Mail processing systems and methods

• US 6,819,777 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2003
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DMT Solutions Global Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mailcode, Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, Christopher A., Baker, Peter N., Moon, Alexander, Wolverton, Jennifer
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Application Number:
  US10/395,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20030179906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 382/101, 382/102, 345/956, 345/961, 345/978, 704/200, 209/584, 209/900
• US Class Current: 382/101
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/20 Arrangements for facilitating the visual reading of addresses, e.g. display arrangements coding stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/987 with the intervention of an operator

Abstract

A mail sorter (22) includes an imaging device (60) to generate a plurality of images each corresponding to one of the plurality of mail pieces (36). The mail sorter (22) performs a character recognition routine on each of the images to sort a number of the mail pieces (36) and identify one of the mail pieces as being unsortable by the routine. An operator input processing subsystem (24) includes a number of stations (74). These stations (74) each include a display and a voice input device. The subsystem (24) responds to the mail sorter (22) to route the images to the stations (74). One of the stations (74) is operable to display one of the images on its corresponding display device and receive vocal input from an operator with its corresponding voice input device in response to viewing the image. The subsystem (24) executes a voice recognition routine to determine address information from the vocal input and provides this information to the mail sorter (22) to sort a corresponding one of the mail pieces (36).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing each of a plurality of mail pieces with at least one character recognition routine performed with a mail sorter to sort a first number of the mail pieces;

determining a second number of the mail pieces are unsortable by said processing;

sending a number of images to a group of operator input stations, the images each corresponding to one of the second number of the mail pieces;

displaying a first one of the images on a display device for a first one of the operator input stations;

routing the second number of mailpieces to a delay queue while the first one of the images is displayed on the display device;

entering address information from the first one of the images with a voice input device for the first one of the operator input stations wherein said entering includes speaking at least one character of at least one of a postal code, locality designation, a house designation, an apartment designation, a suite designation, a floor designation, a post office box designation and a street designation and wherein the address information entered from the first one of the images includes a first address part;

displaying the first one of the images on a display device for a second one of the operator input stations; and

entering a second address part with a voice input device for the second one of the operator input stations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first address part is at least a portion of a postal code and the second address part is at least one of a locality designation, a house designation, an apartment designation, a suite designation, a floor designation, a post office box designation, and a street designation.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising moving the one of the mail pieces to a re-sort bin.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

fading-in a second one of the images on the display device in response to initiation of said entering;

providing a vocal input to enter at least part of an address determined from the second one of the images with the voice input device;

wherein said displaying, said entering, said fading-in, and said providing are performed at a location remote from the mail pieces; and

the first one of the images fades-out in response to initiation of said entering.