WO1992017861A1

WO1992017861A1 - Automated self-service package shipping machine

Info

Publication number: WO1992017861A1
Application number: PCT/US1992/002510
Authority: WO
Inventors: Asher Gil; John B. Daron
Original assignee: Pi Electronics Incorporated
Priority date: 1991-04-01
Filing date: 1992-04-01
Publication date: 1992-10-15
Also published as: AU1774892A

Abstract

A self-service apparatus (100) capable of automatically handling envelopes and packages through various stages of processing, including touch screen (110) to handle various inputs from the customer, digitized voice (112) to prompt the customer and instruct him in the processing, electronic weighing (138), electronic printing (142) of the ZIP+4 barcode, electronic printing of the shipping label (140), electronic printing of the receipt (128), electronic printing (140) of the manifest documentation for both the letters and packages, and maintaining of the manifest documentation for both the letters and packages. Mailing charges are deducted from a prepaid magnetic card through the use of a magnetic card reader (122). Maintaining postage and shipping rates, ZIP+4 CD-ROM directory in order to locate the ZIP+4 information. A dual floppy disk system (124, 126) to allow the mailer to send electronic mail. A built-in facsimile apparatus (120) to allow the customer to send 'FAX' information through the telephone line.

Description

AUTOMATED SELF-SERVICE PACKAGE SHIPPING MACHINE

The invention relates to automated self-service systems for receiving and initially processing letters and other packages for subsequent transportation by the U.S. Postal Service and/or private package shipment companies.

The Appendix sets forth copyrighted subject matter. No objection is made to reproduction of the Appendix solely in connection with reproducing any patent that may issue from this application, but all other rights under copyright law are reserved.

An automated self-service machine in accordance with the invention advantageously combines features of mailroom automation systems with features of bank automated teller machines. The machine may be located in post offices, convenience stores, and the like.

A notable aspect of the self-service machine is its user interaction. In operation, the machine conducts a dialog with a user/customer, via a touch screen and a digitized voice output (or other input/output devices) , to obtain information about the customer's intended shipment address, class of service, and the like. The customer may specify, e.g., first-class mail, registered or certified mail, and the like. The customer may specify a language (e.g., English, Spanish) in which he or she wishes to communicate. Certain dialog segments are color-enhanced, e.g., a green representation of a certified mail "green card" receipt is displayed on a color monitor to aid the customer in providing information about a certified mail letter.

The machine measures the weight and other dimensions of the customer's package; the measurement is performed automatically for packages whose dimensions fall within specified limits. Using these measurements and the customer-provided information, the machine computes the postage or other shipping charge. The shipping charge may include a fee charged by the owner of the convenience store or other machine location, e.g. , to cover the overhead cost of having the machine on-site.

The machine obtains payment from the customer, notably through the use of a prepaid, low-cost charge card which may be sold in convenient denominations at the machine's location (e.g., at a convenience store). A magnetic card reader for handling such cards may be connected through a conventional interface directly to, e.g., a convenience store cash register. Alternatively, the customer may use a credit card to make payment.

The machine prints a routing/shipping label for the customer's package. If the package is a simple first-class letter, the label may comprise a postal bar code printed directly on the letter's envelope. The bar code may embody the nine-digit ZIP+4 code of the destination address, which may be looked up by the machine from a database in a CD-ROM disk. If the package is a letter to be sent by certified mail, the machine prompts the user to insert a U.S. Postal Service certified mail "green card" blank form for printing. If the package is a box or large envelope, the machine may print a shipping or mailing label, including an appropriate routing/tracking bar code, on peel-off label stock; the customer may then apply the label to the package.

Prior to printing a shipping label or bar code, the machine may advantageously consult a directory (e.g., a ZIP+4 directory) to verify that the destination address specified by the customer is not obviously incorrect. Furthermore, the information obtained from the customer by the machine includes the customer's name, address, and telephone number, enabling the shipping company to contact the customer more readily if the customer's package cannot be delivered.

When the customer's transaction is complete, the labeled package is automatically received into a locked storage compartment in the machine. The storage compartment may be emptied at a convenient time, e.g., by a convenience store clerk, and its contents delivered to the U.S. Postal Service or other shipping company. A sensor detects when the storage compartment is full and alerts appropriate personnel.

A printer in the machine prints a customer receipt. The printer may be a thermal printer, and the receipt may be printed on aluminized stock, to reduce the chance of customer alteration of the receipt.

When a machine operator (e.g., a convenience store clerk) inputs an appropriate instruction at the "end of the day," a hard-copy manifest of packages received by the machine is generated. The machine may be operated by a customer in an "Inquiry" mode. For example, a customer may use the machine simply to look up the nine-digit ZIP code for a particular street address. This feature may be provided free of charge as a courtesy.

Like reference numerals are used to refer to the same components and parts in all of the following Figures:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an automated mailing apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of the letter-handling system assembly of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a front view of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing portions of a package tilting mechanism;

Figure 5 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing portions of the package tilting mechanism with the package scale in the upright position;

Figure 6 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing portions of the package tilting mechanism with the package scale in a tilted position;

Figure 7 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing portions of a printer tilting mechanism;

Figure 8 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing portions of the printer tilting mechanism when the printer is rotated to a fully upright position; Figure 9 is a top view of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing portions of the printer tilting mechanism;

Figure 10 is a top view of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing portions of the printer tilting mechanism of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a front view of a portion of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing the package acceptance door sliding mechanism;

Figures 12a, 12b, and 12c collectively comprise a block diagram of computer hardware in the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 13 is a diagram of the main electronics board of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figures 14a, 14b, and 14c collectively comprise a schematic diagram of the control signal circuitry of Figures 12a, 12b, and 12c;

Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the multiple-printer card 1258 from Figure 12c;

Figure 16 is an illustration of a silk-screen mask for PC board 1302 of Figure 13;

Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the voltage-to-frequency weigh card 1202 from Figure 12a;

Figures 18a and 18b collectively comprise a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in mailing a first class regular letter; Figures 19a and 19b collectively comprise a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in mailing a first class letter in "Sav-A-Day" mode;

Figures 20a and 20b collectively comprise a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in mailing a first class, certified letter;

Figures 21a and 21b collectively comprise a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in mailing a first class, registered letter;

Figures 22a and 22b collectively comprise a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in mailing a first class, insured letter;

Figures 23a and 23b collectively comprise a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in responding to a customer inquiry regarding first class mailing;

Figures 24a and 24b collectively comprise a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in mailing a package;

Figures 25a and 25b collectively comprise a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in responding to a customer inquiry regarding mailing of packages;

Figure 26 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in printing packages and letters manifest;

Figure 27 is a data flow diagram for the control system of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 28 is a data flow diagram for the first class mail subsystem of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 29 is a data flow diagram for the report generation subsystem of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 30 is a data flow diagram for the package handling subsystem of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 31 is a data flow diagram for the machine control subsystem of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, a self-service package shipping machine 100 according to the invention is shown. A letter-handling subsystem is shown on the right side of the machine, and a package-handling subsystem is shown on the left side. In the Figures, reference numerals are used to indicate components and parts as indicated below:

100 Zipster Plus ZP-3D Automated Mailing Apparatus 102 sheet-metal housing 104 letter acceptance slot 106 package acceptance window 108 package acceptance window door 110 touch-screen computer monitor, Carroll Touch

Company, Austin, Texas 112 loudspeaker 114 work tray

116 ruler disposed on front of work tray 114 118 divided compartments disposed in work tray 114 for containing work supplies and preprinted USPS forms, Federal Express/UPS forms, and the like 120 fax machine 122 magnetic card reader, COPYVENDOR cardreader by

McKey Inc. , of Harleysville PA - 124 3-1/2 inch floppy disk drive 126 5-1/4 inch floppy disk drive 128 thermal receipt printer

130 dotted line denoting general area in which electronics are disposed

132 dotted line denoting general area in which letter-handling system assembly is disposed 134 letter tray 136 dotted line denoting general area in which mechanism for sliding window door 108 is disposed 138 (dotted line denoting) tilting package scale 140 shipping and mail manifest printer 142 package label printer 144 package door 146 letter door

200 letter-handling system assembly disposed in area denoted by dotted line 132 in Figure

1

202 PC board assembly for left-justification and width measurement of letters

203 electro-optical sensors for left-justification and width measurement

204 stepping motor, model Superior MH112 by

Superior Electric Company, Bristol CT

206 gate mechanism letter stops

208 base plate 210 linear motion guide rail (THK SR301)

212 letter clamp/Ledex solenoid

214 guide rail support blocks

216 idler assembly

218 Hewlett-Packard ink-jet printer 220 ink-jet printer pivot plate

221 ink-jet printer pivot plate hinge 222 micro-switch for detecting when ink-jet printer

218 has rotated into fully upright position

223 scanner (e.g., DEST Personal Scan B5N-21SCA scanning unit scanner with B5N-21FED page feeder)

224 Ledex solenoid for retracting gate mechanism letter stops 206

226 PC board assembly for letter justification and length measurement

227 electro-optical sensors for letter justification and length measurement

228 letter scale

230 load cell for letter weighing, e.g., Transducers Incorporated, Cerritos CA, model no. 662A-D3-10-10P1

400 load cell for package weighing 402 trap door 404 linkage for simultaneous opening of trap door

402 and tilting of package scale 138 406 tilting hinge

408 linear actuator for providing mechanical force to tilt scale 138 and trap door 402, model 4Z846A by Dayton Corporation of Chicago

410 package storage compartment

600 package being tilted off of scale 138 602 packages stored in storage compartment after being tilted off of scale 138

700 linear actuator for providing mechanical force to rotate ink-jet printer 218, model 4Z846A by Dayton Corporation of Chicago 702 linkage

704 linkage 706 pivot point between linear actuator 700 and linkage 702 708 pivot point between linkage 702 and linkage 704 710 pivot point between linkage 702 and housing 102

900 dotted line indicating portion of Figure 9 which is shown in greater detail in Figure

10

1100 metal guides to prevent inward movement of door

108 1102 stepper motor 1104 Kevlar timing belt 1106 THK linear rail 1108 Honeywell opto-electronic limit switch

1110 THK bearing for movement along guide rail 1106 1112 idler for engaging other end of timing belt 1104

1200 PC bus

1201 main 80386-based computer

1202 voltage-to-frequency weigh card

1204 scanner interface card (e.g., DEST Corp.)

1206 Hitachi interface card 1208 Hitachi CDR-3500 CD ROM drive

1210 IDE hard disk/floppy disk

1212 IDE 40-mByte hard disk drive

1214 Scientific Solutions stepper motor card (Cybernetic Microsystems Inc. , San Gregorio CA model no. CY-525A)

1216 Superior Motor Block 6180 — PT Translator

1218 Superior Motor Block 6180 — PT Translator

1220 input port

1222 input port 1224 input port

1226 safety micro-switch 1228 output port

1230 buzzer

1232 input port

1234 printer tilt relay 1236 output port

1238 paper ready indicator

1240 input port

1242 optical homing signals

1244 input port 1246 help switch

1248 input port

1250 package dump relay

1252 output port

1254 solenoids and clamps 1256 facsimile interface card (e.g., Intel

SatisFAXtion) f

1258 multiple printer card

1260 voice digitizer (e.g., Covox Inc., Eugene

Oregon - Voicemaster Digitizer System 2; software version 2.04/2.04x)

1262 modem (e.g., Hayes compatible)

1264 telephone line

1266 floppy disk controller

1300 main electronics board which is disposed in the area denoted by dotted line 130 in Figure 1 1302 printed circuit board 1304 computer power supply 1306 terminal strip 1308 3-inch wireway 1310 12-V, 15-V power supply 1312 30-V, 60-V power supply

ZP1000 signal distribution board - Easthem Associates, Houston Some features of the machine 100 are particularly noteworthy. As shown in Figure 2, the ink jet printer is tilted downward when at rest (the normal position of the HP printer) , and rotated up as needed to print upward. This is done by using an electrical linear actuator 700 and rotation linkages as shown in the Figure.

Packages are weighed by using a 100 lb load cell (strain gauge bridge) . When a package is accepted, the package platform 138 is tilted by an electrical linear actuator 408 to tip the package into the storage compartment area .

The package window mechanism is secured in the up position by a Ledex size 6ep solenoid. Once the solenoid is activated, the lock is released and the Superior stepping motor MH-LLR-PF-8020 begins to rotate. The motion is transferred into linear motion up and down by using a Kevlar timing belt. The THK bearing and the idler pulley to home the window into its position. We are using optical sensor limit switches by Honeywell. The package window mechanism is mounted on the inner side of the package door.

The machine 100 of the illustrative embodiment is operated by computer software shown in detail in the Appendix, which comprises 265 pages each numbered in the lower right corner with serial numbers PI00001 through P100265. As shown in the Appendix, a series of screen displays is presented to a user/customer on the touch screen 110; the customer's responses on the touch screen 110 or other input device (e.g., a conventional computer keyboard) are used in controlling the machine's operations. The software controlling the machine also includes a ZIP+4 database and lookup software. In the illustrative embodiment, the ZIP+4 database and control software distributed by the First Data Resource Company of Memphis, Tennessee is used.

The interrelationship of the various parts of the machine 100 may be conveniently described through a discussion of the operation of the machine.

A user/customer starts the machine by inserting a prepaid charge card into the receiving slot of a magnetic card reader 122, which activates the apparatus. The charge card may be a conventional stiff-paper card with a magnetic stripe on one side, similar to those used by the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) in the San Francisco area.

The customer then touches the touch screen 110, which may be a conventional touch screen activated by an infrared array or sonic waves or resistance screen. Touching the screen activates a voice system which instructs the operator through a loudspeaker 112 what the next step will be. By following the voice instruction and the printed instructions on the screen 110, the customer is led step by step through the processing of a package or a letter.

As shown by the illustrative screen displays in the Appendix and by the flow diagrams in Figures _, once the customer has selected a First Class letter he follows the instructions. The customer then puts the letter into the letter acceptance slot 104. The letter handling system 200 moves the letter automatically through weighing, measuring, scanning and printing and finally depositing the letter into the removable letter tray where all processed letters are collected.

Once a letter is processed, a receipt is printed for any letter that is certified, registered and insured.

The cost of mailing is deducted from the prepaid magnetic card and the card is returned to the customer.

The customer is able to request an electronic mail operation (e.g., using a conventional electronic mail service such as MCI Mail) using one of the two types of floppy-disk drives 124, 126 by inserting a floppy disk into the drive and following the voice/touch screen 110 instruction. The customer is thereby able to transmit his files to another computer. The cost of the electronic mailing is deducted from the prepaid magnetic card and the card is returned to the customer.

The customer is able to request to use the built-in FAX scanner 120 in order to transmit documents across telephone lines to another location. The customer follows the voice and screen instruction and then inserts his documents one by one into the FAX scanner 120. The machine 100 automatically transmits the documents to the other location. The cost of mailing is deducted from the prepaid magnetic card and the card is returned to the customer.

The customer may select after inserting his prepaid magnetic card to process packages by touching the screen 110 and following the voice instructions. The package window door 106 opens, the customer puts the package inside the window on the package/scale/tilt assembly 400. The scale weighs the package; this weight is transmitted to the computer which calculates the charges according to the destination zipcode. Once all the information that relates to the shipper and destination is entered by the customer using the touch screen 110, a shipping label is printed using a package label printer 142. The customer pastes the label to the package and touches the screen on the appropriate box as shown by the illustrative screen displays in the Appendix. Once the customer has finished the processing, the package window door 108 is automatically closed. A receipt is produced by the receipt printer 128. The cost of shipping the package is deducted from the prepaid magnetic card and the card is returned to the customer.

To detect customer attempts to cheat (e.g., by submitting a light package for weighing but actually depositing a heavier package for shipping) , the package is reweighed just prior to acceptance. If more than a +1% variation is detected, an error message is generated and the package is not accepted.

To reduce the chance of a too-heavy weight measurement (e.g., because the customer inadvertently has his finger on the scale) , the scale detects weight varia¬ tions of 0.01 oz. The weight is not measured for shipping-charge computation purposes until the weight stabilizes.

The tare (zero weight) of the scale is monitored to verify that nothing is left on the scale and that the scale is not damaged.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing embodiment is described for purposes of illustration and not as a limitation on the exclusive rights of the inventors. Various changes may be made (e.g., through the substitution of components; implementation of software functions in hardware and vice versa; and the like) without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments which are claimed as the exclusive property of the inventors are as described in the claims below.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An automated self-service package shipping machine comprising:

(a) means for receiving a package;

(b) screen-display means for displaying user instructions;

(c) user input means for transmitting user preferences;

(d) means for printing a destination label;

(e) means for printing a customer receipt; and

(f) locking means for securing the package.