WO2001023107A1

WO2001023107A1 - Processing of mail items using a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark

Info

Publication number: WO2001023107A1
Application number: PCT/EP2000/009415
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Camus; Lionel De Savigny
Original assignee: Solystic
Priority date: 1999-09-27
Filing date: 2000-09-26
Publication date: 2001-04-05
Also published as: FR2798870A1; AU7783200A; FR2798870B1

Abstract

The invention pertains to the use of a bar code (1, 2, 3, 4) printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark (6) of a mail item so as automatically to orientate this mail item in a machine for shuffing mail items and/or for automatically reading the postage value corresponding to said postage mark in a postal sorting machine.

Description

PROCESSING OF MAIL ITEMS USING A BAR CODE PRINTED WITH PHOSPHORESCENT INK ON A POSTAGE MARK

The invention relates to the automatic processing of mail and more particularly to automatic postal sorting.

In postal sorting offices, one resorts to machines for shuffling the mail items to be sorted known as CFC machines (CFC standing for "Culling Facing Canceling").

The mail items to be sorted are loaded in bulk into such a machine from which they emerge serialized in a stack, each orientated in an on-edge position with the postage mark, such as a postage stamp, disposed in the top right of the item, thereby subsequently aiding the automatic reading of the postal address of each mail item with the aid of a camera and of an automatic character recognition system when these mail items pass through a conveyor of a postal sorting machine.

To perform the automatic orientating of each mail item into the position indicated above, it is usual practice to rely on a phosphorescent marking, in the form of a phosphorescent ink spot for example, provided on the postage stamps intended to- be affixed to the mail items, this marking being easily detectable by appropriate sensors. In particular, the orientating of the mail item is performed by successively turning over the mail item on conveyors furnished with sensors responsive to the phosphorescent marking until one of the sensors detects the presence of the marking on the mail item which is then in the appropriate position. The aim of the invention is to propose another type of marking allowing the automatic orientating of each mail item and at the same time also allowing automatic reading of the postage value corresponding to the postage mark affixed to the mail item in such a way as to be able to reject, in a postal sorting machine, the mail item if this postage value is insufficient given the postal distribution address of the mail item.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is the use, in a machine for shuffling mail items, of a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item so as automatically to orientate this mail item with a view to automatically reading the postal address of said mail item. The subject of the invention is also the use, in a machine for automatically sorting mail items, of a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item with a view to automatically reading the postage value corresponding to said postage mark.

The bars of such a code, printed with phosphorescent ink, are of course invisible under natural light and appear only under the effect of exposure to ultraviolet light in a dark room. The presence of several bars printed with phosphorescent ink makes it possible very easily to locate the position of the postage mark on the face of the mail item since the density of phosphorescence of a bar code in the confined zone of the postage mark, for example a postage stamp, is very high. The detection of the presence of the bar code printed on the postage mark is insensitive to the orientation of the postage mark on the face of the mail item. The bar code printed with phosphorescent ink comprises in sequence an alternation of bars and of vertical spaces, preferably flanked by start and end of code symbols printed with phosphorescent ink, thereby making it possible on the one hand to determine the orientation of the postage mark so as to speed up the orientating of the mail item and on the other hand to decode postage values on several postage marks affixed to the same mail item so as to be able to accumulate them and determine the total postage value for this mail item. In order for the automatic reading of the bar code to be possible, it is necessary that the postage mark be correctly affixed to the face of the mail item, that is to say in a position which is not overly inclined with respect to the edge of the mail item. The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter in conjunction with the drawings.

Figure 1 diagrammatically shows a postage stamp provided with a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink.

Figure 2 shows a stamp affixed to a mail item and furnished with a bar code according to the invention.

As is visible in Figure 1 , this bar code comprises in sequence an alternation of parallel bars printed with phosphorescent ink, such as 1 and 2, and of parallel vertical spaces such as 3 and 4 which are not printed with phosphorescent ink. Each bar such as 1 or 2 and each vertical space such as 3 or 4 are designed to have for example two possible widths. It follows that, with a few bars and vertical spaces, it is possible to encode in a relatively compact manner a large number of numerical values representing quantities defined by the postal organization, for example the postage value corresponding to the postage mark and a date among other things.

The sequence of bars and of vertical spaces of the code is flanked by start and end of code symbols which may each be formed of a particular sequence of bars printed with phosphorescent ink and of vertical spaces devoid of phosphorescent ink.

As is visible in Figure 2, the bars and vertical spaces of the bar code, such as 1 and 3, are oriented vertically when the mail item 5 is disposed edgewise with the postage mark, here a stamp 6, affixed correctly in the top right of the mail item, thereby helping to simplify the operation of reading the bar code by linear movement of the mail item on edge past an appropriate sensor.

Claims

1. The use, in a machine for shuffling mail items, of a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark (6) of a mail item (5) so as automatically to orientate this mail item with a view to automatically reading the postal address of said mail item.

2. The use, in a machine for automatically sorting mail items, of a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark (6) of a mail item (5) with a view to automatically reading the postage value corresponding to said postage mark.

3. The use of a bar code as claimed in one of claims 1 or 2, in which the bar code printed with phosphorescent ink comprises in sequence an alternation of bars (1 , 2) and of vertical spaces (3, 4), flanked by start and end of code symbols.