APPARATUS FOR IMPROVED SORTATION AND DELIVERY POINT PROCESSING OF MILITARY MAIL

• US 20090307005A1
• Filed: 08/05/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Logistics LLC (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Macia, Carlos, O'Martin, Alan, Fisher, Robert, Sipe, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0831 Overseas transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

The invention seeks to improve the effectiveness of sortation and delivery point processing of military mail on behalf of the U.S. military. A method for distributing military mail includes the steps of compiling military unit and associated delivery code information into a computer searchable military address management system database which associates a military unit zip code with a current geographic location for that unit; obtaining military unit personnel change of address information from a number of sources including a national change of address database maintained by a federal postal service and input from a military unit to which a military mail recipient belongs, which information is compiled into a computer searchable military change of address database, which information includes change of address information more recent than change of address information reflected in a federal national change of address database; and using information from the military address management system database and the military change of address database to redirect incorrectly addressed mail pieces to a military mail recipient'"'"'s current address.

Claims

1. A method of rerouting items during shipment through a series of intermediate destinations to a final destination, which final destination is capable of movement from one geographic location to another, comprising:

(a) scanning the items while at an intermediate destination to determine a final destination of each item;

(b) while the items are at the intermediate destination, performing a computerized check using the results of the scanning step to determine whether the geographic location of the final destination for each item has changed; and

(c) if the geographic location of the final destination of an item has changed, making a decision whether or not to reroute that item so that it is shipped from the intermediate destination to the changed location of the final destination without first being shipped to a prior location of the final destination.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning to each item a unique identification code;

applying the identification code as a scannable label to items lacking such a label; and

then reading the unique identification code in step (a).

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising applying the unique identification code as a tag before shipment of the item bearing the tag.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining in a computer system a shipping information database that associates the unique identification code of an item with delivery information for that item, including its destination address and geographic location for that destination address;

maintaining in the computer system a destination directory database that associates each destination address with a current geographic location for such destination address; and

accessing such databases in carrying out step (b).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein step (b) further comprises retrieving each item'"'"'s destination address and the geographic location for that destination address by providing the computer system with the item'"'"'s unique identification code, whereupon the computer system performs a lookup of the destination in the shipping information database, then compares the indicated geographic location for the item'"'"'s destination address with the current geographic location of the item'"'"'s destination address in the destination directory database, and determines that the destination address is valid if the indicated and current geographic locations match, or is no longer valid if the current geographic location of the item'"'"'s destination address is different from the one indicated in the shipping information database.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising updating the shipping information database with the changed destination locations for items that are rerouted in step (c).

7. The method of claim 2, wherein step (c) further comprises rerouting single items to the changed destination location and deciding based on predetermined criteria whether or not to reroute shipments comprising multiple, individually-addressed items when some but not all items in the shipment need to be rerouted.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein step (c) further comprises:

breaking up a shipment comprising multiple, individually addressed items when steps (a) and (b) indicate some but not all items in the shipment are addressed to a destination that has changed its geographic location during transit of the shipment;

sending correctly addressed items in the shipment on to their original destination location; and

rerouting incorrectly addressed items in the shipment to one or more changed destination locations.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the individually addressed items of the shipment have identification tags readable by optical scanning from outside of the shipment.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a human readable label bearing updated destination address information to items which have been rerouted as a result of step (c).

11. A method of rerouting items during shipment through a series of intermediate destinations to a final destination, which final destination is capable of movement from one geographic location to another, comprising:

scanning the items while at an intermediate destination to determine a final destination of each item;

while the items are at the intermediate destination, performing a computerized check using the results of the scanning step to determine whether the geographic location of the final destination for each item has changed; and

if the geographic location of the final destination of an item has changed, rerouting that item so that it is shipped from the intermediate destination to the changed location of the final destination without first being shipped to a prior location of the final destination.

12. (canceled)

13. In a method for distributing military mail wherein mail addressed to military personnel at addresses outside the United States is received through a federal postal service, delivered by the federal postal service to the military, and then distributed to recipients by the military, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) determining if mail deposited to the federal postal service is addressed to a military recipient at an OCONUS location, which locations are associated with two or more OCONUS zones each of which has an associated military mail processing center;

(c) delivering deposited mail addressed to a military recipient at an OCONUS location to a military mail processing center;

(d) sorting mail delivered to the military mail processing center using a computer searchable military address management system database, which database associates a military unit zip code with a current geographic location for that unit and contains military unit personnel change of address information from sources including a national change of address database maintained by the federal postal service and input from a military unit to which a military mail recipient belongs, which information includes change of address information more recent than change of address information reflected in the federal national change of address database, wherein the sort divides the mail delivered to the military mail processing center into groups including

(1) mail to be redirected to the federal postal service because, according to the military address management system database, the recipient is no longer OCONUS,

(2) mail to be redirected to a different OCONUS zone because the recipient is no longer in the OCONUS zone to which the mail was originally addressed, and

(3) mail addressed to an OCONUS zone which does not require redirection;

then

(e-1) delivering the mail to be redirected to the federal postal service to the federal postal service without first delivering it to a military mail processing center for OCONUS mail;

(e-2) delivering the mail to be redirected to a different OCONUS zone to a military mail processing center associated with that OCONUS zone;

(e-3) delivering mail addressed to a recipient in an OCONUS zone which mail does not require redirection to a military mail processing center associated with that OCONUS zone; and

(f) distributing the mail from steps (e-1), (e-2), (e-3) to the military recipients.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the federal postal service is the USPS and the federal national change of address database is the USPS NCOA database.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein step (f) further comprises turning over the mail to military personnel who effect distribution to the recipient.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the military mail processing centers are privately operated service bureaus.