DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the architecture of a system for handling mail items in which the present invention may be implemented. The term mail item is understood to mean not only an envelope (of any format) but also a label intended to be stuck thereafter on a thick envelope or a packet.

[0017] This mail handling system conventionally comprises a mail item franking machine 10 connected, via a first specialized line 12 , to a computer-related server 14 of the agent of this machine, this information server itself being connected by a second specialized line 16 to a computer-related server 18 of the Postal Service. The specialized lines 12 , 16 are, conventionally, communication lines secured by coding or signature.

[0018] The mail item franking machine is a communicating machine of conventional design, of closed type (i.e. integrating secured means for printing the postal indicia) and does not need to be described in detail. It should merely be noted, in order better to understand the invention, that it comprises, among other known means (the following list not being limiting): means 20 for conveying the mail items from a mail item feed module to a reception module; secured means 22 for printing postal indicia, disposed on the path of travel of these mail items; means 24 (of modem type) for interface with the first specialized line 12 ; means 26 for interface with the user, of the screen and keyboard type for example; and processing means 28 (more particularly incorporating memory and microprocessor) for controlling and monitoring the management of the franking machine.

[0019] The agent's server 14 and the Postal Service server 18 are conventional computer-related servers, the former comprising specific but conventional software means allowing the operations of remote maintenance and remote purchases, the monitoring of the franking operations and the possible reloading of a postal credit, and the latter specific, likewise conventional software means for the authorization of installation, the verification of the coding data, the multi-account management and management of the client's postal account, and statistical control.

[0020] According to the invention, these two servers further comprise complementary means 14 A, 18 A for interface with an open communications network of Internet type 30 . In effect, these two computer-related servers are each also connected, through this communications network, to at least one data-processing assembly 32 , of the conventional personal computer type comprising software means (essentially a navigator) allowing for its owner (user of the franking machine or agent of the Postal Service) access to the Internet network 30 and therefore a consultation of the Internet site of the franking machine agent or of that of the Postal Service.

[0021] In effect, in order to increase the quantity of information available in postal indicia printed on a mail item while preserving its legibility, it is proposed to add to such postal indicia a data document or file and to print on the mail item a unique identification number, preferably coded, corresponding to this specific document attached to the postal indicia.

[0022] As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the conventional franking data (weight, amount, etc.) are entered via the keyboard of the franking machine (step 40 ), then the user selects the service or services that it desires in order to send a given mail item (step 42 ). From these elements, the processing means 28 of this machine will conventionally create (step 44 ) the postal data but also the unique identification number which is advantageously obtained from certain of these postal data relative to the mail item sent, typically a concatenated combination of the postal number of the franking machine, the amount and date of franking, the number of establishment of deposit, and the sequential number of item for example, without these data being limiting. (In effect, it is possible to add thereto elements of the addressee's address or the number of a service associated with this mail item, or non-postal data). A coding, of the triple DES type for example, carrying out a process of hashing, guarantees for this unique identification number sufficient confidentiality from a possibly decoding. This identification number will then be printed (step 48 ) with the postal indicia, in this postal indicia or near it, in the form of numerical or alphanumerical characters, preferably readable by an OCR reader, or in the form of a one-dimensional (1D) bar code readable with a conventional bar code reader.

[0023] Previously or concomitantly, the data document or file associated with determined postal indicia is created (step 46 ) by the processing means 28 of the franking machine and stored in its memory means with the other postal data necessary for printing the postal indicia. Of course, it comprises all the usual legend of the postal indicia (amount and date of franking, postal number of the franking machine, name and number of establishment of deposit, sequential number of item, etc.) necessary for a visual check by the agents of the Postal Service as to the apparent validity of the mail item but, also and especially, all the other data useful for processing (reception, follow-up, remittance) of the mail item by the Postal Service, in particular all information relative to one or more services requested by the user (registered mail, mention of the carrier, etc.) relative to this mail item and of which the legend on the mail item is in that case no longer necessary. Of course, this document or file will also include security information allowing an authentification by the agent's server 14 of the postal data and other information contained in the data document.

[0024] With the present invention, the problem of the legibility of the postal indicia (due to the presence of too great an amount of information), or of the limitation of the information able to be printed on the mail item (to guarantee a 100% legibility by the Postal Service) is solved, since such information is no longer intended to be printed on the mail item but stored in a document or file in the franking machine and the only limit to the information that may be stored in this file associated with the postal indicia is that of the size of the memory means of the franking machine. It will also be noted that the invention lends itself particularly well to the upgrading of existing machines for which it will simply suffice to increase the memory means and implant complementary software means adapted to the new functionalities.

[0025] The service information and other value added information (for example the registered nature of the mail item) no longer being printed on the mail item, it can be known by the Postal Service only after reading the unique identification number printed on this mail item and giving access to the associated data file. This is why, the franking machine 10 being a connected machine, i.e. having a communication link via its modem interface 24 with the agent's server 14 , the franking machine proceeds periodically, preferably once a day (possibly after several successive attempts in the event of failure of communication), with a connection to this server and with a coded exchange of information between them in which there are transmitted, apart from the usual monitoring data (machine number and contents of the ascending/descending registers), the different files associated with each of the mail items franked during the period of reading in question (final step 50 ). This coded exchange conventionally includes security information necessary for the authentification and non-repudiation of the message. Such data after verification will be retransmitted (after a fresh coding) towards the Postal Service's server 18 where it will be accessible to the agents of the Postal Service, part of it being rendered accessible on the Internet site of the franking machine agent and that of the Postal Service.

[0026] In this way, when a mail item is received in a receiving office of the Postal Service, the unique identification number is automatically captured (by an OCR or bar code reading device depending on the type of printing employed), and possibly decoded if it is coded, which gives access to the file number associated with the mail item and, via the Postal Service server in liaison with the reading devices of the receiving offices, to the data contained in this file. The Postal Service agent may then proceed with processing this mail item depending on the services requested by the user-sender, and possibly return to the Postal Service server, via suitable capture means such as a capture at the Internet site of the Postal Service, different follow-up information relative to the mail item processed.

[0027] Similarly, when the user connects to the Internet site of the agent of its franking machine via any data-processing assembly 32 connected to the Internet network 30 (for example a personal computer or a PDA telephone) and accesses its personal account with this agent (after entry of a user name and a password), it may visualize the information transmitted by its franking machine as well as that relative to the follow-up of its mail previously updated by the Postal Service. It will be noted that, if such a consultation by Internet proves very practical (in particular as it is possible from any point of the globe), it is, of course, possible to envisage this consultation by telephone or by a service of teletel or audiotel type.