[0001] This invention relates to mail handling apparatus and in particular to apparatus
for printing on mail items an impression to indicate that a postage charge has been
paid.
[0002] Franking machines are well known for metering postage charges applied to mail items
by way of printing of a franking impression indicative of the value of postage charge.
Such franking machines include means to carry out accounting in respect of the postage
charges applied to items and printing means controlled by the accounting means to
print a franking impression indicative of a postage charge for which proper accounting
has been carried out by the accounting means. Commonly the accounting means includes
a descending register to store a value of credit available for franking of items and,
as each item is franked, the value of credit is decremented by the value of postage
charge for the item. Because both the authorised user of the franking machine and
the postal authority rely on the accounting means to provide a proper and correct
record of value used in franking items it is necessary to prevent unauthorised access
to the accounting means and to ensure that the printing means cannot be operated to
print a postage value for which proper accounting has not been carried out. In addition,
the franking impression has a format which cannot easily be copied. Afterfranking
by the franking machine the postal authority requires that the franked items of mail
are entered into the postal system only at a postal office specified in relation to
the specific franking machine used to frank the items. The use of franking machines
tends to be limited to business organisations who send relatively large quantities
of mail and for whom it is not inconvenient to enter the mail items at a specified
post office. Accordingly individuals wishing to send mail items by the postal service
must purchase stamps to be adhered to the mail items prior to entering the items into
the postal system.
[0003] According to the present invention mail handling apparatus including a secure container
for mail items; an input path to the container; mail acceptance means for input of
mail items along said input path into said container; payment means to receive value
corresponding to a required postage charge for mail item and control means operative
in response to receipt of said value to feed a mail item along said input path to
said secure container and to operate a printer to print an impression on a mail item
in said passage indicative of said input value is characterised by data input means
operable by a user to input postal information relating to an item to be input to
the apparatus and in that said control means normally prevents entry of mai items
to said input path and is operative to check data input by operation of said data
input means by a user and is further operative if said data is verified to permit
passage of said mail item along said input path into said container.
[0004] An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference
to the drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of mail handling apparatus and
Figure 2 is a block circuit diagram of the accounting and control circuits of the
apparatus.
[0005] Referring first to Figure 1, a box container 10 provides a receptacle for mail items
which are entered into the postal system for distribution by the postal service to
required destinations. The container 10 is of similar construction to a conventional
letter box and has a door 11 for access to the interior of the container for removal
of franked mail items. As is usual with letter boxes, the door is locked by a lock
12 to prevent unauthorised access to the container. A slot 13 for entry of mail items
into the container is provided adjacent an upper part of the container. A control
and accounting unit 14 is located at the upper part of the container. The accounting
unit is provided with a keyboard 15 for input of information to the unit by a person
wishing to post mail item. Adisplay 16 is provided to display information to assist
in use of the apparatus. A payment device 17 is provided to accept payments from users
of the apparatus.
[0006] Referring now to Figure 2, the control and accounting unit includes a microprocessor
18 operated under control of program routines stored in a read only memory (ROM) 19.
The microprocessor receives data input from the keyboard 15 and controls the display
device 16 to provide information and instructions to a user of the apparatus. The
microprocessor also receives input signals from the payment device indicating the
monetary value of payments received by the device 17. The payment device may be operated
by entry of coins, by credit card, by prepayment cards or by smart card. Payment devices
for operation by insertion of coins includes means to accept coins and to check the
value of coins inserted in the payment device and provide a signal to the microprocessor
representing the value of coins inserted. Payment devices for operation by credit
or other cards include means to read data from the card. In operation by credit card
the microprocessor generates debiting data to enable the postage charge to be debited
from the credit card account. In operation of the payment device by prepayment card
or smart card, the payment device includes means to decrement a value recorded on
the card by the amount of the postage charge. Normally, passage of mail items through
the slot 13 along a path into the interior of the container is prevented by mail acceptance
means 20 controlled by the microprocessor 18.
[0007] When a user wishes to input an item to the apparatus, the user operates the keyboard
to input data required by the apparatus prior to acceptance of the item. The information
required would include the amount of postage charge to be applied to the item and
the postal service class required. Additionally it is preferred that the user is required
to enter the destination town and post code. The accounting unit is provided with
memory 21 which stores a table correlating towns and post codes whereby the microprocessor
is enabled to verify that the entered post code is correct in relation to the destination
town entered. The microprocessor verifies that a payment corresponding to the entered
postage charge has been received by the payment device and also may verify that the
entered postage charge is a valid charge in respect of the service class entered.
Provided the verification is satisfactory, the microprocessor then proceeds to a routine
for acceptance of the item into the apparatus. In the acceptance routine, the mail
acceptance means 20 normally preventing passage of the item into the interior of the
container 10 is operated to permit passage of the mail item and to feed the item from
the slot 13 along a path into the container. A printing device 22 (not shown in Figure
1) is provided adjacent the path of the mail item and is controlled by the microprocessor
18 to print postal information on the entered mail item. The information printed would
be in substitution for any marking or coding of items at a postal sorting office.
The information printed would include an authentication mark and coding relating to
postal class, destination and value of postage charge. The printing may be in plain
text but it is preferred that the information be printed in a form readable by low
cost reading equipment, e.g. bar code readers to enable subsequent automatic sorting
and handling of the mail. If desired the information may be printed at more than one
position, for example on opposite faces of the mail item, to obviate any necessity
for facing the items at the sorting office.
[0008] The memory 21 may be utilised to store accounting information, for example the accumulated
total of payments received and the number of items input to the apparatus. If desired
means may be provided to print out at intervals, for example when the container 10
is emptied of mail items, accounting information on a tally strip.
[0009] In order to prevent input of mail items when the container 10 is full, the microprocessor
may be operated such as to prevent further input of mail items when a predetermined
number of items have been received or means may be provided in the container to detect
when the items stacked in the container reach a predetermined height and the microprocessor
is responsive to a full signal from the detector means to prevent entry of further
items. If the number of items entered is utilised to determine a container full condition,
means are provided to reset the count when the container is emptied. Resetting of
the count may be effected automatically by means responsive to the closing and locking
of the door 11.
[0010] The mail handling apparatus may be operated in a stand alone mode but additional
benefits to the postal service may be provided if the apparatus is linked via an input/output
port 23 and a telephone line 24 to a central computer system 25 of the postal service.
With such links, the postal authority can be provided with information on the quantity,
service class, destination and other information relating to mail items received in
the container. This information may be utilised by the postal authority to assist
in planning the further handling of the mail items. Incentives may be provided to
encourage users to use the apparatus for entry of mail items into the postal system.
[0011] The apparatus ensures that only mail items for which a payment for postage has been
made and which bear a destination post code correctly corresponding to the destination
town are received into the container. The markings applied to the mail items are printed
on the mail items after acceptance of the items into the apparatus. Accordingly there
is substantially no possibility of fraudulent use.
[0012] Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of mail handling apparatus for the purpose
of illustrating the operation of such apparatus and it is to be understood that the
physical construction of the apparatus may have other forms in which the elements
of the apparatus are disposed differently.
1. Mail handling apparatus including a secure container (10)for mail items; an input
path (13) to the container; mail acceptance means (20) for input of mail items along
said input path into said container; payment means (17) to receive value corresponding
to a required postage charge for a mail item and control means (18) operative in response
to receipt of said value to feed a mail item along said input path (13) to said secure
container (10) and to operate a printer (22) to print an i m-pression on a mail item
in said passage indicative of said input value characterised by data input means (15)
operable by a user to input postal information relating to an item to be input to
the apparatus and in that said control means (18) normally prevents entry of mail
items to said input path (13) and is operative to check data input by operation of
said data input means (15) by a user and is further operative if said data is verified
to permit passage of said mail item along said input path (13) into said container
(10).
2. Mail handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control means (18) is
operative to verify that the value received by the payment means (17) is equal to
a postage charge entered by the data input means (15).
3. Mail handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein data entered on the
data input means (15) includes a destination town and a destination post code for
a mail item and wherein the control means (18) is operative to check that the entered
destination post code corresponds to the entered destination town.
4. Mail handling apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim including means (18)
responsive to quantity of mail items received in the container (10) and operative
to prevent further input of mail items when a predetermined quantity of mail items
has been received in the container (10) .
5. Mail handling apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim and including communication
means (23, 24) to enable communication of data between said apparatus and a remote
postal office (25).