Item attribute preverification

• US 7,729,957 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2001
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• 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: Gallagher, William, Lizzol, EvaMarie, Kooken, Robert, Hess, Jim, Patel, Himesh, Bakshi, Paul, Nacke, Dana, Smith, Diane, Hunsicker, Lynn, Galaher, Robert, Dvonch, Robert, Sexton, John, Pierce, Hughes, Blalock, John, Johnson, Albert J., Goodman, Larry, Lamoreux, Scott, Sadler, John J., Foster, Dana
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel; Vanel
• Application Number:
  US10/333,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20030236757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,234 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/410, 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A method and system for providing attribute verification (330) consistent with the invention includes obtaining the attributes (320) of the item prior to placing the item in a delivery system (350), verifying correctness of the attributes (320), and transmitting an indication of the correctness of the attributes to a delivery system operator over a communications system (340).

Claims

1. A method for verifying attributes of an item to be transported by a delivery system operator, comprising:

obtaining the attributes of the item prior to supplying the item to the delivery system operator, wherein the attributes comprise one or more of a weight of the item, a thickness of the item, a tracking indicia placed on the item, an address placed on the item, and a delivery payment coding placed on the item;

verifying correctness of the attributes, wherein the verification comprises;

determining if the delivery payment coding placed on the item is correct based on a classification guideline database storing an appropriate delivery payment in view of the weight of the item, a size of the item, the thickness of the item, and the tracking indicia placed on the item, and

determining a readability of a tracking indicia; and

transmitting an indication of the correctness of the attributes to the delivery system operator over a communications system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining stage further comprises at least one of the following:

weighing the item, capturing an image of the item, and sensing the thickness of the item.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing as the tracking indicia at least one of the following:

a bar code and a PLANET code.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing as the delivery payment coding at least one of the following:

a bar code, an image indicating an account from which delivery payment has been made, and a postage stamp.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing the item comprising at least one of the following:

a mailpiece, a United States Postal Service Priority Mail package, and a United States Postal Service Express Mail Package.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying stage further comprises determining the correctness of a tracking indicia.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying stage further comprises determining if the item was sorted correctly.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting stage further comprises encrypting the indication of the correctness of the attributes before transmitting it to the delivery system operator.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving master sort data;

determining a correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data; and

transmitting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data to the delivery system operator over the communications system.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining if additional payment is due based on the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting stage further comprises encrypting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data before transmitting it to the delivery system operator.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising transmitting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data to a user over the communications system.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising encrypting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data before transmitting it to the user over the communications system.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the indication of the correctness of the attributes to a user over the communications system.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising encrypting the indication of the correctness of the attributes before transmitting it to the user.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing in the communications system at least one of the following:

regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, and an interactive voice response system.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising preparing the item with an inserter.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing the item in the delivery system directed to a recipient.

19. A system for verifying attributes of an item to be transported by a delivery system operator, comprising:

a component for obtaining the attributes of the item prior to supplying the item to the delivery system operator, wherein the attributes comprise one or more of a weight of the item, a thickness of the item, a tracking indicia placed on the item, an address placed on the item, and a delivery payment coding placed on the item;

a component for verifying correctness of the attributes, wherein the verification comprises;

determining if the delivery payment coding placed on the item is correct based on a classification guideline database storing an appropriate delivery payment in view of the weight of the item, a size of the item, the thickness of the item, and the tracking indicia placed on the item, and

determining a readability of a tracking indicia; and

a component for transmitting an indication of the correctness of the attributes to the delivery system operator over a communications system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the component for obtaining further comprises at least one of the following:

a component for weighing the item, a component for capturing an image of the item, and a component for sensing the thickness of the item.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the tracking indicia comprises at least one of the following:

a bar code and a PLANET code.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the delivery payment coding comprises at least one of the following:

a bar code, an image indicating an account from which delivery payment has been made, and a postage stamp.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the item comprises at least one of the following:

a mailpiece, a United States Postal Service Priority Mail package, and a United States Postal Service Express Mail Package.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the component for verifying further comprises a component for determining the correctness of a tracking indicia.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the component for verifying further comprises a component for determining if the item was sorted correctly.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the component for transmitting further comprises a component for encrypting the indication of the correctness of the attributes before transmitting it to the delivery system operator.

27. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

a component for receiving master sort data;

a component for determining a correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data; and

a component for transmitting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data to the delivery system operator over the communications system.

28. The system of claim 27 further comprising a component for determining if additional payment is due based on the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the component for transmitting further comprises a component for encrypting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data before sending it to the delivery system operator.

30. The system of claim 27 further comprising a component for transmitting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data to a user over the communications system.

31. The system of claim 27 further comprising a component for encrypting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data before sending it to the user over the communications system.

32. The system of claim 19 further comprising a component for transmitting the indication of the correctness of the attributes to a user over the communications system.

33. The system of claim 32 further comprising a component for encrypting the indication of the correctness of the attributes before transmitting it to the user.

34. The system of claim 19 further comprising a component for utilizing in the communications system at least one of the following:

regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, and an interactive voice response system.

35. The system of claim 19 further comprising a component for preparing the item with an inserter.

36. The system of claim 19 further comprising a component for placing the item in the delivery system directed to a recipient.

37. A method for verifying attributes of an item, comprising:

preparing the item with an inserter;

obtaining the attributes of the item prior to placing the item in a delivery system by at least one of weighing the item, capturing an image of the item, and sensing the thickness of the item, the attributes comprising at least one of a weight of the item, a thickness of the item, a tracking indicia placed on the item, an address placed on the item, and a delivery payment coding placed on the item;

the tracking indicia comprising at least one of the following;

a bar code and a PLANET code, and the delivery payment coding comprising at least one of the following;

a bar code, an image indicating an account from which delivery payment has been made, and a postage stamp;

verifying correctness of the attributes, comprising;

determining if the delivery payment coding placed on the item is correct by utilizing a classification guideline database indicating an appropriate delivery payment in view of the weight of the item, the size of the item, the thickness of the item, and the tracking indicia,

determining a readability of the tracking indicia,

determining the correctness of the tracking indicia, and

determining if the item was sorted correctly;

encrypting an indication of the correctness of the attributes;

transmitting the indication of the correctness of the attributes to a delivery system operator and a user over a communications system, the communications system comprising at least one of the following;

regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, and an interactive voice response system;

receiving master sort data;

determining a correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data;

encrypting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data;

transmitting the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data to the delivery system operator and the user over the communications system;

determining if additional payment is due based on the correlation between how the item was sorted and the master sort data; and

placing the item in the delivery system directed to a recipient.