System and method for electronically processing address information

• US 20060276916A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• 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: Wilson, James D., Payne, David J., Dearing, Stephen M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/79
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00 Franking apparatus printing aspects B41
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00451 Address hygiene, i.e. checking and correcting addresses to be printed on mail pieces using address databases

Abstract

Systems and methods for electronically correcting uncoded addresses include collecting uncoded addresses in an uncoded address database, sorting uncoded addresses by postal code, automatically emailing delivery personnel to notify them they have records to resolve, limiting personnel'"'"'s access to various postal codes, correcting and/or adjusting the address, determining whether the corrected address delivery point validates, and if no match can be made after correcting and/or adjusting the address, sending the address to a delivery unit with Delivery Force Knowledge™ to correct the address and return the correction for delivery point validation.

Claims

1. A method for resolving an uncorrected address, comprising:

receiving incorrect address data representing an address, the incorrect address data being incorrect according to first predetermined criteria;

storing the incorrect address data, in an uncorrected address database, as an uncorrected address record with a status indicator having a first value;

receiving a request for an uncorrected address record from a user over a network, the request comprising at least one filter parameter;

selecting an uncorrected address record from the uncorrected address database according to the at least one filter parameter;

transmitting the selected uncorrected address record over the network to the user;

receiving from the user, over the network, first corrected address data corresponding to the address;

storing the first corrected address data in the selected uncorrected address record; and

storing, in the uncorrected address database, the selected uncorrected address record with the first corrected address data and with a status indicator having a second value.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

generating a reminder message after transmitting and

displaying the reminder message to the user when second predetermined criteria are met.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

receiving a user request to generate a reminder, and

displaying the reminder message to the user when the second predetermined criteria are met.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving incorrect address data comprises receiving incorrect address data from a plurality of sources.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

after storing the selected uncorrected address record, comparing the selected uncorrected address record with a validation database, and

storing the selected uncorrected address record with a status indicator having one of a first value or a third value, based on the comparison.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, comprising:

receiving, from the user over a network, a request for an uncorrected address record with a status indicator having the third value;

transmitting, to the user over a network, an uncorrected address record with a status indicator having the third value;

receiving, from the user over the network, second corrected address data; and

storing the second corrected address data in the uncorrected address record with the status indicator having the third value to form a re-edited uncorrected address record; and

storing, in the uncorrected address database, the re-edited uncorrected address record.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

after storing the selected uncorrected address record, comparing the selected uncorrected address record with a validation database, and

storing the selected uncorrected address record with a status indicator having one of a first value or a fourth value, based on the comparison.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, comprising:

repeatedly comparing the selected uncorrected address record with a validation database.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

after transmitting the selected uncorrected address record over the network to the user, receiving from the user a request for records from a validation database selected according to search criteria;

transmitting, to the user over the network, the selected validation records; and

receiving from the user a designation of one of the selected validation records;

wherein receiving the first corrected address data comprises copying data from the designated validation record into the selected uncorrected address record.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising:

after storing the incorrect address data, in the uncorrected address database, as an uncorrected address record with a status indicator having a first value, comparing the stored uncorrected address record with a historic address resolution database containing uncorrected address records with status indicators having the third value, and

changing the status indicator value of the compared record to one of the first value or the fourth value, based on the comparison.

10. A system for correcting an uncorrected address, comprising:

an uncorrected address database containing uncorrected address records having incorrect address data representing an address, the records having a status indicator and the incorrect address data being incorrect according to first predetermined criteria;

a server comprising;

a component for receiving from a user over a network, a request for an uncorrected address record having a status indicator with a first value, the request comprising at least one filter parameter;

a component for selecting an uncorrected address record from the uncorrected address database according to the at least one filter parameter and for transmitting the selected uncorrected address record over the network to the user;

a component for receiving, from the user over the network, first corrected address data corresponding to the address, the first corrected address data being correct according to the first predetermined criteria;

a component for storing the first corrected address data in the selected uncorrected address record; and

a component for storing the selected uncorrected address record with the first corrected address data and with a status indicator having a second value, in the uncorrected address database.

11. A system as recited in claim 10, comprising:

a reminder component for generating a reminder message; and

a component for displaying the reminder message to the user when second predetermined criteria are met.

12. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein:

the reminder component comprises a component for receiving a user request to generate a reminder message.

13. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the uncorrected address data base comprises incorrect address data received from a plurality of sources.

14. A system as recited in claim 10, comprising:

a component for, after storing the selected uncorrected address record, comparing the selected uncorrected address record with a validation database, and

wherein the component for storing the selected uncorrected address record with the corrected address data comprises a component for storing the selected uncorrected address record with a status indicator having one of a first value or a third value, based on the comparison.

15. A system as recited in claim 10, comprising:

a component for receiving, from the user over a network, a request for an uncorrected address record with a status indicator having the third value;

a component for transmitting, to the user over a network, an uncorrected address record with a status indicator having the third value;

a component for receiving, from the user over the network, second corrected address data; and

a component for storing the second corrected address data in the uncorrected address record with the status indicator having the third value to form a re-edited uncorrected address record; and

a component for storing, in the uncorrected address database, the re-edited uncorrected address record.

16. A system as recited in claim 10, comprising:

a component for, after storing the selected uncorrected address record, comparing the selected uncorrected address record with a validation database, and

a component for storing the selected uncorrected address record with a status indicator having one of a first value or a fourth value, based on the comparison.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein:

the component for comparing the selected uncorrected address record with a validation database comprises a component for repeatedly comparing the selected uncorrected address record with a validation database.

18. A system as recited in claim 10, comprising:

a component for, after transmitting the selected uncorrected address record over the network to the user, receiving from the user a request for records from a validation database selected according to search criteria;

a component for transmitting, to the user over the network, the selected validation records; and

a component for receiving from the user a designation of one of the selected validation records;

wherein the component for receiving the first corrected address data comprises a component for copying data from the designated validation record into the selected uncorrected address record.