Just-in-time sort plan creation

• US 7,518,080 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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: Amato, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mackey; Patrick H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hageman; Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/450,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,675 Days
• Field of Search: 209/900, 209/584, 700219-221, 700223-226
• 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: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00475 Sorting mailpieces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for creating a delivery sequence sort plan for automated sorting of mailpieces to a carrier sequence sorter. The delivery sequence sort plan is generated based on information about an incoming mail batch, such that the sort plan is created just prior to the delivery sequence processing of the incoming mail batch.

Claims

1. A method for sorting items for delivery where each item has a geographic code identifying the location of delivery, the method comprising:

receiving items for delivery to a delivery point, the items being received at a receiving location;

collecting geographic codes associated with the items;

computing a number of items associated with one or more geographic codes;

accessing a desired delivery sequence for delivery points on a route, the desired delivery sequence being associated with the one or more geographic codes;

identifying at least one delivery point on the route which did not receive an item for delivery;

generating a delivery sequence sort plan based on the desired delivery sequence and the number of items associated with the one or more geographic codes; and

sorting the items according to the delivery sequence sort plan,

wherein the delivery sequence sort plan does not allocate a sort resource for the delivery points on the route which did not receive an item for delivery at the receiving location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic code includes a ZIP Code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the delivery sequence sort plan comprises:

creating a set of geographic codes based on the collected geographic code associated with each item and the computed number of items associated with each geographic code;

removing from the set of geographic codes any geographic code scheduled for non-delivery based on the desired delivery sequence;

allocating an optimum number of pockets for sorting the items into a delivery sequence based on the set of geographic codes; and

creating the delivery sequence sort plan based on the pocket allocation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the delivery sequence sort plan further comprises generating the delivery sequence sort plan based on mail delivery factors.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the mail delivery factors include at least one of the following:

an optional delivery sequence, an available number of sorting pockets for a sorting machine, and an average thickness of a piece of mail.

6. A system for sorting items for delivery where each item has a geographic code identifying the location of delivery, the system comprising:

means for collecting geographic codes associated with the items for delivery to a delivery point, the items being received at a receiving location;

means for computing a number of items associated with one or more geographic codes;

means for assessing a desired delivery sequence for delivery points on a route, the desired delivery sequence being associated with the one or more geographic codes; and

means for identifying at least one delivery point on the route which did not receive an item for delivery;

means for generating a delivery sequence sort plan based on the desired delivery sequence and the number of items associated with the one or more geographic codes; and

means for sorting the items according to the delivery sequence sort plan,

wherein the means for generating the delivery sequence sort plan does not allocate a sort resource for the delivery points on the route which did not receive an item for delivery at the receiving location.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for generating the deliver sequence sort plan comprises:

means for creating a set of geographic codes based on the collected geographic code associated with each item and the computed number of items associated with each geographic code;

means for removing from the set of geographic codes any geographic code scheduled for non-delivery based on the desired delivery sequence;

means for allocating an optimum number of pockets for sorting the items into a delivery sequence based on the set of geographic codes; and

means for creating the delivery sequence sort plan based on the pocket allocation.

8. A method for sorting items for delivery, the method comprising:

receiving information for sorting items for delivery to a delivery point at a receiving location, the information including a geographic code associated with each item and a numeric value indicating a number of items associated with each geographic code;

accessing a desired delivery sequence for delivery points on a route, the desired delivery sequence being associated with each geographic code;

identifying at least one delivery point on the route which did not receive an item for delivery;

generating a delivery sequence sort plan based on the desired delivery sequence and the number of items associated with each geographic code; and

sorting the items according to the delivery sequence sort plan,

wherein the delivery sequence sort plan does not allocate a sort resource for the delivery points on the route which did not receive an item for delivery at the receiving location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a geographic code includes a ZIP Code.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the delivery sequence sort plan comprises:

creating a set of geographic codes based on the geographic code associated with each item and the number of items associated with each geographic code;

removing from the set of geographic codes any geographic code scheduled for non-delivery based on the desired delivery sequence;

allocating an optimum number of pockets for sorting the pieces of mail into a delivery sequence based on the set of geographic codes; and

creating the delivery sequence sort plan based on the pocket allocation.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the delivery sequence sort plan further comprises generating the delivery sequence sort plan based on mail delivery factors.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mail delivery factors include at least one of the following:

an optional delivery sequence, an available number of sorting pockets for a sorting machine, and an average thickness of a piece of mail.

13. A system for sorting items for delivery, the system comprising:

means for receiving information for sorting items received at a receiving location, the information including a geographic code associated with each item and a numeric value indicating a number of items associated with each geographic code;

means for accessing a desired delivery sequence for delivery points on a route, the desired delivery sequence being associated with each geographic code;

means for identifying at least one delivery point on the route which did not receive an item for delivery;

means for generating a delivery sequence sort plan based on the desired delivery sequence and the number of items associated with each geographic codes; and

means for sorting the items according to the delivery sequence sort plan,

wherein the delivery sequence sort plan does not allocate a sort resource for the delivery points on the route which did not receive an item for delivery at the receiving location.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for generating the delivery sequence sort plan comprises:

means for creating a set of geographic codes based on the geographic code associated with each item and the number of items associated with each geographic code;

means for removing from the set of geographic codes any geographic code scheduled for non-delivery based on the desired delivery sequence;

means for allocating an optimum number of pockets for sorting the items into a delivery sequence based on the set of geographic codes; and

means for creating the delivery sequence sort plan based on the pocket allocation.

15. A system for sorting items for delivery, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory unit in communication with the processor and storing a program component, wherein the processor is operative with the program component to;

receive information for sorting items received at a receiving location, the information including a geographic code associated with each item and a numeric value indicating a number of items associated with each geographic code;

access a desired delivery sequence for delivery points on a route, the desired delivery sequence being associated with each geographic code;

identify at least one delivery point on the route which did not receive an item for delivery; and

generate a delivery sequence sort plan based on the desired delivery sequence and the number of items associated with each geographic codes,

wherein the delivery sequence sort plan does not allocate a sort resource for the delivery points on the route which did not receive an item for delivery at the receiving location.

16. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions for creating a delivery sequence sort plan for sorting items for delivery embedded therein which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of:

receiving information for sorting items received at a receiving location, the information including a geographic code associated with each item and a numeric value indicating a number of items associated with each geographic code;

accessing a desired delivery sequence for delivery points on a route, the desired delivery sequence being associated with each geographic code;

identifying at least one delivery point on the route which did not receive an item for delivery; and

generating a delivery sequence sort plan based on the desired delivery sequence and the number of items associated with each geographic codes,

wherein the delivery sequence sort plan does not allocate a sort resource for the delivery points on the route which did not receive an item for delivery at the receiving location.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein generating the delivery sequence sort plan comprises:

creating a set of geographic codes based on the geographic code associated with each item and the number of items associate with each geographic code;

removing from the set of geographic codes any geographic code scheduled for non-delivery based on the desired delivery sequence;

allocating an optimum number of pockets for sorting the items into a delivery sequence based on the set of geographic codes; and

creating the delivery sequence sort plan based on the pocket allocation.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable instructions embodied therein for enabling creation of a delivery sequence sort plan for sorting items for delivery, the computer usable medium causing a processor to execute instructions, the instructions comprising;

receiving information for sorting the items, the items being received at a receiving location, the information including a geographic code associated with each item and a numeric value indicating a number of items associated with each geographic code;

accessing a desired delivery sequence for delivery points on a route, the desired delivery sequence being associated with each geographic code;

identifying at least one delivery point on the route which did not receive an item for delivery; and

generating the delivery sequence sort plan based on the desired delivery sequence and the number of items associated with each geographic code,

wherein the delivery sequence sort plan does not allocate a sort resource for the delivery points on the route which did not receive an item for delivery at the receiving location.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein generating the delivery sequence sort plan comprises:

creating a set of geographic codes based on the geographic code associated with each item and the number of items associated with each geographic code;

removing from the set of geographic codes any geographic code scheduled for non-delivery based on the desired delivery sequence;

allocating an optimum number of pockets for sorting the items into a delivery sequence based on the set of geographic codes; and

creating the delivery sequence sort plan based on the pocket allocation.

20. A method for sorting items for delivery, the method comprising:

collecting geographic codes associated with items for delivery;

computing a number of items associated with one or more geographic codes;

accessing a desired delivery sequence for delivery points on a route, the desired delivery sequence being associated with the one or more geographic codes;

identifying at least one delivery point on the route which did not receive an item for delivery;

generating a delivery sequence sort plan based on the desired delivery sequence and the number of items associated with the one or more geographic codes; and

sorting the items according to the delivery sequence sort plan,

wherein the delivery sequence sort plan does not allocate a sort resource for the delivery points that are not receiving the items for delivery.