Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02332694 2001-O1-26
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERSONALIZING A MAILER
Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to the preparation of mailers
and in particular to a system and method for personalizing the back exterior
surface of
mailers.
Background Of The Invention
As is well known, many businesses are required to mail letters directly
to addressees. For example, credit card companies, financial institutions,
utilities etc.
typically send statements and/or bills to their customers each month.
Advertising
houses also mail advertisements, promotional material etc. to addressees on a
regular
basis. In the past, envelopes accommodating these materials have been void of
variable printed information and have served a single purpose, namely to act a
carrier
for the materials to be delivered.
Direct mailing is expensive and therefore it is desirable from an
economic standpoint to achieve more than one goal at the same time. To
increase the
value of direct mailing, institutions issuing statements and/or bills often
include
inserts promoting the businesses' products and/or services with the statements
and/or
bills. In most cases the inserts are generic in nature and are included with
each
statement.
Significant research has been conducted on the effectiveness of
advertising and it has been found that generic advertising, although useful,
achieves
only limited success. Personalizing advertising has been found to increase the
effectiveness of the advertising and better draw the attention of the
recipient to the
advertising. Accordingly, improvements in the preparation of mailers are
desired.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel
system and method for personalizing the back exterior surface of mailers.
Summary Of The Invention
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method for personalizing mailers comprising the steps of
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selecting information to be printed on mailers based on data relating to
intended recipients of said mailers, said information varying depending on
said
intended recipients; and
printing the information on a back exterior surface of said mailers.
Preferably, the method further includes the step of capturing recipient
identification data from each mailer that is used to select the information to
be printed
on the mailers. The recipient identification data may include at least one of
the
intended recipient's name, address, postal code, and a customer identification
code
assigned to the intended recipient. In one embodiment, the recipient
identification
data is printed on an item within each mailer. The recipient identification
data may be
captured from the item prior to the item being placed in a Garner envelope or
may be
captured from the item through a window of a carrier envelope into which the
item is
placed.
Preferably, the method further includes the step of comparing the
recipient identification data captured from each mailer with recipient
identification
data stored in at least one database to identify the intended recipient. It is
also
preferred that the selecting step includes the step of retrieving personalized
information from the at least one database relevant to the intended recipient.
The
retrieving step may include the step of selecting a message template from the
at least
one database based on personal data stored in the at least one database that
is
associated with the identified intended recipient thereby to create the
personalized
information to be printed on each mailer. Additionally, the retrieving step
may
include the step of modifying the selected message template using the personal
data.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided
a method for personalizing a mailer comprising the steps of:
identifying the intended recipient of a mailer;
preparing information to be printed on said mailer, said information
being personalized for said intended recipient; and
printing the personalized information on a back exterior surface of said
mailer.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is
provided a system for personalizing a mailer comprising:
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a controller receiving information identifying the intended recipient of
said mailer and in response thereto, selecting information to be printed on
the exterior
of said mailer, said information being personalized for said intended
recipient; and
a printer responsive to said controller for printing the personalized
information on a back exterior surface of said mailer.
The present invention provides advantages in that the back exterior
surface of mailers are printed with information that is personalized for the
intended
recipients prior to mailing. As a result, the typically unused back exterior
surface of
the mailers serves a useful purpose and the effectiveness of advertising
printed on the
back exterior surface of the mailers is increased.
Brief Description Of The Drawings
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be
described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for preparing mailers that
are personalized for intended recipients;
Figure 2 is a flow chart showing the steps performed during
preparation of the mailers; and
Figures 3a and 3b are elevational views of personalized mailers
prepared by the system of Figure 1.
Detailed Description Of The Preferred Embodiment
The present invention relates generally to a method and system for
personalizing mailers for intended recipients. Personalizing within the
context of the
present invention refers to the selection of printed information for an
intended
recipient or group of intended recipients. The printed information selected
for the
intended recipient or group of intended recipients may be generic or may be
modified
to reference personal data associated with the intended recipient or group of
intended
recipients.
Turning now to Figure l, a system for personalizing mailers for
intended recipients is shown and is generally identified by reference numeral
10. As
can be seen, system 10 includes an insert line 12, an envelope stuffing and
sealing
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station 14 downstream of the insert line 12 and a mailer customization station
16
downstream of the envelope stuffing and sealing station 14. A heat-resistant
ink jet
vacuum conveyor 18 such as that manufactured by Packsmart carriers collated
statements and inserts exiting the insert line 12 to the envelope stuffing and
sealing
and mailer customization stations 14 and 16 respectively.
In the present embodiment, insert line 12 collates statements such as
those issued by financial institutions, credit card companies, utilities and
the like with
one or more inserts. Each statement 20 has information identifying the
intended
recipient of the statement printed on it. The recipient information in this
case includes
the name, address and postal ("zip") code of the intended recipient, as well
as a
customer identification (ID) code assigned to the intended recipient by the
institution
issuing the statement.
Insert line 12 includes a plurality of insert stations 26 arranged in
series. One insert station 24 holds the statements while the remaining insert
stations
26 hold different types of inserts 28. Each insert station 26 is operable to
place an
insert on a statement passing beneath it, if the insert is considered
appropriate for the
intended recipient of the statement.
The envelope stuffing and sealing station 14 receives each statement
and accompanying inserts exiting the insert line 12 and stuffs the statement
and
accompanying inserts into an envelope 30. The envelope stuffing and sealing
station
14 then seals the stuffed envelope to complete the mailer. The insert line 12
and the
envelope stuffing and sealing station 14 are well known in the art and
therefore,
further specifics will not be described herein.
Mailer customization station 16 includes a scanner 40 positioned
adjacent the last insert station 26 in the insert line 14, a controller 42
communicating
with the scanner, a printer 44 responsive to the controller 42 and a dryer 46
downstream of the printer 44. In the present embodiment, the printer 44 is of
the type
manufactured by Scitex under model No. Dijit 5300 and includes an S 120 data
station
and an S2 fluid controller. The dryer 46 is of the type manufactured by Fannon
Products under model No. Lightspeed LSL-240-3-16.
The scanner 40 in this embodiment is in the form of a bar code reader
such as that manufactured by Accusort under model No. Accu Vision AV20.
Scanner
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40 reads the customer ID code printed on each statement exiting the insert
line 12 and
communicates the captured customer ID code to the controller 42.
Controller 42 includes a data processing unit hosting a file
management system (FMS) to maintain and access a database storing personalized
information to be printed on the mailers prior to mailing thereby to
personalize the
mailers. Data processing unit also hosts a finishing control system (FCS) to
ensure
that the proper personalized information is printed on each mailer. The data
processing unit is preferably located in an environmentally controlled room
remote
from the insert line 12 and envelope stuffing and sealing station 14 to avoid
exposure
to the dusty environment. Controller 42 also includes a remote printer control
(RPC)
to drive the printer. In the present embodiment, the FMS, FCS and RPC are
manufactured by Quad Tech International.
The personalized information stored in the database is partitioned into
two sections. One section includes a plurality of message templates while the
other
section includes personal data associated with the intended recipients. The
personal
data is used to select and modify, if appropriate, the message templates so
that the
personalized information printed on each mailer is relevant to the intended
recipient
of the mailer.
The message templates may relate to virtually any subject such as
advertising to promote services and/or products of the statement issuing
institution.
Alternatively, the message templates may relate to affiliates of the statement
issuing
institution.
The recipient personal data may vary from a high degree of
personalization to a low degree of personalization. For example, the recipient
personal data may include the names of the intended recipients, their genders,
home
and/or business locations and/or their interests. This data can be used to
select and
modify the text of a message template or can simply be used to select a
message
template.
The operation of system 10 will now be described with particular
reference to Figure 2. Initially the database must be set up so that the
personalized
information printed on each mailer is appropriate for the intended recipient
(step 100).
During this set up stage, the customer ID codes assigned to the intended
recipients,
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the personal data associated with the intended recipients and the degree of
personalization selected for each intended recipient is loaded into the
database. With
the database set up in this manner, the appropriate personalized information
to be
printed on each mailer can be generated.
Once the database is set up, the system 10 is ready for operation.
During operation, the insert line 12 collates statements 20 and inserts 28
that are
relevant to the intended recipients and delivers the statements and
accompanying
inserts at intervals to the conveyor 18. The conveyer 18 in turn carries each
statement
and accompany inserts to the envelope stuffing and sealing station 14. At the
envelope stuffing and sealing station, the statements and inserts are stuffed
into an
envelope and the envelope is sealed.
When each statement reaches the last insert station in the insert line 12,
the scanner 40 captures the customer ID code from the statement and
communicates
the customer ID code to the data processing unit of the controller 42 (step
102). Upon
receipt of the customer ID code, the data processing unit compares the
captured
customer ID code with the customer ID codes in the database (step 104). The
data
processing unit then examines the personal data associated with the identified
intended recipient and selects the appropriate message template from the
database that
has been pre-selected for the intended recipient (step 106). The data
processing unit
in turn modifies the message template using the personal data, if appropriate,
and
creates an output file including the personalized information to be printed
onto the
mailer (step 108).
As each mailer exits the envelope stuffing and sealing station 14, the
conveyor 18 carries the mailer to the printer 44. When the mailer arnves at
the printer
44, the data processing unit outputs the file holding the personalized
information to
RPC. The RPC in turn drives the printer 44 so that the appropriate
personalized
information is printed on the back exterior surface of the mailer (step 110).
Once
printed, the mailer is conveyed to the dryer 46 to dry the printed ink. At
this stage,
the mailer is ready for mailing and carries advertising or other information
on the
back exterior surface of the mailer that has been personalized for the
intended
recipient.
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The FCS determines whether any unexpected gaps exist in the delivery
of mailers from the envelope sealing and stuffing station 14 to the printer 44
so that
personalized information intended for one recipient is not printed on a mailer
intended
for another recipient.
S Figures 3a and 3b show mailers 120 prepared by the system 10. As
can be seen, the back exterior surface 122 of each mailer 120 is printed with
personalized information 124 relevant to the intended recipient of the mailer.
In this
example, the message template "Dear , You may win ! ! Your Editor" has
been personalized to identify the first names of the intended recipients and
awards
believed to be of personal value to the intended recipients.
As will be appreciated, by using data relating to the intended recipients
of mailers, variable information can be printed on the back exterior surface
of the
mailers. This allows the mailers to be printed with information believed to be
relevant to the intended recipients increasing the effectiveness of the
information.
Although the scanner 40 has been described as being positioned
adjacent the last insert station 26 in the insert line 12, those of skill in
the art will
appreciate that the scanner may be positioned before, after, or anywhere along
the
insert line where it is convenient to read the customer ID code from the
statement.
Also, if the envelopes are of the window-type, the scanner 40 may also be
positioned
at, or after the envelope stuffing and sealing station 14 provided the
customer ID
codes are placed on the statements at locations where they are visible through
the
windows. Of course, if the customer ID codes are printed on the envelopes, the
scanner may be positioned at, or after the envelope stuffing and sealing
station 14.
Although the scanner 40 has also been described as a bar code reader,
those of skill in the art will appreciate that other vision systems may be
used to
capture information from the statement or carrier envelope to enable data
relating to
the intended recipient of the mailer to be captured. For example, camera
systems can
be used to capture the name, address and/or postal code of the intended
recipient.
Those of skill in the art will also appreciate that different databases can
be used to hold the message templates and personal data. As mentioned
previously,
the level of personalization of the personalized information printed on the
mailers
may vary from a high degree of personalization where the intended recipient is
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identified by name or a low degree of personalization where a generic message
template is selected that includes information relevant to the recipient's
gender, home
or business location, etc.
Although the mailer customization station 16 has been shown and
described in-line with the insert and envelope stuffing and sealing stations
12 and 14
respectively, the mailer customization station 16 can be positioned off line.
In this
manner, stuffed and sealed envelopes can be processed at a location remote
from the
insert and envelope stuffing and sealing stations.
Those of skill in the art will also appreciate that the present system and
method can be used to personalize the back exterior surfaces of mailers issued
by
advertising houses and other direct mailing sources to enhance recipients
interest in
the content of the mailers.
Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been
described, those of skill in the art will appreciate that modifications and
variations
may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by
the
appended claims.
