Production of mail pieces and preparations therefor

Abstract

For producing mail pieces in a mail production apparatus, starting from physical postal items, a required operating condition of the mail production apparatus is determined. At least one physical property to be realized manually of the required operating condition is determined and at least one current physical property of a current condition of the mail production apparatus is registered. A difference between the at least one current physical property and the at least one physical property to be realized manually of said required operating condition is determined and an associated indication is represented in humanly perceptible form. In response, the at least one current physical property is changed, such that the difference is removed. Next, with the mail production apparatus in the required operating condition, at least one mail piece is assembled from physical postal items. Also described are computer software and an apparatus for use with this method.

What is claimed is  
     
         1 . A method for producing mail pieces in a mail production apparatus, starting from physical postal items, comprising: 
 selecting a required operating condition of the mail production apparatus applying to the production of at least one mail piece;    determining at least one physical property to be realized manually of said required operating condition;    registering at least one current physical property of a current condition of said mail production apparatus;    determining a difference between said at least one current physical property and said at least one property to be realized manually of said required operating condition;    representing an indication associated with said difference in a humanly perceptible form;    manually changing said at least one current physical property, such that said difference is removed; and    composing said at least one mail piece from physical postal items with said mail production apparatus in said required operating condition    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one property of said current condition is determined by determining at least one property of a directly preceding operating condition.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 determining operations to be performed manually for bringing said mail production apparatus from said current condition into said required operating condition; and      4  representing said operations to be performed manually in a humanly perceptible form.    
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 3 , further comprising: 
 each time after an operation has been performed, again register the current condition of said mail production apparatus; and    representing in humanly perceptible form at least one residual operation of said operations to be performed.    
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising determining types of physical postal items associated with said required operating condition; 
 registering physical postal items loaded into said mail production apparatus;    determining a physical postal item type of said loaded physical postal items; and    determining a difference between types of physical postal items associated with said required operating condition and sad types of loaded physical postal items;    wherein representing said difference comprises representing at least one type of physical postal items to be loaded.    
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , further comprising representing at least one loading position for physical postal items of said at least one type that are to be loaded.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein representing said at least one type of physical postal item Apes to be loaded is carried out by representing a property of physical postal items of said at least one type that are to be loaded.  
     
     
         8 . A method according to clam  7 , wherein loaded physical postal items are registered by said mail production apparatus by scanning and registering a property of each of the types of loaded physical postal items.  
     
     
         9 . A computer program for supporting manual preparatory operations for operationalizing a mail production apparatus, comprising instructions for: 
 determining data regarding a required operating condition applying to the production of At least one mail piece;    determining at least one physical property to be realized manually of said required operating condition;    registering at least one current physical property of a current condition of said mail production apparatus;    determining a difference between said at least one current physical property and said at least one property to be realized manually of said required operating condition; and    causing an indication associated with said difference to be represented mi humanly perceptible form.    
     
     
         10 . An information carrier provided with machine-readable data constituting a computer program according to  claim 9 .  
     
     
         11 . A mail production apparatus for producing mail pieces, starting from physical postal items, comprising: 
 at least one finishing assembly for producing physical mail pieces;    a sensor for registering a current physical property of a current condition of said at least one finishing assembly;    representation means; and    a control structure communicatively linked with said finishing assembly, said sensor and said representation means, said control structure being provided with code for: 
 determining data regarding a required operating condition applying to the production of at least one mail piece;  
 determining at least one physical property to be realized manually of said required operating condition;  
 registering at least one current physical property of a current condition of said finishing assembly;  
 determining a difference between said at least one current physical property and said at least one property to be realized manually of said required operating condition;  
 causing an indication associated with said difference to be represented by the representation means; and  
 causing said at least one mail piece to be composed by said finishing assembly in said operating condition.  
   
     
     
         12 . Au apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising a memory structure communicatively linked with said control structure for storing data which represent a directly preceding operating condition, wherein said control structure is further arranged for determining at least one property of said current condition by determining at least one property of said directly preceding operating condition.  
     
     
         13 . An apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein said control structure is further arranged for determining operations to be performed manually for bringing said finishing assembly from said current condition into said required operating condition and representing said operations to be performed with said representation means in humanly perceptible form.  
     
     
         14 . An apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said control structure is further arranged for registering the current condition again after the performance of one of said operations to be performed and representing in humanly perceptible form at least one residual operation of said operations to be performed.  
     
     
         15 . An apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising an item sensor communicatively linked with said control structure, for registering loaded physical postal items, wherein said control structure is further arranged for determining physical postal item types associated with said required operating condition, registering loaded physical postal items, determining at least one type of said loaded physical postal items; and representing at least one type of physical postal items to be loaded.  
     
     
         16 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein said control structure is further arranged for representing with said representation means, in addition to the or each type of physical postal items to be loaded, a loading position for physical postal items of that type to be loaded.  
     
     
         17 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein said control structure is further arranged for representing a property of physical postal items of said type to be loaded,  
     
     
         18 . An apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein said item sensor is arranged for registering an item property of said loaded physical postal items.