Methods and systems for forwarding an item to an alternative address

• US 8,103,716 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America), Telogy Networks, Inc. (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Boyce, John H., Payne, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US10/953,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,672 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/227, 709/229, 709/224, 709/206, 455/90.2, 370/354, 705/401, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 709/203
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for forwarding an item in a delivery system may comprise scanning a first address label on an item to produce scan data and converting the scan data into first address data. Furthermore, systems and methods for forwarding the item may comprise determining if an alternative address exists in a change of address database, the alternative address corresponding to the captured first address data. Moreover, systems and methods for forwarding the item may comprise forwarding the item to a location corresponding to the alternative address if it was determined that the alternative address exists in the change of address database.

Claims

1. A method for forwarding an item, comprising:

scanning a first address label on an item to produce scan data;

converting the scan data into first address data corresponding to a physical address;

determining whether an alternative address for the first address data exists in a change of address database, based on a determination that the item is undeliverable to a location corresponding to the first address data and before making an attempt to deliver the item to the physical address;

forwarding the item to a location corresponding to the alternative address when it is determined that the alternative address exists in the change of address database, wherein forwarding the item to the location corresponding to the alternative address comprises;

transmitting a notice to a sender of the item, the notice indicating the existence of the alternative address and a first fee for forwarding the item to the alternative address;

receiving, in a response to the notice, an indication that the sender of the item wants the item forwarded to the location corresponding to the alternative address and the first fee;

after receiving the indication and first fee, generating a second address label corresponding to the alternative address and physically placing the second address label on the item; and

delivering the item to the location corresponding to the alternative address without returning the item to the sender; and

after the item is forwarded, providing information related to the alternative address to the sender for a second fee.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first address data comprises location information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first address data comprises location information and name information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein physically placing the second address label on the item comprises:

printing the alternative address on top of the first address label corresponding to the first address data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the sender of the item with a list of one or more items sent by the sender that have been forwarded and alternate addresses corresponding to locations to which the items have been forwarded.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing item identification information from the item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the item identification information comprises a barcode.

8. A system for forwarding an item, comprising:

means for scanning a first address label on an item to produce scan data;

means for converting the scan data into first address data corresponding to a physical address;

means for determining whether an alternative address for the first address data exists in a change of address database, based on a determination that the item is undeliverable to a location corresponding to the first address data and before making an attempt to deliver the item to the physical address;

means for forwarding the item to a location corresponding to the alternative address when it is determined that the alternative address exists in the change of address database, wherein the means for forwarding the item to the location corresponding to the alternative address comprises;

means for transmitting a notice to a sender of the item, the notice indicating the existence of the alternative address and a first fee for forwarding the item to the alternative address;

means for receiving, in a response to the notice, an indication that the sender of the item wants the item forwarded to the location corresponding to the alternative address and the first fee;

means for generating, after receiving the indication and first fee, a second address label corresponding to the alternative address and means for physically placing the second address label on the item; and

means for delivering the item to the location corresponding to the alternative address without returning the item to the sender; and

means for providing, after the item is forwarded, information related to the alternative address to the sender for a second fee.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first address data comprises location information.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first address data comprises location information and name information.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein means for physically placing the second address label on the item comprises:

means for printing the alternative address on top of the first address label corresponding to the first address data.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for providing the sender of the item with a list of one or more items sent by the sender that have been forwarded and alternate addresses corresponding to locations to which the items have been forwarded.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for capturing item identification information from the item.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the item identification information comprises a barcode.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions for performing a method for forwarding an item, the method comprising:

converting scan data produced from a first address label on an item into first address data corresponding to a physical address;

determining whether an alternative address for the first address data exists in a change of address database, based on a determination that the item is undeliverable to a location corresponding to the first address data and before making an attempt to deliver the item to the physical address;

forwarding the item to a location corresponding to the alternative address when it is determined that the alternative address exists in the change of address database, wherein forwarding the item to the location corresponding to the alternative address comprises;

transmitting a notice to a sender of the item, the notice indicating the existence of the alternative address and a first fee for forwarding the item to the alternative address;

receiving an indication, in response to the notice, that the sender of the item wants the item forwarded to the location corresponding to the alternative address and the first fee;

after receiving the indication and first fee, generating a second address label corresponding to the alternative address and physically placing the second address label on the item; and

delivering the item to the location corresponding to the alternative address without returning the item to the sender; and

after the item is forwarded, providing information related to the alternative address to the sender for a second fee.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first address data comprises location information.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first address data comprises location information and name information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein physically placing the second address label on the item comprises:

printing the alternative address on top of the first address label corresponding to the first address data.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

providing the sender of the item with a list of one or more items sent by the sender that have been forwarded and alternate addresses corresponding to locations to which the items have been forwarded.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein item identification information is captured from the item.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the item identification information comprises a barcode.

22. An apparatus for forwarding an item, comprising:

a memory having a program that;

converts scan data produced from a first address label on an item into first address data corresponding to a physical address;

determines whether an alternative address for the first address data-exists in a change of address database, based on a determination that the item is undeliverable to a location corresponding to the first address data and before making an attempt to deliver the item to the physical address;

transmits a notice to a sender of the item, the notice indicating the existence of the alternative address and a first fee for forwarding the item to the alternative address,

receives an indication, in response to the notice, that the sender of the item wants the item forwarded to a location corresponding to the alternative address and the first fee;

after receiving the indication and fee, generates a second address label corresponding to the alternative address and physically places the second address label on the item;

forwards the item to the location corresponding to the alternative address without returning the item to the sender; and

after the item is forwarded, provides information related to the alternative address to the sender for a second fee; and

a processor that runs the program.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first address data comprises location information.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first address data comprises location information and name information.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the program that physically places the second address label on the item comprises:

a program that prints the alternative address on top of the first address label corresponding to the first address data.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sender of the item is provided with a list of one or more items sent by the sender that have been forwarded and alternate addresses corresponding to locations to which the items have been forwarded.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein item identification information is captured from the item.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the item identification information comprises a barcode.