Method for tracking postal items

• US 20030014375A1
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hoffmann, Klaus, Lindner, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 7,392,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/404
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for tracking postal items. The shipping details of each postal item are stored in a data base that can be interrogated and is updated during shipping. A data record which can be changed and completed is created in each original distribution centre and for each postal item that is posted in said centre. Said data record contains a reference number and data that characterise the postal item and the shipping details. Each posted postal item is provided with an identification key in the original distribution centre. Said key uniquely characterises said postal item. The postal items are transported to the destination distribution centre, optionally via additional distribution centres. The reference numbers and the original distribution centres are subsequently detected in said succeeding distribution centres and the relevant shipping data comprising the reference numbers is electronically transmitted to the original distribution centres for completing the data records.

Claims

1. A method for tracking postal items, in which the shipping sequence of each postal item is stored in a data record that can be interrogated, having the following steps:

providing each postal item posted in the original distribution center with an identification key which identifies the respective postal item uniquely,

creating a data record which can be changed and supplemented for each postal item posted in the original distribution center, said data record containing a reference number and data that characterizes the postal item and the shipping sequence, at least for the duration of the shipping sequence,

transporting the postal items in accordance with the determined destination addresses to the destination distribution centers, possibly via one or more further distribution centers,

determining the reference number and the original distribution center in each distribution center to which the respective postal item has been transported,

electronically transmitting the respective current data characterizing the shipping sequence with the reference number for each postal item from the distribution centers in the course of the distribution process to the original distribution center and supplementing and/or changing the data record associated with the respective reference number.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, the identification key containing the reference number.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, the identification key containing an identifier relating to the original distribution center.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, data from the distribution centers, additionally determined there and characterizing postal items, being transmitted electronically under the associated reference number to the respective original distribution center.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, prior electronic information about postal items to be expected being transmitted from distribution centers to the respective succeeding distribution centers, to which the postal items are distributed, said prior information containing at least the reference number and the identification keys of the postal items to be expected.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, the prior information additionally containing data that characterizes the postal items, such as, inter alia, recipient addresses.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, the reference numbers of the postal items being determined in the further or destination distribution centers from the identification keys read.

8. The method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, the identification key being applied to the postal items in encoded and unencoded form, the encoded identification key being read first and, if it cannot be deciphered, the unencoded identification key being read.

9. The method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, the postal items being provided with new valid identification keys if the validity ranges of the identification keys are exceeded.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, the reference numbers of the postal items being determined in the further or destination distribution centers by detection of the characteristics of the postal items and searching through the data records of the original distribution center with the reference numbers in accordance with the detected data.

11. The method as claimed in claim 6, the reference numbers of the postal items being determined in the further or destination distribution centers by detection of the characteristics of the postal items and searching through the prior electronic information with the reference numbers in accordance with the detected characteristic data.

12. The method as claimed in one of claims 1-11, where, for Collico®

postal items, in which a plurality of postal items are transported jointly to a specific destination address, the data record of each postal item in the Collico®

also contains the reference numbers of the adjacent postal items, the data record of the last postal items being identified as such.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, a radio frequency identification mark being applied to the postal item in order to identify the postal item.