Bizarre Patents
Pet Toilet-Like Water Disk and Food Storage
One pet-friendly inventor patented "a device for watering pets, e.g., a dog or cat." The device, he helpfully noted, "has the general shape of a toilet."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8150547 | Method and system to provide address services with a document processing system A method and system are provided for updating address information and using document processing equipment to print delivery point information, including a barcode or readable text, on mail pieces. The address data is processed and updated by a service provider or by... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8086347 | Targeted product distribution system and method A targeted product distribution system is described herein with respect to an exemplary management of product flow through a distribution center. Specifically, the system and method described herein is directed to the management and display of direct and easily-unde... | 12/27/2011 |
| 7962241 | Method for shipping objects A method and a system for shipping objects and/or goods which are transferred from a drop-off point (4) constructed as an organized franking system for the application of at least partially coded labels to a delivery service (7-10) for transport... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7751929 | Package handling system with kickout labeling A package handling system for use with a plurality of packages having package identification thereon. The system of one embodiment comprises processing stations where packages having heterogeneous contents are processed. One or more identifiers are positioned at the... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7738994 | Systems and methods for processing items in an item delivery system Tracking an item through an item delivery system comprises reading a tracking indicia on the item, entering data from the tracking indicia into a management system, providing access to the management system, and updating the management system with information regard... | 06/15/2010 |
| 7439467 | Method and apparatus for processing outgoing bulk mail A method and apparatus for processing mail is provided. The mail is serially fed from a stack of mail into a system transport. The system transport conveys the mail to an imaging station, which scans the mail to obtain image data corresponding to at least a portion ... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7403927 | Method of manufacturing an item of build-to-order equipment A method of manufacturing a build-to-order PC system unit having at least one hardware component, e.g. motherboard, bearing a unique identifier (“component ID”) in software readable form. The method comprises generating a digital identifier (“system trackcode... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7363106 | System and method for carrier identification in a pneumatic tube system A system and method provides for the identification and monitoring of carriers within a pneumatic carrier system. Each carrier which is to be employed within the system includes an identification device such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip which has ... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7349754 | Providing component-specific performance characterization data for an assembly or subsystem A method for fabricating a motor vehicle including an engine and automatic transmission includes generating first data containing information representing a performance characteristic of a solenoid and a serialized solenoid number, affixing to the solenoid a first b... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7343357 | System and method for printing multiple postage indicia A system and method for printing multiple postage indicia, such as an outbound and/or an associated return postage meter stamp, including a desired postage amount, onto a document or label is described. A processor based system is programmed to interact with a custo... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7329824 | Mail processing system and method A mail processing system includes a plurality of trays that are each adapted to hold a plurality of mail items. The mail items in a tray are directed to a common recipient. The system also includes a plurality of mail processing machines that are adapted to process ... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7328085 | System and method for processing returned mail Handling of undeliverable mail is improved so that mailers may take appropriate action to respond to nondelivery of mailpieces. Returned mail is received from a postal authority. Each mailpiece of the returned mail was part of a respective mailing and was determined... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7315845 | Method of printing statements using postage meter A method of printing a report sheet using a printer of a postage meter in which the printer is capable of printing only in a print field smaller than required to print the report sheet and in which first and second edges of the sheet are required to be located at pr... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7313460 | Package handling system with kickout labeling A package handling system for use with a plurality of packages having package identification thereon. The system of one embodiment comprises processing stations where packages having heterogeneous contents are processed. One or more identifiers are positioned at the... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7310568 | System and method for remote passenger and baggage check-in A computer-based baggage transportation system includes a server computer, a client computer, and an attendant. The server computer includes travel information for a plurality of common carriers. The client computer is coupled via a network to the server computer an... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7300044 | Personalized document and method for making same A method for producing a document suitable for mailing to a recipient including the steps of determining preferences of the mail recipient and compiling a selection of messages relating to recipient preferences in a format accommodating variable data printing. The c... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7284699 | Methods and systems for tracking delivery items Methods and systems are provided for tracking the nesting of delivery items can include using a passive RFID-type or an auto-detection type communication device to determine which mail handler picks up a particular tray from a location, such as the end of a conveyor... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7278094 | Variable text processing for an electronic press A software system is useful for generating a page file from a template file and database entries. The database entries are representative of variable information and the template file includes data designating a variable text area. The software system includes a com... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7277773 | Material handling apparatus and method A material handling apparatus comprising a material delivery configuration configured with a first end and a second end, a transfer configuration connected to the first end of the garment delivery rail, a movable material handling arrangement configured to transfer ... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7272466 | Electronic ID's for printed products The invention relates to an electronic ID coupled to printed products. ... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7266504 | System and method for printing multiple postage indicia An envelope having a window for allowing a printed postage indicia to show through is shown. According to a preferred embodiment, the postage indicia window may be provided with a glassine covering. Preferably the postage indicia may be put in a corner of a document... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7258277 | Method for enhancing mail piece processing system A method for processing mail pieces having information thereon includes scanning the mail piece information and storing scanned mail piece information. Stored information is accessed when a scanned mail piece information is incomplete to obtain previously stored com... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7221997 | Method for process control and documentation in a boxing machine A method for process control and documentation in a boxing machine for individual packages each having an individual package transponder and wherein the individual packages are stacked and the box is provided with a transponder as well. A writing unit writes informa... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7221996 | System and method for combined mailing of a plurality of diverse publications A system for combined mailing of a plurality of diverse publications to a plurality of recipients at an optimized mail rate. The system includes a bindery for binding a plurality of the signatures where the bindery binding the plurality of signatures creates a plura... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7219084 | Method for processing postal matter and postal matter processing system In a system and a method for postal matter processing, with automatic reception of postal matter in receiving stations and with a staggered postal matter processing, acquisition of shipping data and providing the postal matter with a machine-readable marking and sto... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7194331 | Pre-load data capture and handling instruction generator for parcel sorting The present invention provides systems and methods for electronically-capturing a destination address of a package and for using the destination address to automate a package pre-load operation. An embodiment of the invention includes a compression system for compre... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7182339 | Thickness measuring system, having improved software, for use within a mail handling system, and method of using same A thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness dimension of an article being conveyed along a conveyor system comprises a rotary encoder, and a lever arm pivotally mounted upon the shaft of the rotary encoder. The lever arm has an end portion thereof dispo... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7180419 | Merchandise marking with programmable transponders An apparatus for applying a programmable transponder to a target includes an applicator disposed adjacent to a tagging zone into which the target is conveyed and a feed-system for transporting a label to the applicator, each of the labels having a programmable trans... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7165679 | Apparatus and methods for identifying and processing mail using an identification code Apparatus and methods consistent with the present invention provide for identifying and processing mail using an identification code on a mailpiece as a redundant source of identification information in a mail sorting system. In one embodiment, this information is s... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7153382 | Pressure element for an edge gluing machine and gluing method The pressure element (7) is designed for gluing a bandlike covering (4) by means of an adhesive onto a narrow face (3) (edge) of straight or curved (profiled) cross section of a board element (2) or for gluing a film onto a profile bar ha... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7121455 | Systems and methods for electronic postmarking including ancillary data An embodiment of the invention provides a method for performing electronic postmarking of data, including ancillary data is provided. The method includes receiving data from a sender. The method further includes selecting ancillary data. The method further includes ... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7121457 | Automatically adjusting parameters of a lifting device by identifying objects to be lifted Automatically adjusting parameters of a lifting device for a material to be lifted. An interrogator module reads data from a data tag attached to an object. The data includes an identifier associated with the object. A database module retrieves a value from a memory... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7099032 | Printer control based on detection of envelope-sized print medium In performing a printing operation, upon designating the type of paper by inputting it, a paper type table is searched to determine whether the designated type of paper requires a special printing operation, such as reverse feeding and printing. If the above-mention... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7096152 | Method and apparatus for determining weight of moving mailpieces The invention pertains to a mailpiece weight measuring apparatus for use with a high speed automatic mailpiece processing system. The weight measuring apparatus measures the inertial mass of the mailpiece as the weight equivalent. The apparatus includes a device for... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7096089 | Baggage transportation security system and method In a communications network, such as the Internet system and method for arranging the transportation of baggage for airline passengers. Flight information and baggage information from a user is received via the communications network. Typically this is accomplished ... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7090126 | Method and apparatus for providing heightened airport security A method for providing passenger accountability for airports and other mass transit facilities is disclosed. In operation, a check-in agent receives information identifying a passenger seeking to board a commercial carrier. The passenger is designated as checked-in,... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7086591 | Airport check-in system and method An improved airport check-in system includes a central conveyor and a plurality of outwardly-extending conveyors. Airline agents operate workstations adjacent the outwardly extending conveyors, which are accessible by passengers so that passengers can deposit their ... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7080737 | Method and system for automatically sorting and packing products A method is provided for automatically sorting and packing batches of products, such as, for instance, eggs or fruits which are each provided with an origin code. The method includes supplying first batches of coded products to a sorting apparatus and simultaneously... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7079913 | Package and mail delivery system At the shipping department of a company, contracted outlets or outlets of delivery companies, information concerning the shipper and receiver are written into a label having a memory, but no controller or energy source. The label has a transmitter and the label make... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7079921 | Baggage transportation security system and method In a communications network, such as the Internet system and method for arranging the transportation of baggage for airline passengers. Flight information and baggage information from a user is received via the communications network. Typically this is accomplished ... | 07/18/2006 |
