Apparatus for intercepting and forwarding incorrectly addressed postal mail

• US 5,703,783 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Logistics LLC (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Electrocom Automation L.P.
• Inventors: Allen, Ronald L., Cykana, Michael J., Bishop-Jones, Brenda J., Sipe, Stanley Wayne, Lui, Eddie K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Paul P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wsol, Marc A.
• Application Number:
  US08/483,719
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 364/478, 364/401, 364/364.03, 364/364.02, 209/584, 209/900, 382/10, 382/11, 382/101, 382/102, 370/392, 380/23
• US Class Current: 700/213
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00

Abstract

The present invention comprises apparatus for identifying, intercepting and forwarding incorrectly addressed mailpieces having either a machine readable or non-machine readable address. The apparatus reads (either mechanically or manually) the addressee name and the mailpiece destination marking address for processing in a database and comparison to a list of names and former addresses in the USPS National Change of Address database of persons who have requested mail forwarding service. If the read name and address match a name and former address in the database, then the mailpiece is identified as having an incorrect address and intercepted from the mail stream. The apparatus then searches the NCOA database for a forwarding address and delivery point ZIP code corresponding to the address. The forwarding address and delivery point ZIP marking number are printed on the mailpiece in place of the incorrect address and the mailpiece is returned to the mail stream for delivery to the addressee.

Claims

1. A mailpiece processing system for updating a change of address information list, comprising:

a line scanner for scanning a forwarding information form having address information including a former address, a forwarding address and an addressee name to capture forwarding information data in a computer memory representing address information for forwarding a mailpiece to a forwarding address, including the former address, the forwarding address and the addressee name;

a memory for storing a national change of address data base or an extract thereof containing address information including the former address, forwarding address and an addressee name for mailpieces to be forwarded to a forwarding address;

a comparator for comparing each of the items of address information for the captured forwarding information data from the forwarding information form with each of the items of address information of the national change of address information data base or an extract thereof to identify the absence of an item of address information of the forwarding information for the addressee captured from the forwarding information form and generating a forwarding signal when the presence of an item of address information of the forwarding information for the addressee cannot be identified on the national change of address data base or an extract thereof; and

a processing circuit responsive to the forwarding signal for adding the address information of the forwarding information for the addressee to the national change of address database or an extract thereof.

2. The mailpiece processing system as in claim 1 wherein the comparator for comparing the captured data comprises means for comparing the identified former address and addressee name to a plurality of former addresses and addressee names maintained in the change of address database.

3. The mailpiece processing system as in claim 1 wherein the processing circuit responsive to the forwarding signal for adding comprises means for adding the identified former address, forwarding address and addressee name in the national change of address database.

4. The mailpiece processing system as in claim 1 wherein the line scanner comprises an image lifter.

5. The mailpiece processing system as in claim 4 wherein the line scanner further comprises a form reading circuit.