Automated Methods for the Handling of a Group Return Receipt for the Monitoring of a Group Delivery

• US 20090138558A1
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Benoit, Beth, Leland, Maureen G.
• Application Number:
  US11/945,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138558A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00024 Physical or organizational aspects of franking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0004 Determining the location of mailpieces outside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a methodology for monitoring the delivery of mail pieces to a predetermined grouping of recipients and notifying the sender of the completion of the delivery tasks to the group of recipients.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the delivery of mail pieces to an identified group of recipients, the method comprising:

identifying a group of mail pieces for delivery, wherein the mail piece group comprises at least two mail pieces;

monitoring the delivery status of each mail piece comprised within the mail piece group for a delivery event, wherein monitoring the delivery status of a mail piece for a delivery event comprises;

configuring an identified mail piece to generate a return receipt upon the delivery of the mail piece in the event that the mail piece is an electronic mail message;

monitoring for the return receipt that is generated by the electronic message upon the delivery of the electronic message; and

associating a delivery tracking identifier with an identified mail piece in the event that the mail piece is a physical mail message or package;

monitoring reported delivery tracking activity that is associated with the physical mail message or package delivery tracking identifier; and

generating an electronic notification message in the event that all of the identified mail pieces have been delivered to their intended recipients.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting a current delivery event status for each mail piece within a mail piece group.

3. A computer program product that includes a computer readable medium useable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to monitor the delivery of mail pieces to an identified group of recipients, by:

receiving information identifying a group of mail pieces for delivery, wherein the mail piece group comprises at least two mail pieces;

monitoring the delivery status of each mail piece comprised within the mail piece group for a delivery event, wherein monitoring the delivery status of a mail piece for a delivery event comprises;

configuring an identified mail piece to generate a return receipt upon the delivery of the mail piece in the event that the mail piece is an electronic mail message;

monitoring for the return receipt that is generated by the electronic message upon the delivery of the electronic message; and

associating a delivery tracking identifier with an identified mail piece in the event that the mail piece is a physical mail message or package;

monitoring reported delivery tracking activity that is associated with the physical mail message or package delivery tracking identifier; and

generating an electronic notification message in the event that all of the identified mail pieces have been delivered to their intended recipients.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, further comprising reporting a current delivery event status for each mail piece within a mail piece group.