Recipient elected messaging services enabled by processing codes printed on mail

• US 20040094615A1
• Filed: 11/07/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Ryan,, Frederick W. Jr., Quine, Douglas B., Sussmeier, John W., Cordery, Robert A., Sansone, Ronald P., Bodie, Kevin W., MacKay, Donald G.
• Application Number:
  US10/703,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20040094615A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00016 Relations between apparatus, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office, in a franking system
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00024 Physical or organizational aspects of franking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0004 Determining the location of mailpieces outside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00072 Hybrid mail, i.e. mail delivered using different physical means along the mail delivery path, e.g. email and envelope
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00145 via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00161 from a central, non-user location, e.g. for updating rates or software, or for refilling funds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

A method that enables a receiver or receiver'"'"'s agent (hereinafter “recipient”) to obtain notification of the letters, flats and/or packages (mail) that the recipient is going to receive prior to the delivery of the mail. The recipient is then able to inform a post or courier, e.g., Federal Express®, Airborne,® United Parcel Service®, DHL®, etc., of the manner in which the recipient would like the mail delivered. The post and courier, hereinafter, will be referred to as “carrier”. For instance, the recipient may want the mail physically redirected to the recipient'"'"'s temporary address, or physically delivered to the recipient'"'"'s agent, or physically delivered to the recipient'"'"'s attorney, or physically returned to the mailer.

Claims

1. (Amended) A method that enables a sender to receive information regarding whether or not a particular recipient wants to receive some or all of their mail that is sent by the sender to the recipient by a carrier, said method comprises the steps of:

depositing with the carrier mail;

capturing by the carrier the name and physical address of the recipient from a code on the mail and the name and physical address of the sender from a code on the mail;

translating by a data center the code of the recipient into an e-mail address;

translating by a data center the code of the sender into an e-mail address;

notifying by the data center to the recipient of the availability of the deposited mail;

notifying by the data center to the carrier of the manner in which the recipient would like to receive mail; and

delivering mail by the carrier to the recipient in the manner specified by the recipient to the carrier.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the mail contains the recipient'"'"'s name and physical address and the sender'"'"'s name and physical address in human readable form.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, further including the step of:

translating by a data center the code of the recipient into a human readable physical address.

4. The method claimed in claim 1, further including the step of:

translating by a data center the code of the sender into a human readable physical address.

5. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the recipient code is a postnet bar code.

6. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the sender code is a planet bar code.

7. The method claimed in claim 1, further including the step of:

notifying by the data center to the sender of the manner in which the recipient would like to receive mail.

8. The method claimed in claim 7, wherein the recipient notifies the data center that the recipient does not desire to receive any additional mail from the sender;

and the carrier notifies the sender that the recipient does not desire to receive any additional mail from the sender.

9. The method claimed in claim 7, further including the step of:

modifying the sender'"'"'s mailing list to remove the recipients name from the mailing list.

10. The method claimed in claim 7, wherein the recipient notifies the data center that the recipient desires to return the mail from the sender;

and the carrier returns the mail to the sender.

11. A method that enables a recipient to inform a carrier of the manner in which the recipient wants some or all of their mail delivered, said method comprises the steps of:

depositing by the sender with the carrier mail containing the recipient'"'"'s name and physical address and a sender'"'"'s name and physical address in the form of a recipient'"'"'s code and a sender'"'"'s code;

capturing by the carrier the name and physical address of the recipient and the sender from the recipient'"'"'s code and the sender'"'"'s code;

translating by a data center the code of the recipient into an e-mail address;

notifying by the data center to the recipient of the availability of the deposited mail;

notifying by the recipient to the data center of the manner in which the recipient wants some or all of their mail delivered;

notifying by the data center to the carrier of the manner in which the recipient wants the mail delivered; and

delivering mail by the carrier to the recipient in the manner specified by the recipient to the carrier.

12. The method claimed in claim 11, further including the step of:

translating by the data center the code of the sender into an e-mail address.

13. The method claimed in claim 11, further including the step of:

notifying by the data center to the sender of the manner in which the recipient wants the mail delivered.

14. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient notifies the carrier to deliver the mail to a specified name and address.

15. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient notifies the carrier to return the mail to the sender.

16. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient notifies the carrier to open the mail.

17. The method claimed in claim 16, further including the steps of:

informing the carrier to extract the contents of the mail by scanning to the recipient; and

mailing by e-mail the information included in contents of the mail to the recipient.

18. The method claimed in claim 16, further including the steps of:

informing the carrier to extract the contents by scanning of the mail to one or more specified e-mail addresses; and

mailing by e-mail the information included in contents of the mail to the specified e-mail addresses.

19. The method claimed in claim 16, further including the steps of:

informing the carrier to extract the contents by scanning of the mail to the recipient; and

sending the information contents of the mail to the recipient'"'"'s personal data assistant.

20. The method claimed in claim 16, further including the steps of:

informing the carrier to extract the contents by scanning of the mail to the recipient; and

reading the information contents of the mail to the recipient via telephone.

21. The method claimed in claim 16, further including the steps of:

informing the carrier to send by facsimile the contents of the mail to the recipient; and

mailing by facsimile the contents of the mail to the recipient.

22. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient notifies the carrier to deliver the mail to the recipient at a different address.

23. The method claimed in claim 11, further including the step of:

charging the recipient for receiving notification of the availability of the deposited mail.

24. The method claimed in claim 11, further including the step of:

charging the recipient for receiving notification of the availability of the deposited mail; and

charging the recipient for delivering mail to the recipient in the manner specified by the recipient to the carrier.

25. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient notifies the carrier to hold the mail for a specified period of time.

26. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient notifies the carrier to destroy the mail.

27. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient is notified via e-mail of the availability of the deposited mail.

28. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the carrier is notified via e-mail of the manner in which the recipient would like the mail delivered.

29. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient notifies the data center that the recipient does not desire to receive any additional mail from the sender;

and the carrier notifies the sender that the recipient does not desire to receive any additional mail from the sender.

30. The method claimed in claim 11, further including the step of:

modifying the sender'"'"'s mailing list to remove the recipients name from the mailing list.

31. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the recipient notifies the data center that the recipient desires to return the mail from the sender;

and the carrier returns the mail to the sender.