Metering incoming deliverable mail

• US 6,032,138 A
• Filed: 09/05/1997
• Issued: 02/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Sansone, Ronald P., McFiggans, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US08/924,668
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 382/101, 392/200.35, 705/400, 705/401, 705/408, 705/410, 707/100, 707/104, 709/206
• US Class Current: 705/410
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/0008 Communication details outside or between apparatus coin-freed apparatus for franking per se G07F17/26
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00661 Sensing or measuring mailpieces weighing G01G19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00169 from a franking apparatus, e.g. for verifying accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00709 Scanning mailpieces
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00725 Reading symbols, e.g. OCR
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0083 Postal data, e.g. postage, address, sender, machine ID, vendor

Abstract

A system in which originating mail processors would upload pertinent mail piece information on addressees, pointers or other identifiers automatically and periodically to a data center. The recipient addressee of the mail piece would temporarily configure his digital postage meter or mail processor as a mail receiver so that the postage meter or mail processor would read the digital indicia that was affixed to the currently delivered incoming mail. The incoming mail would be date/time stamped, opened (optionally) and the unique identifier that was placed in the postal indicia would be read. The recipient meter or mail processor would periodically upload to the data center raw data on the unique identifiers or codes that have been received. If the received unique identifiers or codes match with the sender unique identifiers or codes in a reasonable amount of time, as would normally be the case, the sent and received codes cancel out, or are kept for statistical information on delivery times, etc. Non-matched codes could be flagged and reported to the originator for further investigation. Thus, the data center may be able to locate mis-sent or mis-routed mail and automatically feed back information on undelivered or undeliverable mail.

Claims

1. An incoming mail monitoring system, said system comprises:

a plurality of mailers digital units that stores unique information contained in postal indicia of a mail piece;

a plurality of recipient units that reads and stores the unique information contained in the postal indicia after the mail piece has been delivered to the recipient; and

a data center that receives and correlates information stored by the mailers units and the recipients units to determine if the mail piece has been delivered.

2. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mailers unit correlates the mail piece recipient address with unique information contained in the postal indicia.

3. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the recipients unit includes a scanner that reads the postal indicia.

4. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the data center processes the received information.

5. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mailers unit includes means for automatically transmitting information to the data center at predetermined intervals.

6. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the recipients unit includes means for automatically transmitting information to the data center at predetermined intervals.

7. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the postal indicia is on a label that is affixed to the mail piece.

8. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the postal indicia is printed on a piece of paper that may be seen through a envelope forming the mail piece.

9. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique information is encrypted.

10. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique information is printed in an area other than the indicia area of the mail piece.

11. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mailers units are digital postage units.

12. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mailers units are Postal Security Devices.

13. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the recipients units are digital postage units.

14. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the recipients units are Postal Security Devices.

15. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mailers unit includes a scanner that reads the postal indicia.

16. The system claimed in claim 15, wherein the scanner produces a record indicating that a specific indicia was produced.

17. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the data center further includes:

means for sorting the information received from each of the mailers units by the mailers unit that sent the information.

18. The system claimed in claim 17, wherein the data center further includes:

means for sorting the information received from each of the recipient units by the recipient unit that sent the information.

19. The system claimed in claim 18, wherein the data center further includes:

means for routing the information obtained from the recipients unit regarding mail pieces received from the mailers unit to the mailers unit.

20. The system claimed in claim 19, wherein the data center further includes:

means for routing the information obtained from the mailers unit regarding mail pieces received by the recipients unit to the recipients unit.

21. The system claimed in claim 20, wherein the data center further includes:

means for charging the recipients unit for receiving the routed information.

22. The system claimed in claim 21, wherein the data center further includes:

means for charging the mailers unit for receiving the routed information.

23. The system claimed in claim 22, wherein the data center further includes:

means for crediting the mailers unit for sending information to the data center.

24. The system claimed in claim 23, wherein the data center further includes:

means for crediting the recipients unit for sending information to the data center.

25. The system claimed in claim 24, wherein the data center further includes:

means for informing the mailers unit of the time that the recipients unit read the indicia of time sensitive mail.

26. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mailers unit includes the time and date that the postal indicia was affixed to the mail piece in the unique information contained in the postal indicia.

27. The system claimed in claim 26, wherein the recipients unit stores the time and date that the recipient meter read the postal indicia.

28. The system claimed in claim 27, wherein the data center further includes:

means for informing the mailers unit when the mail piece was received by the recipients unit.

29. The system claimed in claim 27, wherein the data center determines the amount of time that has elapsed between the time the postal indicia was affixed to the mail piece and the time that the recipient unit read the postal indicia.

30. The system claimed in claim 29, wherein the data center further includes:

means for informing the mailers unit of the amount of time that has elapsed between the time the postal indicia was affixed to the mail piece and the time that the recipient unit read the postal indicia.

31. The system claimed in claim 29, wherein the data center further includes:

means for informing the post of the amount of time that has elapsed between the time the postal indicia was affixed to the mail piece and the time that the recipient unit read the postal indicia.

32. The system claimed in claim 29, wherein the data center further includes:

means for charging the post to inform the post of the amount of time that has elapsed between the time the postal indicia was affixed to the mail piece and the time that the recipient unit read the postal indicia.

33. The system claimed in claim 29, wherein the data center further includes:

means for informing the post of mail pieces that have not been read by recipients units after specified periods of time.

34. The system claimed in claim 29, wherein the data center further includes:

means for informing the mailers unit of mail pieces that have not been read by recipients units after specified periods of time.

35. The system claimed in claim 29, wherein the recipients unit prints the date and time that it read the postal indicia on the mail piece.

36. The system claimed in claim 35, wherein the recipients unit includes means for opening envelopes.

37. A incoming mail monitoring system, said system comprises:

a plurality of mailers digital postage meters that stores unique information contained in a postal indicia of a mail piece;

a plurality of recipient addressee mail piece units that reads and stores the unique information contained in the postal indicia after the mail piece has been delivered to the recipient; and

a data center that receives and correlates information stored by the mailers meters and the recipients meters to determine if the mail piece has been delivered.

38. The system claimed in 37, wherein the recipient mail piece unit includes an opener to open the mail piece.