Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
  • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
  • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
  • G07B17/00435—Details specific to central, non-customer apparatus, e.g. servers at post office or vendor
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
  • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
  • G07B17/00459—Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system
  • G07B17/00661—Sensing or measuring mailpieces
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
  • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
  • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
  • G07B17/00435—Details specific to central, non-customer apparatus, e.g. servers at post office or vendor
  • G07B2017/00443—Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
  • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
  • G07B17/00459—Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system
  • G07B17/00661—Sensing or measuring mailpieces
  • G07B2017/00701—Measuring the weight of mailpieces

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method and a device for transporting an object to a predetermined destination, in particular a mail item to a printed destination.
• a mailing in many countries usually goes through at least twice a sorting system.
• the first sorting system reads the information about the destination point with which the mail item is provided, and triggers a transport to that second sorting system which is responsible for the destination point.
• the determined information on the destination point is buffered, z. B. in the form of a bar pattern, which is printed on the mailpiece.
• the second sorting system determines the cached destination information and forwards the item of mail to the destination.
• the transporter raises a transport fee for transport. This fare usually depends on at least one physical parameter of the item of mail or other item to be transported, in particular the weight and / or dimensions of the item.
• a customer of the transporter or a third party sometimes wants to check whether the transporter has requested the correct transport fee.
• These include, in particular, measuring instruments which measure the parameters whose values influence the transport charge.
• a method having the features of the preamble of claim 1 and an apparatus having the features of the preamble of claim 16 are out EP 1450144 A2 known.
• a physical quantity of an item to be transported, e.g. B. its weight is measured.
• a data record is saved so that its authenticity can be checked later. For this purpose, the data record is provided with a digital signature.
• For encryption and decryption a public and a secret private key are used. The private key is locked against unauthorized read access.
• the invention has for its object to provide a method with the features of the preamble of claim 1 and an apparatus having the features of the preamble of claim 16, which allow a permanent detection of measurement results and the information required to determine a particular transport operation, without assuming that the object is provided with an identifier.
• a method and a device for transporting an object are provided.
• the item is transported to a predetermined destination.
• At least one physical parameter of the object is measured.
• an image of the object is generated.
• a data record for the transport of the object is generated and stored.
• This data set comprises the at least one measured parameter value and the image.
• the parameter value, the image and the assignment of the parameter value and the image to the data record are blocked against manipulation.
• the image of the item is stored for evidence purposes. This image can be generated at any time during the transport process, even before the object has been provided with an identifier. Furthermore, at least one physical parameter of the object is stored.
• the transport fee also depends on the destination.
• the postage depends on the country in which the given destination address is located.
• the transport fee also depends on specifications of the type of transport, eg. B. the requirement that the item is to be transported by air mail. All of this information can be reconstructed from the stored image.
• all parameters are measured whose values are included in the calculation of the fare. These are usually the weight of the object to be transported and its dimensions in different directions, eg. B. Length, height, thickness. The result of the measurements thus clearly determines the transport charge.
• the measured parameter values and the image in the dataset act as the evidence criteria with which the carrier can prove to be forgery-proof and court-proof why he has levied a certain transport charge for a particular item.
• further information is stored which facilitates the retrieval of the data record.
• This search information does not need to be stored counterfeit-proof.
• the invention can be used in particular for proving the transport fee for the transport of postal items or also of luggage items of travelers or freight consignments (eg containers or loose general cargo).
• the object to be transported is a mail item, for.
• a mail item for.
• the mailpiece is delivered to a post office or other collection point or thrown into a mailbox or inserted into a compartment of a parcel compartment system.
• the mail item usually passes through a sorting system at least twice.
• the first sorting system generates at least one digital image of a surface of the mailpiece. This image contains an image with the details of the destination point with which the mailpiece is provided. This destination is preferably a delivery address or a mailbox.
• the first sorting system evaluates the image, thereby reads the destination point and triggers a transport to that second sorting system, which is responsible for the destination point.
• the determined information on the destination point is buffered, z. B. in the form of a bar pattern ("bar code"), which is printed on the mailpiece.
• bar code bar pattern
• a method called "fingerprinting" can be used in which a mailpiece is identified by means of a feature vector. Such methods are for. B. off DE 4000603 C2 and DE 19947259 C1 known.
• the second sorting system determines the cached destination information and forwards the item of mail to the destination.
• the second sorting plant may be the same as the first sorting plant or another sorting plant.
• the first sorting system preferably further determines information about the sender of the mailpiece in the image of the mailpiece.
• the weight of the mail item is measured either at the time of delivery or by the first sorting system.
• the scale weighing the mail item is preferably calibrated. Also at the time of delivery or from the first sorting system, the largest extent of the mail item is additionally measured.
• the first sorting system determines the target point by evaluating the image. In this evaluation, it determines "anyway" the country in which the destination lies and in which the item of mail is to be transported. It is also possible that the country is already determined upon delivery of the mailing.
• the transport charge is determined as a function of the parameter value (s). In the exemplary embodiment, these are three parameter values.
• the sender pays this transport fee, eg. B. in cash or by credit card at the time of delivery or after receipt of an invoice. It is also possible that the sender maintains a current account with the haulier and that the respective transport fee is charged at regular intervals.
• an invoice In order to meet the above legal requirements, an invoice must be generated so that the invoice generation incorporates a calibrated system. It would be possible for a non-verifiable software program to generate the invoices. In that case, however, the invoice must contain the note "Invoice from freely programmable option, the calibrated measured values can be viewed". In order to meet the legal requirements and to avoid the note, signed files are preferably generated. The process of generating an invoice is included in the process of digital signing. Thus the calibration duty is fulfilled consistently.
• the blocking against manipulation by encryption is accomplished.
• This embodiment does not require special hardware; rather, the record can be stored on ordinary hardware.
• the tamper-proof components of the data set are preferably encrypted by a digital signature.
• This digital signature is preferably based on a "public key infrastructure” with a secret signature key and a public verification key.
• the digital signature is preferably designed such that it functions as an "electronic signature" in accordance with Par. 2 of the German Signature Law, preferably as "advanced electronic signature" according to ⁇ 2, Abs. 2 or "qualified electronic signature” according to ⁇ 2, Abs .3 designed.
• the blocking against manipulation is effected in that the data record - or at least the data fields to be stored forgery-proof storage - are stored in a separate data memory which is calibrated and secured against counterfeiting.
• This reminder makes it easier for the customer to check whether the reminder is justified or not.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
• Sorting Of Articles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=40340194

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (3)

• 2007
  • 2007-11-30 DE DE102007057692A patent/DE102007057692A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2008
  • 2008-01-14 EP EP08100449A patent/EP2037419A1/fr not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (3)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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