System and method for automated management of an address database

• US 20070094155A1
• Filed: 05/17/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2005
• 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: Dearing, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/410
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/18 Jumping jacks
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for electronically managing an address database such as AMS, and more particularly a system and method for automatically managing an address database through the use of a web-based application. Moreover, embodiments of the invention manage an address database, such as AMS, by comparing data in the address database with data collected from mailpieces during sorting operations.

Claims

1. A method for managing an address database comprising:

reading mailpiece sorting data for a predetermined time interval, the mailpiece sorting data including delivery point information;

storing density data associated with the mailpiece data, the density data including a number of mailpieces addressed to each of multiple delivery points during the predetermined time interval; and

updating the address database based on the mailpiece sorting data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the mailpiece sorting data includes:

reading delivery point data for a first mailpiece to determine a first delivery point;

incrementing a density count associated with the first delivery point;

determining whether the predetermined time interval has expired; and

if the predetermined time period has not expired, reading delivery point data for a second mailpiece associated with the first delivery point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time interval is a daily interval.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein storing the density data includes associating a date with the density data corresponding to each of the multiple delivery points.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the address database includes:

selecting a first delivery point, the first delivery point being one of the multiple delivery points; and

determining whether an address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether the address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database includes determining whether a delivery point file includes the address associated with the first delivery point.

7. The method of claim 5, further including, if the address associated with the first delivery point does not exist in the address database, adding the address associated with the first delivery point to the address database.

8. The method of claim 5, further including, if the address associated with the first delivery point does not exist in the address database, outputting a notice that the address associated with the first delivery point does not exist in the address database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the address database includes:

selecting a first delivery point, the first delivery point being one of the multiple delivery points; and

determining whether the density data associated with the first delivery point is greater than a predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, further including, if the density data associated with the first delivery point is greater than the predetermined threshold, determining whether an address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether an address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database includes determining whether a delivery point file includes the address associated with the first delivery point.

12. The method of claim 11, further including, if the delivery point file does not include the address associated with the first delivery point, outputting a notice that the delivery point file requires update.

13. The method of claim 10, further including, if the address associated with the first delivery point does not exist in the address database, adding the address associated with the first delivery point to the address database.

14. The method of claim 10, further including, if the address associated with the first delivery point does not exist in the address database, outputting a notice that the address associated with the first delivery point does not exist in the address database.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the address database includes:

selecting a first delivery point, the first delivery point being one of the multiple delivery points; and

determining whether the density data associated with the first delivery point is less than a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined threshold is a density of one.

17. The method of claim 15, further including, if the density data associated with the first delivery point is less than the predetermined threshold, determining whether an address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether an address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database includes determining whether a delivery point file includes the address associated with the first delivery point.

19. The method of claim 18, further including, if the delivery point file does not include the address associated with the first delivery point, outputting a notice that the delivery point file requires update.

20. The method of claim 17, further including, if the address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database, deleting the address associated with the first delivery point in the address database.

21. The method of claim 17, further including, if the address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database, outputting a notice that the address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database.

22. A processor-readable medium having stored thereon processor-executable code, the processor-executable code configured to perform a method, the method comprising:

reading mailpiece sorting data for a predetermined time interval, the mailpiece sorting data including delivery point information;

storing density data associated with the mailpiece data, the density data including a number of mailpieces addressed to each of multiple delivery points during the predetermined time interval; and

updating the address database based on the mailpiece sorting data.

23. The processor-readable medium of claim 22, wherein updating the address database includes:

selecting a first delivery point, the first delivery point being one of the multiple delivery points; and

determining whether an address associated with the first delivery point exists in the address database.

24. The processor-readable medium of claim 22, wherein updating the address database includes:

selecting a first delivery point, the first delivery point being one of the multiple delivery points; and

determining whether the density data associated with the first delivery point is greater than a predetermined threshold.

25. The processor-readable medium of claim 22, wherein updating the address database includes:

selecting a first delivery point, the first delivery point being one of the multiple delivery points; and

determining whether the density data associated with the first delivery point is less than a predetermined threshold.