Apparatus and methods for identifying a mailpiece using an identification code

• US 6,976,621 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2000
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Brandt, Bruce A., Fadely, Jay David, Avant, Oscar Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US09/651,323
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/462.15, 235/462.02, 235/494, 235/376, 235/385, 235/462.01, 235/492, 705/408, 705/410, 705/60, 705/404, 710/226, 700/221
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00435 Details specific to central, non-customer apparatus, e.g. servers at post office or vendor
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00475 Sorting mailpieces

Abstract

Apparatus and methods consistent with the present invention provide for identifying a mailpiece in an identification code sorting system using an identification code. In one embodiment, an identification code is marked on a mailpiece. In this embodiment, the identification code is linked to an identification file containing identification information uniquely corresponding to the mailpiece.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a plurality of mailpieces in a mailpiece sorting system, using identification codes corresponding to identification files, comprising the steps of:

marking one of the plurality of mailpieces with an identification code that uniquely corresponds to the one mailpiece;

creating an identification file corresponding to the identification code, where the identification code is read from the one mailpiece by a plurality of nodes on the mailpiece sorting system including at least one node on a sorting system of a receiving post office and at least one node on a sorting system of a destination post office; and

using the identification code read from the mailpiece to retrieve information from the corresponding identification file for sorting the mailpiece at a plurality of nodes on the mailpiece sorting system including at least one node on the sorting system of a receiving post office.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a start code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a class of mail code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises an origin optical character reader code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a date code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a time code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a mailpiece sequence code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a stop code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises:

a start code;

a class of mail code;

an origin optical character reader code;

a date code;

a time code;

a mailpiece sequence code; and

a stop code.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification file comprises the identification code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification file comprises a postal code.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the postal code is a POSTNET code.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification file comprises an image capture time.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification file comprises a plurality of status bits that indicate aspects of the identification file.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification file comprises:

the identification code; and

a postal code.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the postal code is a POSTNET code.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

using the identification code read from the mailpiece to retrieve identification information from the corresponding identification file at any node on the mailpiece sorting system.

18. A system for identifying a plurality of mailpieces in a mailpiece sorting system, using identification codes corresponding to identification files, comprising:

a marking component configured to mark one of the plurality of mailpieces with an identification code that uniquely corresponds to the one mailpiece;

a creating component configured to create an identification file corresponding to the identification code, where the identification file is read from a plurality of nodes on the mailpiece sorting system including at least one node on a sorting system of a receiving post office and at least one node on a sorting system of a destination post office; and

a using component configured to use the identification code read from the mailpiece to retrieve identification information from the corresponding identification file for sorting the mailpiece at a plurality of nodes on the mailpiece sorting system including at least one node on the sorting system of a receiving post office.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code comprises a start code.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code comprises a class of mail code.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code comprises an origin optical character reader code.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code comprises a date code.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code comprises a time code.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code comprises a mailpiece sequence code.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code comprises a stop code.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code comprises:

a start code;

a class of mail code;

an origin optical character reader code;

a date code;

a time code;

a mailpiece sequence code; and

a stop code.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification file comprises the identification code.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification file comprises a postal code.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the postal code is a POSTNET code.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification file comprises an image capture time.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification file comprises a plurality of status bits that indicate aspects of the identification file.

32. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification file comprises:

the identification code; and

a postal code.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the postal code is a POSTNET code.

34. The system of claim 18, wherein the using component further comprises:

an any node using component configured to use the identification code read from the mailpiece to retrieve identification information from the corresponding identification file at any node on the mailpiece sorting system.

35. A system for identifying a plurality of mailpieces in a mailpiece sorting system, using identification codes corresponding to identification files, comprising:

means for marking one, of the plurality of mailpieces with an identification code that uniquely corresponds to the one mailpiece;

means for creating an identification file corresponding to the identification code, where the identification file is read from a plurality of nodes on the mailpiece sorting system including at least one node on a sorting system of a receiving post office and at least one node on a sorting system of a destination post office; and

means for using the identification code read from the mailpiece to retrieve identification information from the corresponding identification file for sorting the mailpiece at a plurality of nodes on the mailpiece sorting system including at least one node on the sorting system of a receiving post office.

36. A computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for identifying a plurality of mailpieces in a mailpiece sorting system, the computer readable code comprising:

a marking module configured to mark one of the plurality of mailpieces with an identification code that uniquely corresponds to the one mailpiece;

a creating module configured to create an identification file corresponding to the identification code, where the identification file may be accessed from a plurality of nodes on the mailpiece sorting system including at least one node on a sorting system of a receiving post office and at least one node on a sorting system of a destination post office; and

a using module configured to use the identification code read from the mailpiece to retrieve identification information from the corresponding identification file for sorting the mailpiece at a plurality of nodes on the mailpiece sorting system including at least one node on the sorting system of a receiving post office.