Method of sorting mail for carriers using separators

• US 6,822,182 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2002
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korber Supply Chain LLC
• Original Assignee: Siemens Dematic Postal Automation LP (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Kechel, Ottmar K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, JOSEPH C
• Application Number:
  US10/194,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20040007510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 209/583, 209/584, 209/900, 700/223, 700/224, 700/225, 700/226
• US Class Current: 209/584
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

A method for sorting mail pieces for delivery by a carrier, wherein the mail pieces include both letters and flats, includes the steps of a) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of letters, each letter having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of a predetermined number of delivery destinations for a carrier delivery route, b) sorting in first sorting pass a batch of flats, each flat having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of the predetermined number of delivery destinations for the carrier delivery route, using the same automated sorting machine which scans each delivery code and stores it in a computer memory; c) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of dividers having a scannable code thereon; d) then sorting the letters, flats and dividers in at least one subsequent sorting pass, using the scanned and stored codes according to the computer-implemented sort scheme, resulting in a series of groups of mail pieces for each destination, which groups may include letters only, flats only, or both letters and flats, and which groups are in delivery route order, with a divider between each group.

Claims

1. A method for sorting mail pieces for delivery by a carrier, wherein the mail pieces include both letters and flats, comprising:

a) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of letters, each letter having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of a predetermined number of delivery destinations for a carrier delivery route, using an automated sorting machine which scans each destination code and stores it in a computer memory;

b) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of flats, each flat having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of the predetermined number of delivery destinations for the carrier delivery route, using the same automated sorting machine which scans each destination code and stores it in a computer memory;

c) repeating steps (a) and (b) using the scanned and stored destination codes according to a computer-implemented sort scheme which results, after two or more sorting passes, in a series of groups of mail pieces, each corresponding to a delivery destination on the carrier delivery route, which groups may include letters only, flats only, or both letters and flats, and which groups are in delivery route order, and within each group mail pieces are divided into subgroups of letters and flats, which subgroups alternate with one another when two groups of mail having both letters and flats for their respective destinations are sorted in the series in delivery route order;

d) identifying those groups wherein the last mail piece in a group is of the same type as the first mail piece in the next group; and

e) inserting a divider between adjacent groups in the series whenever a last mail piece in a group addressed to one destination is of the same type as a first mail piece in the next group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each delivery point corresponds to a ZIP+4 code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mail pieces of each batch are sorted using a digit of a destination code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mail pieces of each batch are sorted using selected digits of a destination code.

5. A method for sorting mail pieces for delivery by a carrier, wherein the mail pieces include both letters and flats, comprising:

a) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of mail pieces, including letters and flats, each having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of a predetermined number of delivery destinations for a carrier delivery route, using an automated sorting machine which scans each destination code and stores it in a computer memory;

b) determining the sequence of letters and flats that will result from a final pass wherein the scanned and stored destination codes are used to sort the mail according to a computer-implemented sort scheme which results in a series of groups of mail pieces, the groups being in delivery route order;

c) identifying consecutive groups wherein the last mail piece in a group is of the same type as the first mail piece in the next group; and

d) in a second pass, inserting a divider between adjacent groups in the series whenever a last mail piece in a group addressed to one destination is of the same type as a first mail piece in the next group.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each destination corresponds to a ZIP+4 code.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the mail pieces of each batch are sorted using a digit of a ZIP+4 code.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the mail pieces of each batch are sorted using selected digits of a destination code.

9. A method of sorting a batch of mail pieces including letters and flats each having a destination code thereon into a series of groups arranged in delivery order according to a carrier route comprising:

sorting the letters and flats in a first pass with an automated sorting machine that scans the destination code from each letter or flat and identifies the mail piece as a letter or flat;

storing the identity and destination code for each mail piece;

identifying consecutive groups in the series of groups wherein the last mail piece in a group is of the same type as the first mail piece in the next group; and

inserting a divider between adjacent groups in the series when the last mail piece in a group is of the same type as the first mail piece in the next group.