UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENT POSTAL IDENTIFICATION CODE
First Claim
1. A computer readable medium having software instructions stored thereon for registering a universal postal code affixed to a mail piece, the software instructions, when executed by a processor disposed within a wireless device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
- acquiring an image of the universal postal code from an image sensor operatively coupled to the wireless device;
automatically recognizing and decoding the universal postal code image to obtain a universal postal code that is unique with respect to the mail piece such that the mail piece can be identified and differentiated from other mail pieces using only the universal postal code affixed to the mail piece;
verifying the universal postal code by communicating with a universal postal code server computer;
obtaining, from the wireless device, a recipient address to which delivery of the mail piece will be attempted;
determining if the recipient address is valid by communicating the recipient address to the universal postal code server computer and receiving an indication of address validity from the universal postal code server computer;
associating, in the wireless device, the universal postal code with the recipient address, when the address is determined to be valid; and
transmitting, from the wireless device, the universal postal code data and the associated recipient address to the universal postal code server computer for registration in an active universal postal code database, such that the mail piece can be sorted for delivery based only on the universal postal code affixed to the mail piece.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A universal postal code system in which mail piece delivery address information is associated with a universal postal code affixed to a mail piece. As part of the association process, the delivery address information can be verified and formatted according to postal authority standards to help ensure reliable and efficient delivery. The universal postal codes are reusable after completion of delivery by reassigning a universal postal code to a new recipient. The universal postal codes permit mailing of a mail piece without having any human readable delivery or return address information visible on the mail piece. Universal postal codes can be used for military mail systems and systems requiring anonymous mailing. Universal postal codes can also be used for automatic tabulation of votes while maintaining voter anonymity. Universal postal codes can be used for mail delivery between different countries such that a sender in one country need not be familiar with the address conventions of another country, and can electronically associate a universal postal code with a recipient in the other country without a need for the sender to write or even recognize the recipient'"'"'s address as written in a language used in the other country.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A computer readable medium having software instructions stored thereon for registering a universal postal code affixed to a mail piece, the software instructions, when executed by a processor disposed within a wireless device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
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acquiring an image of the universal postal code from an image sensor operatively coupled to the wireless device; automatically recognizing and decoding the universal postal code image to obtain a universal postal code that is unique with respect to the mail piece such that the mail piece can be identified and differentiated from other mail pieces using only the universal postal code affixed to the mail piece; verifying the universal postal code by communicating with a universal postal code server computer; obtaining, from the wireless device, a recipient address to which delivery of the mail piece will be attempted; determining if the recipient address is valid by communicating the recipient address to the universal postal code server computer and receiving an indication of address validity from the universal postal code server computer; associating, in the wireless device, the universal postal code with the recipient address, when the address is determined to be valid; and transmitting, from the wireless device, the universal postal code data and the associated recipient address to the universal postal code server computer for registration in an active universal postal code database, such that the mail piece can be sorted for delivery based only on the universal postal code affixed to the mail piece. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A universal postal code server computer comprising:
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a processor; and a memory having stored therein software instructions for programming the processor to perform operations including; receiving a universal postal code registration message from a mailer device, the universal postal code registration message including universal postal code data and recipient address information; determining, based on the universal postal code data, whether a new universal postal code needs to be released or whether a previously released universal postal code is being used; releasing a universal postal code when the determining indicates that a new universal postal code needs to be released; verifying a previously released universal postal code when the determining indicates that a previously released universal postal code is being used; verifying the recipient address information including conforming the address information to a standard address format when the recipient address information is not in the standard format; and adding the universal postal code and the recipient address information to an active universal postal code database. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A mail processing machine comprising:
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a mail piece scanner; a processor coupled to the mail piece scanner; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein software instructions for programming the processor, the instructions, when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations including; acquiring an image of a mail piece using the mail piece scanner; automatically recognizing and decoding a universal postal code in the mail piece image to obtain a universal postal code associated with the mail piece; requesting delivery address information from a universal postal code server by sending an electronic message containing the universal postal code associated with the mail piece; receiving delivery address information from the universal postal code server; and sorting the mail piece for delivery according to the received delivery address information such that the mail piece can be delivered to the delivery address without performing an optical character recognition operation on the mail piece image to obtain the delivery address information. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A mail piece addressing and delivery system comprising:
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a mail piece having a first universal postal code as a destination universal postal code and a second universal postal code as a sender universal postal code associated with an address of the sender, the mail piece having no human readable address information for either of a sender or a recipient; a mail processing system adapted to automatically recognize and decode each of the first and second universal postal codes and deliver the mail piece according to a destination address associated with the destination universal postal code if possible; if delivery of the mail piece is not possible or is refused, the mail processing system being adapted to return the mail piece to the address of the sender. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 38)
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33. A mail carrier device comprising:
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a processor; a scanner coupled to the processor, the scanner adapted to scan universal postal codes; a display device coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having software instructions stored therein for programming the processor to perform operations when the software instructions are executed, the operations including; acquiring, using the scanner, an image of a universal postal code on a mail piece being delivered; decoding the universal postal code image to obtain a universal postal code; sending a message requesting delivery information for the mail piece, the message including the universal postal code; displaying the delivery information on the display device; and sending a message indicating delivery of the mail piece. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
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36. A method for automatically tabulating votes, the method comprising:
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providing a block of universal postal codes to an election organization, the block of universal postal codes being associated with a mailing account of the election organization; associating an address of the election organization with each of the universal postal codes in the block; associating each universal postal code with a unique registered voter; mailing ballot cards and one or more universal postal codes on adhesive labels to each voter, the ballot cards having neither a delivery address or postage affixed to them, wherein a voter can vote by affixing one or more universal postal code labels to a ballot card and placing the ballot card in the mail for delivery, the ballot card maintaining voter anonymity by having no human readable voter or ballot choices visible on the ballot card; receiving the ballot card at a mail processing center and automatically recognizing and decoding the one or more universal postal codes on the ballot card; securely transmitting electronically the decoded universal postal codes to the election organization such that votes can be tabulated automatically prior to the election organization physically receiving the ballot card; and delivering the ballot card in accordance with the delivery address information associated with the one or more universal postal codes. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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Specification