Method for dynamically addressing physical mail

• US 6,882,276 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2002
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Bell, Easton F., Romansky, Brian M., Zukowski, Deborra J., Sharma, Megha
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Sihong
• Application Number:
  US10/322,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20040113789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.8, 340/825.49, 340/825.36, 209/900
• US Class Current: 340/568.8
• 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 2017/00451 Address hygiene, i.e. checking and correcting addresses to be printed on mail pieces using address databases

Abstract

A method for automatically changing the address of an occupant when the occupant moves from one internal address to another internal address. The foregoing is accomplished by placing a radio frequency identification tag in occupant'"'"'s nameplate, wherein the tag contains encoding information that identifies the occupant so that when the occupant changes his/her location, the nameplate may be used to update a data base and determine the occupant'"'"'s new address.

Claims

1. A method for delivering physical mall that indicates occupants of establishments after the mail has been delivered to the establishment, said method comprises the steps of:

A. identifying an occupant'"'"'s name in an establishment in an electronic mechanism contained in an office nameplate that may be moved from a first location to a present location;

B. reading the electronic mechanism to determine the location of the office nameplate; and

C. delivering physical mail bused upon the present location of the office nameplate.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the nameplate is near the entrance of the occupant'"'"'s office.

3. The method claimed in claim 2, further including the step of:

moving the nameplate near the entrance of the occupant'"'"'s new office when the location of the occupant'"'"'s office is changed.

4. The method claimed in claim 3, wherein occupant'"'"'s office is located on a different floor.

5. The method claimed in claim 3, wherein occupant'"'"'s office is located in a different building.

6. The method claimed in claim 3, further including the step of:

notifying a printer to print business cards indicating occupant'"'"'s new office location.

7. The method claimed in claim 3, further including the step of:

notifying a user of the nameplate if the user wants new business cards after an office change.

8. The method claimed in claim 1, further including the step of uniquely identifying occupant'"'"'s name in the electronic mechanism.

9. The method claimed in claim 8, wherein the occupant'"'"'s name is uniquely identified, by placing occupant'"'"'s social security number in the electronic mechanism.

10. The method claimed in claim 8, wherein the occupant'"'"'s name is uniquely identified, by placing occupant'"'"'s employee number in the electronic mechanism.

11. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the nameplate includes occupant'"'"'s name.

12. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic medium is a radio frequency identification tag.

13. The method claimed in claim 12, wherein a radio frequency identification tag reader is used to read the radio frequency identification tag.

14. The method claimed in claim 1, further including the step of:

storing occupants name and first location in a database.

15. The method claimed in claim 14, further including the steps of:

displaying occupant'"'"'s name and first location.

16. The method claimed in claim 14, further including the step of:

updating the data base to indicate occupant'"'"'s present location.