Systems, methods and devices for item processing

• US 9,795,997 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• 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: Dearing, Stephen M., Sherry, Carla F.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, TSUNG YIN
• Application Number:
  US13/834,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20140270356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 2301/0058 Verification for the correct postage amount
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/005 Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices for item processing. The systems can include a PASS module that can include features that receive inputs relating to an item for processing and provide those inputs to other components and/or modules of a PASS system and/or of another system. The PASS system can include a variety of modules, including the PASS module, and can collect information and/or inputs from the variety of modules of the PASS system and use that information in item processing. The methods of item processing can use the PASS system and the PASS module to perform a variety of functions including, for example, revenue protection, sorting of items, task management, sampling and data collection, redirecting if enroute items, and personnel management.

Claims

1. A system for item processing in an item distribution system comprising:

a camera configured to capture an image of a label located on a second item being processed by item processing equipment in the item distribution system, the label including data located thereon;

a database comprising an indicator of a label that has been associated with a first item that is different than the second item;

a processor in communication with the camera, wherein the processor is configured to;

generate scan data from the captured image of the label;

compare information from the scan data to the indicator in the database to identify a match indicating fraud; and

if a match is identified, then to cause the item processing equipment to do at least one of redirect the second item from a first path toward a first destination to a second path toward a second destination, remove the second item from circulation, test and/or sample the second item, seize the second item, or evaluate contents and/or physical characteristics of the second item;

wherein fraud is determined by any two or more of (a)-(i);

(a) payment discrepancies between paid-for services and provided services by verifying payment information and account holder,

(b) altering the provided services for a received item based on difference between actual cost received for service and required payment,

(c) redirecting an item based on the connection between the originated request of the sender and the entry of the request,

(d) unapproved use of a user account after exceeding number of action threshold of submitted items with label information that does not match with scan item information,

(e) label fraud by detecting use of duplicate labels,

(f) label fraud by detecting use of invalid labels,

(g) label fraud by detecting improper labeling,

(h) label fraud by querying label database and scan database, or

(i) payment fraud by related payment inputs and outputs of the matching account holder.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera is configured to capture an image of the item when a label on the item is viewable by the camera within a defined three-dimensional space.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to communicate the scan data to a central computing unit configured to store information and instructions related to the item.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to receive instructions relating to a disposition location of the item from the central computing unit.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cart and a boom, wherein the boom is connected to the cart at a first end and wherein a second end of the boom extends from the cart and the camera is located at the second end of the boom.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the output comprises at least one of an audible or visual output.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the visual output comprises a colored light.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the scan data uniquely identifies the item.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the label comprises information for determining item processing instructions.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein item processing instructions identify tasks relating to the item.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a physical characteristic of the item;

determine if information from the scan data corresponds to the physical characteristic of the item; and

provide instructions for further processing of the item based on whether the information from the scan data corresponds to the physical characteristic of the item.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein, if a match is not identified, the processor is further configured to:

identify an indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame;

determine if information from the scan data corresponds to the indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame; and

provide instructions for further processing of the item based on whether information from the scan data corresponds to the indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame.

13. A system for item processing in an item distribution system comprising:

a hardware implemented scan module configured to capture item information from an item being processed by item processing equipment in the item distribution system, the item information comprising physical characteristics of the item and to capture label information from a label located on the item, the label information comprising physical characteristics of an item associated with the label, and to generate scan data relating to the item information and the label information;

a computing system comprising a processor;

wherein the computing system is configured to;

receive the scan data;

determine a physical characteristic of the item based at least in part on the scan data relating to the item information;

determine if the determined physical characteristic of the item corresponds with the captured label information from the label located on the item; and

if a correspondence is not determined, thus indicating fraud, then to cause the item processing equipment to do at least one of redirect the item from a first path toward a first destination to a second path toward a second destination, remove the item from circulation, test and/or sample the item, seize the item, or evaluate contents and/or physical characteristics of the item wherein fraud is determined by any two or more of (a)-(i);

(a) payment discrepancies between paid-for services and provided services by verifying payment information and account holder,

(b) altering the provided services for a received item based on difference between actual cost received for service and required payment,

(c) redirecting an item based on the connection between the originated request of the sender and the entry of the request,

(d) unapproved use of a user account after exceeding number of action threshold of submitted items with label information that does not match with scan item information,

(e) label fraud by detecting use of duplicate labels,

(f) label fraud by detecting use of invalid labels,

(g) label fraud by detecting improper labeling,

(h) label fraud by querying label database and scan database, or

(i) payment fraud by related payment inputs and outputs of the matching account holder.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing system is further configured to update a first database with the scan data.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing system comprises a second database and a third database.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second database includes an indicator of scan data that has been associated with more than one item.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the third database includes an indicator of all of the scan images generated in a specified time frame.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the third database includes an indicator of all of the scan images generated in a designated past time period.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the item information comprises information for determining item processing instructions.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein item processing instructions identify tasks relating to the item.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the computing system is further configured to:

identify an indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame;

determine if information from the scan data corresponds to the indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame; and

provide instructions for further processing of the item based on whether information from the scan data corresponds to the indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame.

22. A method of item processing in an item

distribution system comprising:

capturing, by an imaging device, an image of a label located on a second item being processed by item processing equipment in the item distribution system, the label including data located thereon;

generating, by a processor, scan data from the captured image of the label;

comparing information from the scan data to an indicator of a label, in a database, that has been associated with a first item that is different than the second item, to identify a match which indicates fraud; and

if a match is identified, then causing the item processing equipment to do at least one of redirect the item from a first path toward a first destination to a second path toward a second destination, remove the item from circulation, test and/or sample the item, seize the item, or evaluate contents and/or physical characteristics of the item wherein fraud is determined by any two or more of (a)-(i);

(a) payment discrepancies between paid-for services and provided services by verifying payment information and account holder,

(b) altering the provided services for a received item based on difference between actual cost received for service and required payment,

(c) redirecting an item based on the connection between the originated request of the sender and the entry of the request,

(d) unapproved use of a user account after exceeding number of action threshold of submitted items with label information that does not match with scan item information,

(e) label fraud by detecting use of duplicate labels,

(f) label fraud by detecting use of invalid labels,

(g) label fraud by detecting improper labeling,

(h) label fraud by querying label database and scan database, or

(i) payment fraud by related payment inputs and outputs of the matching account holder.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

detecting the presence of the item within a defined three-dimensional image; and

triggering the capturing of the image in response to detecting the presence of the item.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising updating a local database with the scan data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the local database is updated with an indicator of the captured image.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing information relating to the captured image.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the information comprises a representation of the captured image.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the label comprises information for determining item processing instructions.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein item processing instructions identify tasks relating to the item.

31. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining a physical characteristic of the item;

determining if information from the scan data corresponds to the physical characteristic of the item; and

providing instructions for further processing of the item based on whether the information from the scan data corresponds to the physical characteristic of the item.

32. The method of claim 22 wherein, if a match is not identified, the method further comprises:

identifying an indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame;

determining if information from the scan data corresponds to the indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame; and

providing instructions for further processing of the item based on whether information from the scan data corresponds to the indicator of a label that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame.

40. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

detecting the presence of an item within a defined three-dimensional image; and

triggering the capturing of the image in response to detecting the presence of the item.

28. A method of item processing in an item distribution system comprising:

receiving information relating to a scan of a label associated with an item being processed by item processing equipment in the item distribution system;

comparing the received information to an indicator of a label in a database that is identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame; and

if the received information corresponds to the indicator of the label identified as having been scanned in a designated time frame, indicating fraud, then using the item processing equipment to do at least one of redirect the item from a first path toward a first destination to a second path toward a second destination, remove the item from circulation, test and/or sample the item, seize the item, or evaluate contents and/or physical characteristics of the item wherein fraud is determined by any two or more of (a)-(i);

(a) payment discrepancies between paid-for services and provided services by verifying payment information and account holder,

(b) altering the provided services for a received item based on difference between actual cost received for service and required payment,

(c) redirecting an item based on the connection between the originated request of the sender and the entry of the request,

(d) unapproved use of a user account after exceeding number of action threshold of submitted items with label information that does not match with scan item information,

(e) label fraud by detecting use of duplicate labels,

(f) label fraud by detecting use of invalid labels,

(g) label fraud by detecting improper labeling,

(h) label fraud by querying label database and scan database, or

(i) payment fraud by related payment inputs and outputs of the matching account holder.

33. A method of item processing in an item distribution system comprising:

capturing, using a hardware implemented scan module, item information from an item being processed by item processing equipment in the item distribution system, the item information comprising physical characteristics of the item;

capturing, using a hardware implemented scan module, label information from a label located on the item, the label information comprising physical characteristics of an item associated with the label;

determining if at least some of the captured item information comprising physical characteristics of the item corresponds to at least some of the captured label information comprising physical characteristic of an item associated with the label; and

if it is determined that the at least some of the captured item information does not correspond to the captured label information, indicating fraud, then causing the item processing equipment to do at least one of redirect the item from a first path toward a first destination to a second path toward a second destination, remove the item from circulation, test and/or sample the item, seize the item, or evaluate contents and/or physical characteristics of the item wherein fraud is determined by any two or more of (a)-(i);

(a) payment discrepancies between paid-for services and provided services by verifying payment information and account holder,

(b) altering the provided services for a received item based on difference between actual cost received for service and required payment,

(c) redirecting an item based on the connection between the originated request of the sender and the entry of the request,

(d) unapproved use of a user account after exceeding number of action threshold of submitted items with label information that does not match with scan item information,

(e) label fraud by detecting use of duplicate labels,

(f) label fraud by detecting use of invalid labels,

(g) label fraud by detecting improper labeling,

(h) label fraud by querying label database and scan database, or

(i) payment fraud by related payment inputs and outputs of the matching account holder.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

comparing the captured label information to a first database comprising an indicator of a label that has been associated with a second item that is different than the item being processed by the processing equipment; and

if the captured label information matches the indicator in the first database, then causing the item processing equipment to do at least one of redirect the item from a first path toward a first destination to a second path toward a second destination, remove the item from circulation, test and/or sample the item, seize the item, or evaluate contents and/or physical characteristics of the item.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising extracting information associated with the label from the captured label information.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising querying a database with the extracted information associated with the label for information relating to the requested service.

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising determining a payer.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

determining if the sender of the item is ascertainable; and

if the sender is ascertainable, indicating that the sender is the payer.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

determining if the intended recipient is ascertainable if the sender is not ascertainable; and

indicating that the intended recipient is the payer if the intended recipient is ascertainable.