Organizing a plurality of items into a delivery point sequence

• US 7,423,231 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Postal Service United States The
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Brown, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mackey; Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hageman; Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/450,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20040035762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 209/583, 209/584, 209/900, 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382
• 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 and system for providing delivery point sequencing consistent with the invention includes assigning the plurality of items dynamic sequence numbers as the plurality of items pass through a sequencing component a first time, the sequencing component component comprising a plurality of partitions. Next the method and system include sorting the plurality of items into the plurality of partitions of the sequencing component as the plurality of items pass through the sequencing component the first time, each partition having a corresponding batch of items. And finally the method and system include sorting the items of each batch by the dynamic sequence numbers as the plurality of items pass through the sequencing component a second time, each of the plurality of partitions sorting only items of its corresponding batch.

Claims

1. A method for organizing a plurality of items into a delivery point sequence comprising:

sorting the plurality of items by a geographical segment code prior to passing the plurality of items through a sequencing component, the sequencing component comprising a plurality of partitions,

Determining a maximum capacity of an individual partition based upon either historical data of the geographical segment code or a time predicted in will take to deliver the items in the batch corresponding to the individual partition;

Dynamically adjusting a size of the individual partition as the plurality of items are passed through the sequencing component;

passing the plurality of items through the sequencing component a first time wherein the sequencing component assigns dynamic sequence numbers to the plurality of items; and

sorting the plurality of items by the dynamic sequence numbers as the plurality of items pass through the sequencing component a second time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein items within the plurality of items that do not have a specified geographical segment code are excluded from the plurality of items.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographical segment code comprises at least one of the following:

a United States Postal Service ZIP code, and a United States Postal Service ZIP+4 code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein items within the plurality of items comprise at least one of the following:

flat mail, catalogs, magazines, mailpieces, and United States Postal Service Express Mail Packages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic sequence numbers indicate the order in which items within the plurality of items are to be delivered within a route.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequencing component assigns the plurality of items the dynamic sequence numbers by reading tracking indicia on the plurality of items and basing the dynamic sequence numbers on data indicated by the tracking indicia.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tracking indicia comprises at least one of the following:

a bar code and a PLANET code.

8. A method for organizing a plurality of items into a delivery point sequence comprising:

sorting the plurality of items by a geographical segment code prior to passing the plurality of items through a sequencing component;

assigning dynamic sequence numbers to the plurality of items as the plurality of items pass through the sequencing component a first time, the sequencing component comprising a plurality of partitions;

sorting the items into the plurality of partitions of the sequencing component as the plurality of items pass through the sequencing component the first time, each partition having a corresponding batch of the items; and

sorting the items of each batch by the dynamic sequence numbers as the items pass through the sequencing component a second time, each of the plurality of partitions sorting only items of its corresponding batch,

Determining a maximum capacity of an individual partition based upon either historical data of the geographical segment code or a time predicted in will take to deliver the items in the batch corresponding to the individual partition;

Dynamically adjusting a size of the individual partition as the plurality of items are passed through the sequencing component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each partition corresponds to a route within a delivery system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein sorting the plurality of items by a geographical segment code comprises:

identifying items within the plurality of items that do not have a specified geographical segment code; and

excluding the identified items from the plurality of items.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the geographical segment code comprises at least one of the following:

a United States Postal Service ZIP code, and a United States Postal Service ZIP+4 code.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein assigning the plurality of items dynamic sequence numbers further comprises:

reading tracking indicia on the plurality of items; and

basing the dynamic sequence numbers on data indicated by the tracking indicia.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the tracking indicia comprises at least one of the following:

a bar code and a PLANET code.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein items within the plurality of items comprise at least one of the following:

flat mail, catalogs, magazines, mailpieces, and United States Postal Service Express Mail Packages.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the dynamic sequence numbers indicate the order in which items within the plurality of items are to be delivered within a route.

16. A system for organizing a plurality of items into a delivery point sequence comprising:

a sorting component that sorts the plurality of items by a geographical segment code prior to passing the plurality of items through a sequencing component, the sequencing component comprising a plurality of partitions;

A component for determining a maximum capacity of an individual partition based upon either historical data of the geographical segment code or a time predicted in will take to deliver the items in the batch corresponding to the individual partition;

A component that dynamically adjusts a size of the individual partition as the plurality of items are passed through the sequencing component;

a component for assigning dynamic sequence numbers to the items as the plurality of items pass through the sequencing component a first time;

a sorting component that sorts the plurality of items into the plurality of partitions as the items pass through the sequencing component the first time, each partition having a corresponding batch of items; and

a sorting component that sorts the items of each batch by the dynamic sequence numbers as the items pass through the sequencing component a second time, each of the plurality of partitions sorting only items of its corresponding batch.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each partition corresponds to a route within a delivery system.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein items within the plurality of items that do not have a specified geographical segment code are excluded from the plurality of items.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the geographical segment code comprises at least one of the following:

a United States Postal Service ZIP code, and a United States Postal Service ZIP+4 code.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for assigning the plurality of items dynamic sequence numbers further comprises:

a component for reading tracking indicia on the plurality of items; and

a component for basing the dynamic sequence numbers on data indicated by the tracking indicia.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the tracking indicia comprises at least one of the following:

a bar code and a PLANET code.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein items within the plurality of items comprise at least one of the following:

flat mail, catalogs, magazines, mailpieces, and United States Postal Service Express Mail Packages.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the dynamic sequence numbers indicate the order in which items within the plurality of items are to be delivered within a route.

24. A method for organizing a plurality of items into a delivery point sequence comprising:

sorting the plurality of items by a geographical segment code, wherein items within the plurality of items that do not have a specified geographical segment code are excluded from the plurality of items, the geographical segment code comprising at least one of the following;

a United States Postal Service ZIP code, and a United States Postal Service ZIP+4 code, items within the plurality of items comprising at least one of the following;

flat mail, catalogs, magazines, mailpieces, and United States Postal Service Express Mail Packages;

assigning sequence numbers to the plurality of items as the plurality of items pass through a sequencing component a first time, wherein tracking indicia are read from the plurality of items and the sequence numbers are based on data indicated by the tracking indicia, the tracking indicia comprising at least one of the following;

a bar code and a PLANET code, the sequence numbers indicating the order in which items within the plurality of items are to be delivered within a route, wherein the sequencing component comprises a plurality of partitions;

Determining a maximum capacity of each partition based upon either historical data of the geographical segment code or a time predicted in will take to deliver the items in the batch corresponding to each partition;

Dynamically adjusting a size of each partition as the plurality of items are passed through the sequencing component; and

sorting the items of each batch by the sequence numbers as the plurality of items pass through the sequencing component a second time, each of the plurality of partitions sorting only items of its corresponding batch.