode is considered to be unique, the information content of which is wholly or in all likelihood unique among all postal packaging sold. A barcode whose information content is at least 16 bits, ideally at least 256 bits, is considered to be complex.

For the production of postal packages (eg envelopes) with such a barcode, a pseudo-random number is generated, which can optionally be compared with an electronic database of barcodes already in circulation. As an alternative to a pseudo-random number, a unique serial number can also be generated by the manufacturer. Then the number is encoded in a barcode, such. In US Patent 5,726,435 . US Patent 2,612,994 or patent DE4107020 is described. This barcode is automatically printed on the postal packaging (eg envelopes or postboxes).

• 1. Der Kunde kann ein virtuelles Adressbuch benutzen, um komfortabel die Empfängeradresse einzugeben.
• 2. Die Adresse wird zusammen mit der Barcodeinformation elektronisch an das Postunternehmen übermittelt.
• 3. Der Kunde kann spezielle Postdienstleistungen für seine Sendung auswählen, wie z. B. den Versand als Einschreiben, eine Versicherung oder eine besonders frühe Lieferung.
• 4. Dem Kunden wird der individuelle Preis für die Sendung auf dem Computergerät angezeigt. Er tätigt daraufhin entweder eine elektronische Zahlung oder setzt zuvor auf ein virtuelles Guthabenkonto eingezahltes Geld ein, um das Porto elektronisch zu begleichen. Als Zahlungssysteme kommen unter anderem Kreditkartenzahlung, Kontoeinzug, ein externes Bezahlungsunternehmen wie PayPal^TM, ein Handybezahlungsdienst oder eine Banküberweisung in Frage.
• 5. Optional kann der angezeigte Preis dynamisch an die Entfernung zum Empfänger oder sonstige individuelle Parameter angepasst werden, was flexible innovative Preismodelle ermöglicht.
• 6. Der Absender wirft die Sendung in einen öffentlich aufgestellten Briefkasten oder lässt sie zur Abholung durch den Postboten an seinem eigenen Briefkasten liegen.
• 7. Das Postunternehmen scannt in einer Sortieranlage die Barcodes auf allen aufgegebenen Sendungen, verknüpft diese anhand einer elektronischen Datenbank mit den Adressaten und leitet die Sendung den jeweils optimalen Postverkehrsmitteln zu.
• 8. Das Postunternehmen kann zusätzlich die Sendung in einer automatischen Anlage wiegen und vermessen und bei Unter- oder Überfrankierung den Differenzbetrag automatisiert vom Kunden abbuchen oder dem Kunden rückerstatten.
• 9. Ein Empfänger mit unstetigem Aufenthaltsort kann täglich dem Postunternehmen eine gewünschte Auslieferungsadresse mitteilen. Das dynamische Umleiten der Sendung erfolgt dabei vollständig anhand des Barcodes anstatt anhand einer statischen Adressangabe auf der Postverpackung (z. B. Briefumschlag oder Postbox).

If a postal customer wants to send a letter using the system described here, he inserts it into an unused envelope as sketched in drawing 1 and scans the preprinted barcode with a mobile phone or with a scanner device connected to a computer or with a digital camera device. In all cases mentioned, the barcode information is registered by a computer program and transmitted electronically to the postal company together with any desired additional information. The computer program, of which an exemplary flowchart is shown in Drawing 2, allows the customer to electronically frank, address, and post the desired postal services. This means in detail:

• 1. The customer can use a virtual address book to conveniently enter the recipient's address.
• 2. The address is transmitted electronically to the postal company together with the barcode information.
• 3. The customer may select special postal services for his shipment, such as: B. the shipment as registered mail, insurance or a particularly early delivery.
• 4. The customer will be shown the individual price for the shipment on the computing device. He then either makes an electronic payment or deposits money previously deposited on a virtual debit account in order to settle the postage electronically. Payment systems include, but are not limited to, credit card payments, direct debits, an external payment company such as PayPal ^TM , a mobile payment service, or a bank transfer.
• 5. Optionally, the displayed price can be dynamically adjusted to the distance to the receiver or other individual parameters, allowing for flexible, innovative pricing models.
• 6. The sender throws the consignment into a public mailbox or leaves it to be picked up by the postman at his own mailbox.
• 7. The postal service company scans the barcodes on all abandoned consignments in a sorting system, links them to the addressees using an electronic database and forwards the consignment to the optimum postal means of transport.
• 8. In addition, the postal company may weigh and measure the consignment in an automated system and, in the case of under- or over-franking, debit the difference automatically from the customer or refund it to the customer.
• 9. A recipient with discontinuous abode may provide the postal company with a desired delivery address on a daily basis. The dynamic rerouting of the program is carried out completely using the barcode instead of a static address specification on the postal packaging (eg envelope or postbox).

A further embodiment of the invention is the possibility of enabling the sending of mail without the sender having to know the address or identity of the recipient. An application example of such a scenario is an online video store, whose customers after using a DVD this by mail directly to the next Tenants can send without knowing its identity. This is made possible within the scope of the invention by the customer inserting the DVD into an envelope with a preprinted barcode, scanning the barcode on the envelope and on the DVD, transmitting the barcode identities electronically to the postal company and giving up the shipment. The postal company can use a database kept together with the video library to determine the address of the next tenant of the DVD and to guide the consignment by means of the barcode through sorting facilities and transport routes.

A more profane application of the above-described obfuscation of the address of the recipient of a mail item is the case that a public person can thereby receive mailings from people to whom he has his address z. B. for reasons of privacy would not divulge. Such an anonymized postal system has many parallels with the current e-mail system, in which also the email address of a person does not allow any conclusions as to their place of residence.

In summary, the invention described herein, namely the use of a preprinted complex barcode on postal packages (eg, envelopes or mailboxes) for electronically allocating franking or shipping information to a mailpiece, still largely eliminates a variety of inconveniences of the current postal system Paper stamps and handwriting based.

Other innovations, some of which are already established on the market, can also offer overlapping advantages over the conventional postal system with this invention: this is how the patent describes US2009287602 a postage credit system in which the postage costs are collected by the sender only after the shipment has been completed. Another patent ( EP2395482 ) describes a postal system in which a pre-made note is applied to postal packages by the sender, which contains information about the dimensions and / or weight of the shipment and allows a subsequent calculation of the postage costs. Furthermore, patent describes US2006122947 a system in which a unique identifier of a mail item that the sender has applied to the mailing is scanned to request the missing / missing mail from the sender. According to the aforementioned inventions electronic stamps can be ordered online and printed on envelopes or letterheads today daytime independent, such. B. from Deutsche Post AG. Since these online brands also contain a complex barcode, the automated routing of letters using barcodes could be realized with it.

However, in contrast to all the abovementioned inventions, the invention described here is based on the fact that as complex as possible, unique barcodes are already printed on post-packaging (for example, envelopes or postboxes) during production. As such, these bar codes do not represent any financial value or valuable information, making the loss or prolonged storage of postal packages economically irrelevant. The barcode serves only to uniquely identify a single envelope worldwide electronically, which allows any franking, addressing information or other information to electronically link with an individual barcode and thereby with an individual mail piece.

In terms of environmental protection, the described invention allows the easy reuse of postal packaging, since the printed barcode does not have to be canceled and thus can be linked several times electronically with a new franking or information.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• US 5726435 [0012]
• US 2612994 [0012]
• DE 4107020 [0012]
• US 2009287602 [0017]
• EP 2395482 [0017]
• US 2006122947 [0017]

Claims (10)

A method of adding mail or information or both to a mail piece whose mailer contains a pre-printed bar code characterized by the following successive steps: - The pre-printed barcode on the post box will be scanned - The barcode information is transmitted electronically to the postal company. Among other things, however, postal envelopes are not exclusively an envelope, a parcel box, a mailing box or a shipping box. The barcode here is any optically machine-readable information feature. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition to the barcode information, a customer identification and / or receiver information and / or payment information and / or information about desired services and / or information about the content of the mail item is transmitted electronically to the postal company. The transmission can take place before and / or after the physical deposition of the mailpiece. Subsequent changes to the booking of services by the sender are thus possible. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the device used to scan the bar code and to communicate the information to the postal company, either a personal computer with attached camera device or a mobile phone with built-in camera or a mailbox fixed reader connected to a computer. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the device for scanning and transmitting the bar code information provides an electronic address book function to facilitate the entry of recipient addresses. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the use of the device for scanning is limited to authorized persons by a password consisting of at least 4 letters or numbers or special characters is queried. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the information contained in the pre-printed bar code is a pseudorandom number of at least 16 bits long generated in the manufacture of the envelope or parcel box. Optionally, this random number may be blocked against repeated use by the same or another mail packaging manufacturer through an electronic central register. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the preprinted and associated with recipient information barcode is also used by the postal service to automatically sort the mailpiece according to criteria such as the region of the recipient or the means of transport to be used. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pre-printed and associated with recipient information barcode is also used by the postal service to postage franked mail from the sender postage, whereby the sender can, inter alia, the weighing of a shipment. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the preprinted and associated with recipient information barcode is also used by the postal service to deliver the mail item dynamically at a changing receiving location of the recipient or to disguise the sender against the real address of the recipient. A method for producing envelopes, parcel boxes, mailers, shipping crates or other postal packages which are suitable for use in a method according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9, characterized in that first individual pseudo-random number having a complexity of at least 16 bits or at least 64 bits is generated, which is then translated into an optically machine-readable feature, and finally that feature is automatically printed on a postal package.

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