Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Method for Producing Franking Markings
The invention relates to a method for producing franking markings
by printing on a provided support material.
In the past, postage stamps and comparable franking markings have
been offered and sold by the vendor always as finished products for
use by the customer but, with respect to their graphic design and
artistic/image-related contents, unchangeable by the customer.
The postage stamp business in the past has therefore been
inaccessible with regard to many new technologies and business
applications. There was also no possibility to react as fast as
possible to special events in society, in the business environment,
and in leisure time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate the
aforementioned disadvantages and to propose a method and a device
which make it possible for the user or customer to participate in
the design of franking markings, in particular, in the case of
postage stamps.
The method and the devices should be designed such that they can
be operated and used market-oriented as industrially useful means
by the vendors of franking markings.
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According to the invention this object is solved in that a text,
selected from individual suggestions and/or individually designed,
and/or an image or images are generated by input means and
transferred onto the support material for printing.
In view of the inventive concept and based on the general knowledge
in communication and data processing, far-reaching technological
applications within the context of the present invention can be
realized and the gained advantages relative to the prior art can be
determined in retrospect.
The present invention does not concern a presumed illegal violation
of the design of franking markings made available through the
vendor but instead provides an interactive design possibility for
the customer officially offered by the vendor during the production
of franking markings or a series of same or different franking
markings.
In contrast to the edition number of conventionally produced, i.e.,
finish-printed postage stamps of a certain franking value produced
outside of the vending location, a series is a smaller edition
number.
The term franking marking is meant to include primarily postage
stamps or similarly designed adhesive labels with an official
character or a character having a similar effect (coupons,
admission ticket and the like of private companies, for example,
freight companies, retail businesses, sporting facilities and the
like) .
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This method according to the invention and the device according to
the invention combine for the first time in the field of franking
markings the always present aspiration of the customer in regard to
individuality and interactive design with modern technology that is
easy to operate.
The following economically important and technically realizable
advantages are provided by the method according to the invention
and the device, in particular, in comparison to the known franking
marking creations or dispensing devices:
a) Firms or persons can employ the official franking marking as
an individual advertisement carrier;
b) The potent users can address current events with a speed that
has not been available in the past and, for example, by means
of a letter or a card with an individually designed postage
stamp with the imprint "Congratulations on ..." participate in
the event.
c) A completely new collection effect is made available for the
postage stamp collectors. They can, inter alia, collect
postage stamps with designs created according to their
imagination or with photos of animals.
d) The vendor can make available a portion or the entire freely
designable space of a postage stamp. Products of the post
office thus have access to an attractive advertisement
platform.
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e) A quickly invented slogan, coupled with a voluntary or
automatically calculated surcharge on the postage stamp,
allows a directed financial support.
f) The method according to the invention as well as the
corresponding device can be coupled without problems with the
Internet and are thus available for a worldwide use. This
means, it is possible to design on a home PC one's own stamps
and to produce them with authorization through the external
post office facility.
g) The owners of devices according to the invention, in general,
post offices or post office substations, can make available,
for a fee or without a fee, these devices as an attraction to
their customers for designing their own franking markings.
The method according to the invention and the device will be
explained in more detail in the following with the aid of one
embodiment. It is shown in:
Fig. 1 a front view of the device according to the
invention;
Fig. 2 a side view of the device illustrated in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 a surface of a touch screen in an exemplary fashion
with selectable texts in combination with an image
and the image of a person;
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Fig. 4 a surface of a touch screen with selectable text
proposals and images; and
Fig. 5 one embodiment of the device as a self-service
postage stamp vending machine.
The Figs. 1 and 2 show a device 20 for performing the method
according to the invention which is usable as a postage stamp
vending machine and is designed for producing individually designed
postage stamps.
The device is comprised of a housing 9 in the form of a cylinder
slantedly cut at the top and providing an interactive operating
surface. 7.'he foot of the housing 9 has a step 7 for children. The
step 7 can be moved into the interior of the cylinder. Material
and production technology for the cylinder body 9 can be freely
selected in a wide range by a person skilled in the art. In the
slanted interactive operating surface a touch screen 1 (contact
monitor) or a similarly acting operating device is installed. The
lens of a digital camera 2, whose viewing orientation and, in any
case, angle of view are preferably adjustable, projects above the
operating surface.
In the interior of the housing, inter alia, a computer 3 in the
form of a pC is provided which is connected with the touch screen
l, the camera 2, the printer 4 as well as coin changer or cash
register 10. The printer 4 receives paper that is fresh or pre-
printed or clean and/or provided with an adhesive layer at the back
from a paper roll 5. The coin changer 10 is supplied via a coin or
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bill feed slot 8 and returns change via a postage stamp and/or
change dispensing location.
All aforementioned elements (housing 9, step 7, touch screen 1,
digital camera 6, printer 4, computer 3, and cash register or coin
changer 10 and the like) are in themselves commercial products.
Since they are generally known and because of the pertinent
experience with regard to the use and mutual circuit connections
via interfaces which generally are defined internationally or
application-specifically, these aspects are not explained in more
detail.
The manufacturing method according to the invention can be realized
as follows. The site authorized for vending franking markings
prepares a basic design of the postage stamp. It comprises the
entire surface area available for the franking marking as well as
additionally the legally required information with regard to value,
identification, and safety elements and the like and has a free
field, i.e., a field made available for printing individual
information. The size of this field or these fields is not
relevant. It can also comprise one or several edges of the franking
markings so that, for example, an already pre-printed object or
slogan that is no longer desired can be simply cut away (compare
touch screen of Figs. 3 and 4), wherein the remaining part, i.e.,
the actual "official" postage stamp, can still be used as official
legal tender.
Before using the device, the customer inserts or pushes a certain
amount into the coin or bill slot. This amount is indicated on the
touch screen under the display "Credit". In the alternative, the
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customer may also use a credit card, the device being designed for
its use. lVow the customer selects or determines via the menu
displayed on the touch screen the franking value of the franking
marking to be produced, the number of markings to be printed, and
one or more of the provided slogans. If no such slogan pleases the
customer, according to a particular embodiment, the customer can
call up a keyboard on the screen and can enter his own text via the
keyboard. It is also conceivable that he enters via Internet or
hardware data carrier (diskette or the like) his own text/image
into the F~C. The latter displays this text/image on the touch
screen. The PC displays the selected text/image on the available
space within the basic design of the postage stamp displayed on the
touch screen. Should the customer be satisfied with the result of
his own creation/composition according to the monitor
representation, he will press the zone of the touch screen
identified by the lettering "Print" and the printer prints the
desired number of created postage stamps. Otherwise, the customer
is provided with editing functions via software.
Instead or in addition to a slogan or otherwise produced images
(monochrome or color in digital technology), the customer can also
produce on site a photo of himself, of another person, or of an
object. He controls as desired the viewing orientation of the
camera optic provided in the device via the camera image shown on
the touch screen and then takes a picture by actuating the camera
symbol provided on the screen surface for this purpose. If the
taken picture does not satisfy, the customer can activate the
camera release via the screen once or multiple times.
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As described above, the franking marking image is generated, based
on controlled predetermined data of the entity authorized to sell
postage stamps, with interactive input by the postage stamp buyer.
Based on his desires and imagination, the customer interactively
adds text or graphic elements via the touch screen into the
franking marking image always appearing on the touch screen online
and being .in the process of creation.
In principle, the provider of the device pre-selects freely, by
means of tree software accessible by the customer and affecting the
internal processing of the hardware, which services at which price
he will offer to the customer. In this connection it is only
important that the provider also supplies the basic design of the
franking marking. The entire programming required for these steps
is purely a standard work product in view of today's software
instrument:;. For example, images can be processed in the PC via
Twain standard and texts via Word or a different software. Also
known is the software required for the dialogue with the touch
screen. Of course, the embodiment illustrated in the Figures is to
be understood as an example only and can be changed as desired
within the frame of knowledge available to a person skilled in the
art. This includes, inter alia, the selection possibilities of the
operating language as well as of the language of the stored
slogans; the processing of retouching a photo with respect to
sharpness, color, and contrast; the input of other texts and
slogans; the selection of other fonts; the division of the field of
the postage stamp available for free design into partial fields of
any desired shape; the application of lines or other auxiliary
means on the postage stamps which facilitate subsequent separation
of the individual areas from the official portion. Conceivable are
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also auxiliary means such as changing of the size of the photo (by
zooming) or the overlay and underlay of photos and texts. Of
course, a text or another object can be input via the camera.
This, for example, may be very relevant. It is also conceivable
that the' basic design of the postage stamp provided by the post
office can vary as a function of the postage stamp value.
In regard to the device, favorable embodiments are also conceivable
in which one or more of the elements (for example, camera, coin
changer) are eliminated. In a minimalized embodiment, the housing
and printer can be the only required elements. For example, the PC
can be replaced by a freely programmable or even fixedly programmed
control electronic and the touch screen by discrete inputting
elements, for example, switches.
The device 20, as is illustrated in Fig. 5, can be made available
for self-service or can be integrated into mailing devices or
postage meter machines.
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