Page 75 - Mick Bister - The Postcode Programmes of France
P. 75

LA SOURCE 1
                                     NUMERIC LANGUAGE

               OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION EQUIPMENT TRIALS

Amongst the early installations at Orleans-la-Source in 1972 was the PTT's first optical
character recognition equipment known as L.I.A.P - lecteur Indexeur d'Adresses Posto/es. -
capable of reading printed and typed addresses. The letter is presented to a sensor which homes
onto the last line of the address. The machine reads the name of the distribution office and the
postcode separately and sends the information to a database. When it is confirmed that the two
elements correspond, a jet printer applies the indexation.

    CHEQUES POSTAUX       ยข=jJgiEQUES POSTAUX

               CH. 66 EL  vIRE.MENrs            CAteS E
SERVICE DES POSTES
                          FACILES'           >NATtOfJALe
                                               D'tPARGNE
                          I'

                          CENTRE             NUM!:RO CIC  DATE

                          LA SOURCE   3lo945o03 6 JAN 73

                          M CALISE GEORGES

                          1 SQUARE GEORGETTE AGUTTE

                          95210 ST GRATIEN

                                     CENTRE               NUM!:RO CIC  DATE

                                     LA SOURCE            330486047 13 JAN 73

                                     MR PAUCHEZ JEAN LUC

                                     20 RUE CUJAS

                                      75005 PARIS

       0  1               259
                              III II I
II            II

                                     50057

The trials took place between 15 January and 14 March 1973 using PTT Cheques Postauxstationery. The
date displayed in the envelope window records when the material was printed, not the date of the trial.
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