STAMFORD, Conn., May 31 -- Pitney Bowes Inc. marked its tenth annual Inventor of the Year award program by honoring a team of three inventors, who are this year's winners: Robert J. Allen of Danbury, CT; John W. Sussmeier of Cold Spring, NY; and William J. Wright of Killingworth, CT. The winning patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,273,419 issued August 14, 2001 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, covers the "Method and Device for Sheet Collation." The invention, the major component of Pitney Bowes APS Inserter System, enables large volumes of paper to be collated at a high speed, and is used by businesses who produce, sort and compile large volumes of documents, such as banks and insurance companies. At a ceremony announcing the winners at the company's world headquarters, Michael J. Critelli, Pitney Bowes chairman and CEO stated: "The accomplishments of Messrs Allen, Sussmeier and Wright underscore the very foundation upon which this company was built: innovation. It is this innovation, along with advanced technology, that enables us to provide leading-edge global, integrated mail and document management solutions for businesses of all sizes," adding,  "inventions like the APS Inserter System contribute to our vast portfolio of intellectual property, which continues to be a key corporate asset." Pitney Bowes intellectual property portfolio includes more than 3,500 patents worldwide in areas such as ticketing, cellular telephones, shipping, laser printing, encryption and mailing. The Intellectual Property Owners (IPO) Association has ranked Pitney Bowes among the top 200 patent holders in the United States for more than 14 years in recognition of the strength of its portfolio. The company is strategically leveraging its technological assets through direct development and delivery of innovative solutions, acquisitions, strategic alliances and joint ventures, and by licensing proprietary technology to others. In addition to the Inventor of the Year award, the company also recognized John Sussmeier as the inventor granted the most patents in 2001, with nine patents covering various aspects of inserter systems. "We are proud to honor John's extraordinary body of work and the contributions he has made to the company throughout his career at Pitney Bowes. His accomplishments, along with those of his fellow inventors, and their keen knack for innovation, has enabled Pitney Bowes to provide products, services and solutions to our customers that are unsurpassed in the industry," said Joseph E. Wall, Pitney Bowes senior vice president/Engineering and chief technology officer. In a letter to the winning team, Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland offered his congratulations to the team and stated: "It is a special tribute that Pitney Bowes is recognized for the utilization of our state's skilled workforce as your company continues to grow and prosper ... I applaud Pitney Bowes for its outstanding commitment to the progress of the Stamford community and the entire state of Connecticut."