Methods and systems for tracking delivery items

• US 20050216119A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Hamilton, Daryl S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,284,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00508 Printing or attaching on mailpieces printing mechanisms B41J; security printing B41M3/14; marking methods B41M5/00; inks C09D11/00; record carriers with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00629 Circuit, e.g. transponder
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

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 system. When the mail handler places the tray in a container, another RFID-type device can be used to detect into which container the mail handler placed the tray. This information may then be passively and/or wirelessly transmitted to an application server that may store the information in a database to verify and validate, in real time, that the tray was placed into the correct container. These methods and systems are equally applicable to other nesting environments, including for example, the placing of containers into transportation vehicles.

Claims

1. A system for tracking the nesting of delivery items, comprising:

a first container for holding delivery items;

a first device for transmitting first identifying information regarding the first container in response to a first indication that the first container is moved by a handler;

a second container for holding the first container;

a second device for transmitting second identifying information regarding the second container in response to a second indication that the first container was placed in the second container by the handler;

a third device for receiving the first and second identifying information from the first and second device, respectively, and for transmitting the first and second identifying information and third identifying information regarding the third device; and

a computing system for receiving the first, second and third identifying information from the third device and associating the first container with the second container in response to the first, second and third identifying information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first container includes a tray of the delivery items.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is an RF identification tag coupled to the first container.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first identifying information includes at least one first item selected from a group of first items, the group of first items including a first unique identifier, a delivery item type, a delivery item destination postal code, a delivery item final destination address, a delivery item contents identifier, a delivery item type-of-service identifier, and a delivery item processing code.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first unique identifier includes a barcode number scannably representative of at least one of the other first items in the group of first items.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first indication includes a signal generated by the third device after an interrogator of the third device initiates reception of the first identifying information from the first device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second container includes at least one of a railroad container, a bulk mail center (BMC) over-the-road container, a BMC in-house container, an Eastern region mail container (ERMC) without shelves, an ERMC with shelves, a plastic ERMC, a general purpose mail container, and a wire container.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second device is an RF identification tag coupled to the second container.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second identifying information includes at least one second item selected from a group of second items, the group of second items including a second unique identifier, a container type, a container final destination, a container contents identifier, and a container processing code.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second unique identifier includes a barcode number scannably representative of at least one of the other second items in the group of second items.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second indication includes signal generated by the third device after an interrogator of the third device initiates reception of the second identifying information from the second device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the third device is a portable computing device operated by the handler.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the third identifying information includes a third unique identifier.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the third unique identifier includes a third device identification number representative of the third device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third information are transmitted and received wirelessly.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system further comprises a plurality of modules for receiving the first, second and third identifying information, for resolving the received information, for associating the resolved information and for storing the associated data in a database.

17. A method for tracking the nesting of delivery items, comprising the steps of:

transmitting first information identifying a first container in response to a first indication, the first indication indicative of the first container being moved by a handler;

transmitting second information identifying a second container in response to a second indication, the second indication indicative of the handler placing the first container into the second container; and

associating the second information with the first information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first container includes a tray of delivery items.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein transmitting the first information is performed by an RF identification tag coupled to the first container.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first information includes at least one first item selected from a group of first items, the group of first items including a first unique identifier, a delivery item type, a delivery item destination postal code, a delivery item final destination address, a delivery item contents identifier, a delivery item type-of-service identifier, and a delivery item processing code.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first unique identifier includes a barcode number scannably representative of at least one of the other first items in the group of first items.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the second container includes at least one of a railroad container, a bulk mail center (BMC) over-the-road container, a BMC in-house container, an Eastern region mail container (ERMC) without shelves, an ERMC with shelves, a plastic ERMC, a general purpose mail container, and a wire container.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein transmitting the second information is performed by an RF identification tag coupled to the second container.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the second information includes at least one second item selected from a group of second items, the group of second items including a second unique identifier, a container type, a container final destination, a container contents identifier, and a container processing code.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second unique identifier includes a barcode number scannably representative of at least one of the other second items in the group of second items.

26. The method of claim 17, further including the steps of:

receiving the first and second information at a portable computing device operated by the handler; and

transmitting the first and second information and third information relating to the portable computing device to a computing system.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the third information includes a third unique identifier.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the third unique identifier includes a third device identification number representative of the portable computing device.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the first, second and third information are transmitted wirelessly.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the first indication includes a signal generated by the portable computing device after an interrogator of the third device initiates reception of the first identifying information from the first device.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the second indication includes signal generated by the portable computing device after an interrogator of the third device initiates reception of the second identifying information from the second device.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the computing system comprises a plurality of modules for receiving the first, second and third identifying information, for resolving the received information, for associating the resolved information and for storing the associated data in a database.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein associating the resolved information includes associating the first container with the second container in response to the first, second and third information.