Postal package delivery system

• US 8,027,933 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2008
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Piece Future Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Moons, Jan Lode Mia, Bruynooghe, Bert, Lou, Zhe, Van Broeck, Sigurd
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US12/332,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 705/336, 705/338
• US Class Current: 705/336
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/12 using electric or electronic detecting means B07C3/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/18 Devices or arrangements for indicating destination, e.g. by code marks applying data to information carriers G06K1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

The present invention relates to a Postal package delivery system for forwarding a packet from a sender towards a destination through a postal network where the postal network comprises a plurality of postal nodes for sorting and forwarding the package through said network via at least one node of said plurality of postal nodes towards the destination. The forwarding of the package is based on the address of said destination, where a tag associating device is able to associate a tag of the package flexibly with a physical address of a plurality of addresses of said destination.

Claims

1. A postal package delivery system for forwarding a package from a sender towards a destination through a postal network, said postal network comprising a plurality of postal nodes (TPN1, TPN2, TPN3) for sorting and forwarding said package through said network via at least one node of said plurality of postal nodes (TPN1, TPN2, TPN3) towards said destination, said forwarding being based on an address of said destination, wherein said package delivery system additionally comprises:

a. a tag associating device (TAG-ASSO), adapted to associate information of a tag of said package flexibly with a physical address of a plurality of addresses of said destination,

wherein said tag associating device (TAG-ASSO) is adapted to retrieve said information of said tag of said package together with a telephone number associated with said destination of said package, said information of said tag and said telephone number associated with said destination being received from a sender'"'"'s mobile user device that is adapted to read said tag to acquire said information of said tag, and is further adapted to transmit read and acquired tag information to said tag associating device (TAG-ASSO).

2. The postal package delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said postal package delivery system additionally comprises:

b. a central tag resolution device (TAG-RES), adapted to resolve said address of said destination associated with said information of said tag of said package at request of a postal node of said plurality of postal nodes (TPN1, TPN2, TPN3).

3. The postal package delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said system additionally comprises:

c. tracking means (TRK), adapted to keep track of the location of said package at reaching a postal node;

d. notification means (NOT), adapted to notify said sender or destination of said location of said package within the postal network.

4. The postal package delivery system according to claim 1 wherein said tag associating device (TAG-ASSO), further is adapted to resolve said physical destination address from a user profile holding part (UP) based on a phone number associated with said destination.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said tag associating device (TAG-ASSO) being adapted to associate said information of said tag of said package flexibly with said a physical address of a plurality of addresses of said destination.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein said central tag resolution device (TAG-RES) being, adapted to resolve the destination address associated with said information of said tag of said package at request of a postal node of said plurality of postal nodes (TPN1, TPN2, TPN3).

7. The postal package delivery system according to claim 1, wherein said received telephone number associated with said destination is received via a sender selection of a destination on said sender'"'"'s mobile user device.