System and method for routing selection using statistical data

• US 8,078,293 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Campagna, Matthew J., Hammell, Bradley R., Monsen, Erik D. N., Reichman, Ronald, Ryan, Frederick W. Jr., Swenson, Michael P., Cordery, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp, Chad
• Application Number:
  US11/844,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 700/32, 700/400, 700/401, 700/402, 700/410, 705/400, 705/401, 705/402, 705/410
• US Class Current: 700/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00362 Calculation or computing within apparatus, e.g. calculation of postage value
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00467 Transporting mailpieces postal sorting B07C
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00379 Calculation of different sending options for a mail piece

Abstract

A system, method, and medium, the method including receiving parameter information associated with a mailer, associating the parameter information with a mailing, receiving statistical information, the statistical information including historical performance data of at least one carrier, determining a delivery sequence for the mailing based on the received mailer parameter information and the statistical information, and outputting the determined delivery sequence for the mailing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving parameter information including delivery constraints associated with a mailer;

associating the parameter information with a mailing;

receiving statistical information, the statistical information including historical delivery guarantee performance data of at least two carriers;

determining at least one routing sequence using at least one of the at least two carriers for the mailing based on the received mailer parameter information and the statistical information;

outputting the at least one determined routing sequence for the mailing; and

receiving parameter information associated with a recipient,

wherein said determining is further based on the received recipient parameter information, the at least one routing sequence includes two routing sequences and outputting the at least one determined routing sequence includes outputting two routing sequences.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mailer parameter information is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a mailer identifier, a type of mailing, a desired payment mechanism, a recipient address, a delivery constraint, pick-up/drop-off constraints, a purpose for mailing, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mailer parameter information includes default values.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analysis of previously received parameter information associated with the mailer; and

determining at least some values for the parameter information received from the mailer based on the analysis.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistical information is received from at least one of the at least one carrier and a recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistical information is received by an information broker.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the statistical information received by the information broker is shared with the information broker.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the statistical information is received according to the following:

periodically, on demand, based on the occurrence of a predetermined event, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mailing comprises at least one of a physical document and electronic data.

10. A system comprising:

an information broker; and

a mail box, the mail box comprising;

memory storing processor-executable instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory and operative in conjunction with the memory to execute the stored instructions to;

receive parameter information including delivery constraints associated with a mailer;

associate the parameter information with a mailing;

receive statistical information from the information broker, the statistical information including historical delivery guarantee performance data of at least two carriers;

determining at least one routing sequence using at least one of the at least two carriers for the mailing based on the received mailer parameter information and the statistical information; and

output the at least one determined routing sequence for the mailing, wherein,

the processor is further operative to receive parameter information associated with a recipient, the at least one routing sequence includes two routing sequences and outputting the at least one determined routing sequence includes outputting two routing sequences.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operative to:

perform address cleansing based on the received mailer parameter information; and

determine a recipient based on the address cleansing.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the mailer parameter information is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a mailer identifier, a type of mailing, a desired payment mechanism, a recipient address, a delivery constraint, pick-up/drop-off constraints, a purpose for mailing, and combinations thereof.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operative to:

process previously received parameter information associated with the mailer; and

determine at least some values for the parameter information received from the mailer based on the processing.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the statistical information is received by the information broker from at least one of the at least one carrier and a recipient.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the statistical information received from the information broker is shared with the information broker.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the statistical information is received according to the following:

periodically, on demand, based on the occurrence of a predetermined event, and combinations thereof.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the mailing comprises at least one of a physical document and electronic data.

18. A non-transitory medium having machine-executable instructions stored therein, the non-transitory medium comprising:

instructions to receive parameter information including delivery constraints associated with a mailer;

instructions to associate the parameter information with a mailing;

instructions to receive statistical information, the statistical information including historical delivery guarantee performance data of at least two carriers;

instructions to determine at least one routing sequence using at least one of the at least two carriers for the mailing based on the received mailer parameter information and the statistical information;

instructions to output the at least one determined routing sequence for the mailing,

instructions to analyze previously received parameter information associated with the mailer; and

instructions to determine at least some values for the parameter information received from the mailer based on the analysis, and

wherein the at least one routing sequence includes two routing sequences and outputting the at least one determined routing sequence includes outputting two routing sequences.