METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RUN TIME DIRECTORIES FOR ADDRESS SERVICES ON A MAIL PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20090287742A1
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DMT Solutions Global Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bowe Bell & Howell Company
• Inventors: Grady, William A., Bowers, Brian, Conard, Walter S., Wojdyla, Richard, WOOLSTON, Mark, Ermen, Gary Van
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

The present application generally relates to address data maintenance services using a mail processing system. The present application discloses techniques and equipment to update address information and usage of mail processing equipment to print delivery point barcodes that represent the current and accurate address information available for the addressee. The present application also provides a new approach for storing and searching address and name run time directories as part of a mail processing system using address reader technology.

Claims

1. A method for creating run time directories containing names and addresses for mail pieces, the method comprising steps of:

receiving name and address data associated with a customer, the name and address data including a plurality of names and associated addresses;

populating the name and address data into an initial database and storing the initial database into a storage device, the initial database having a plurality of records, each of the records includes a name and an address;

determining whether the records satisfy a predetermined condition;

providing a flag to each record which satisfies the predetermined condition;

creating a service data record including a plurality of records each having a name, an address and a flag;

creating a name run time directory by extracting the name with the flag based on the flag, the name run time directory having a name run time directory record including the name as data and the flag as flag data;

creating an address run time directory by extracting the address with the flag based on the flag, the address run time directory having an address run time directory record including the address as address data and the flag as flag data; and

outputting the name runtime directory and the address runtime directory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the name and address data further includes an updated address, and

the updated address which relates to either the name or the address is stored in the initial database or the service data record as a part of the record including the name and the address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

the step of creating an address run time directory further includes extracting the updated address together with the address, and

the address run time directory record includes the updated address in the same record as the address.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the address run time directory further includes an additional record including the updated address, the update address being stored as address data, and the additional record not including the flag.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of receiving name and address data is an electronic file provided by the customer or created from images of the name and address printed on a mail piece.

6. A system for creating run time directories containing names and addresses for a plurality of mail pieces, the system comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving name and address data, the name and address data including a plurality of names and associated addresses associated with a customer;

a storage device for storing an initial database created by populating the name and address data, the initial database having a plurality of records, each of the records including a name and an address;

one or more processors configured to;

determine whether the records satisfy a predetermined condition, and giving a flag to each record satisfying the predetermined condition;

create a service data record including a plurality of records each having the name, the address and the flag;

create a name run time directory by extracting the name with the flag based on the flag, the name run time directory having a name run time directory record including the name as data and the flag as flag data, and creating an address run time directory by extracting the address with the flag based on the flag, the address run time directory having an address run time directory record including the address as address data and the flag as flag data; and

output the name runtime directory and the address runtime directory.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors is associated with a document processing system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the name runtime directory and the address runtime directory are outputted to a optical character recognition device associated with a document processing system.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein storage device is associated with a user access computer.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the document processing system adapted to perform printing, inserting, metering and sorting.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive name and address data associated with a plurality of customers.

12. An address correction method for a plurality of mail pieces, the method comprising steps of:

(a) reading an address from a first mail piece by an optical reading device;

(b) accessing an address run time directory, the address run time directory including a plurality of customers addresses and flags; and

(c) matching the read address of the first mail piece with an associated customer address;

(d) based upon a predetermined condition of one or more of the flags, printing a barcode corresponding to an updated address on the first mail piece;

(e) reading an address from a second mail piece by the optical reading device;

(f) matching the read address of the second mail piece with a customer address; and

(g) based upon a predetermined condition of the flags, printing a barcode associated with the customer address on the second mail piece.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising steps of:

accessing a national directory when no match was found in the address run time directory;

finding whether the read address is correct or not by using the national directory; and

printing a barcode for a correct address on the second mail piece.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein step (d) further comprises:

determining whether the flag indicates suppression of the address;

in response to the determination, outputting a signal indicating that the first mail piece is rejected.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein step (d) further includes:

determining whether the flag indicates that an updated address for the address exists.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein step (d) further includes:

determining whether the flag indicates a move with respect to the address.

17. An address correction method for a plurality of mail pieces, the method comprising steps of:

(a) reading a name from a first mail piece by an optical reading device;

(b) accessing a run time name directory, the run time name directory including a plurality of customer names and flags;

(c) matching the read name of the first mail piece with an associated customer name;

(d) based upon a predetermined condition of one or more of the flags, printing a barcode corresponding to an updated address on the first mail piece;

(e) reading a name from a second mail piece by the optical reading device;

(f) matching the read name of the second mail piece with an associated customer address; and

(g) based upon a predetermined condition of the flags, printing a barcode associated with the customer address on the second mail piece.

18. The address correction method according to claim 17, when the flag indicates that a human readable address is to be printed on the mail piece, printing a human readable address corresponding to the barcode.

19. The address correction method according to claim 17, wherein the flag associated with the first mail piece indicates a duplicate address condition.

20. The address correction method according to claim 19, further comprising steps of:

referencing a record to a corresponding new address entry in the address run time directory.

21. An address correction system for mail pieces, the system comprising:

a receiving unit for receiving name and address data from either an electronic file provided by a customer or created from images of names and addresses printed on mail pieces and processed by a document processing system;

an address storing unit for storing an address run time directory and a name run time directory, the address run time directory including correct addresses and flags;

an address resolution system for locating a correct address for a mail piece; and

a printing device for printing corrected address information, relating to the corrected address on the mail piece.

22. The address correction system of claim 21, wherein:

the address run time directory contains an address run time directory record including a correct address as address data and a flag as flag data; and

the name run time directory contains a name run time directory record including a name as name data and the flag as flag data, the name corresponding to the correct address.

23. The address correction system of claim 22, wherein:

the address resolution system is configured to obtain a correct address from the address run time directory, compare the address obtained by the address reading unit with the correct address and in response to the comparison, instruct the printing device to print corrected address information relating to the address on the mail piece.

24. The address correction system of claim 23, wherein the address to be printed as the corrected address information is selected based on one or more flags.

25. The address correction system of claim 23, wherein

the address resolution system is further configured to determine whether the flag indicates suppression of the address,

in response to the determination, output a signal indicating that the mail piece is rejected.

26. The address correction system of claim 23, wherein

the address resolution system is further configured to determine whether the flag indicates that an updated address for the address exists, and

in response to the determination, obtain the updated address and instruct the printing device to print the corrected address information for the updated address on the mail piece.

27. The address correction system of claim 23, wherein

the address resolution system is further configured to determine whether the flag indicates moving with respect to the address, and

in response to the determination, instruct the printing device to print the corrected address information of the address on the mail piece.

28. The address correction system of claim 23, wherein

the address resolution system is further configured to determine whether the flag indicates moving with respect to the address,

in response to the determination, accessing the name run time directory for determining whether the name is included in the name run time directory, and

in response to the determination, instructing the printing device to print the corrected address information for the address on the mail piece.

29. The address correction system of claim 23, wherein

the address resolution system is further configured to determine whether the flag indicates moving with respect to the address,

in response to the determination, accessing the name run time directory for determining whether the name is included in the name run time directory, and

in response to the determination, obtaining an updated address for the name from the address run time directory, and

instructing the printing device to print the corrected address information for the updated address on the mail piece.

30. The address correction system of claim 24, wherein, when the flag indicates that a human readable address is printed on the mail piece, the address resolution system is configured to instruct the printing device to print a human readable address corresponding to the corrected address information.