Documenting mail work flow

• US 7,904,394 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lynch Marks LLC
• Original Assignee: Lynch Marks LLC
• Inventors: Marks, Peter, Lune, River C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): EPSTEIN, BRIAN M
• Application Number:
  US12/009,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4.X, 705/1, 235/375, 382/306
• US Class Current: 705/404
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Exemplary systems and methods for documenting mail work flows are provided. A mailing label is read and the label information stored in a database. Additional information about the mailing service may be added to the database. Billing and/or delivery information is added to the database. A mailing label is read at a postage machine and postage information including a rate is associated to the mailing label. The label information from the mailing label and the associated postage information are compared so that records having matching information can be reported together for billing of the mailing services. The records are updatable as well to provide for article tracking.

Claims

1. A method for documenting mail work flows, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of mailing labels, wherein each mailing label is a mailing label for an article and generated based on sender information and recipient information;

storing information regarding the plurality of mailing labels in a database in memory, wherein the stored information for each mailing label includes the sender information, the recipient information, and a tracking number assigned to the mailing label;

receiving postage information sent from a postage machine over a communication network, the postage information including a rate for mailing an article via a postal service, and a tracking number designated by a user of the postage machine; and

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor;

matches the assigned tracking number of a mailing label included in the stored label information with a corresponding tracking number included in the postage information, and

generates a report based on the stored label information and the associated postage information being matched as having the corresponding tracking number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating one of the plurality of labels comprises receiving a user designation concerning the mailing label information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the label information is provided by a contacts manager designated by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the postage information in the database in memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the postage information received from the postage machine includes information stored at the postage machine, the stored information including:

a plurality of rates, each rate associated with mailing one of a plurality of articles, and

a plurality of tracking numbers, each tracking number designated for association with a corresponding rate for mailing one of the plurality of articles.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking numbers further comprises a bar codes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the report is further based on specifications designated by a user.

8. A system for documenting mails work flows, the system comprising:

an input interface configured to receive postage information sent from a postage machine over a communication network, the postage information including a rate for mailing an article via a postal service and a tracking number designated by a user of the postage machine;

a database stored in memory, the database being configured to store;

information regarding a plurality of mailing labels, wherein each mailing label is a mailing label for an article and the information regarding each mailing label includes sender information, recipient information, and a tracking number assigned to the mailing label, and

the postage information received from the postage machine; and

a report generator executable by a processor to

match the assigned tracking number of a mailing label included in the stored label information with a corresponding tracking number included in the postage information, and

generate a report based on the stored label information and the postage information being matched as having the corresponding tracking number.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the input interface is further configured to receive the information regarding the plurality of labels, each label having been generated based on one or more user designations concerning the mailing label information.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a label generator executable by the processor to generate the mailing labels based on the designated label information.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the input interface is further configured to receive a scanned tracking number from the postage machine.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the input interface is further configured to receive information stored at the postage machine, the stored information including:

a plurality of rates, each rate associated with mailing one of a plurality of articles, and

a plurality of tracking numbers, each tracking number designated for association with a corresponding rate for mailing one of the plurality of articles.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the database is further configured to store the report based on the stored label information and the postage information having the corresponding tracking number.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the tracking numbers further comprises a bar codes.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for documenting mail work flows, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of mailing labels, wherein each mailing label is a mailing label for an article and generated based on sender information and recipient information;

storing information regarding the plurality of labels in a database, wherein the stored information for each mailing label includes the sender information, the recipient information, and a tracking number assigned to the mailing label;

receiving postage information sent from a postage machine, the postage information including a rate for mailing an article via a postal service, and a tracking number designated by a user of the postage machine;

matching the assigned tracking number of a mailing label included in the stored label information with a corresponding tracking number included in the postage information, and

generating a report based on the stored label information and the associated postage information being matched as having the corresponding tracking number.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the information received from the postage machine includes information stored at the postage machine, the stored information including:

a plurality of rates, each rate associated with mailing one of a plurality of articles, and

a plurality of tracking numbers, each tracking number designated for association with a corresponding rate for mailing one of the plurality of articles.