ADAPTIVE INFORMATION & MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090313068A1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korber Supply Chain LLC
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Boerkei, Marcus, Carpenter, Michael D., Redford, Dale E., Worth, Floyd W. II
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00

Abstract

A method, AND apparatus are described to accurately measure the delivery performance of a postal service using without external agents in the measurement process. The invention describes a system that measures the postal logistic automatically, and continuously. The basis for measurement are tag mail pieces that circulate continuously through the postal system.

Claims

1. A method for tracking postal service performance using a computerized tracking system and tag mail pieces having machine readable indicia indicating an identification code for each tag, comprising:

(a) assigning delivery destinations to each tag mail piece using the system;

at an originating postal facility, sorting the tag mail pieces on postal mail sorting machines according to a sort scheme whereby the tag mail pieces are each grouped with mail addressed to the delivery destination assigned to the grouped tag mail piece;

(b) transporting the groups of mail grouped with tag mail pieces to a destinating postal facility;

(c) scanning the tags to determine date and time of arrival of each at a series of locations at which the scans are made, which scanning is carried out at multiple locations to determine transit times between locations for each tag, wherein the locations include originating postal facility, the destinating postal facility, and the delivery destinations;

(d) returning the tags from the delivery destinations to an originating postal facility which may be the same or different from the originating postal facility in step (a); and

(e) analyzing tag arrival data from step (c) using the system programmed to identify tag arrival data associated with postal performance problems.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a)-(e) are repeated in a cycle wherein tags scanned at delivery destinations at the end of one cycle and the start of the next are returned to the originating postal facility.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a) to (e) are conducted on a pair of first and second mail facilities at different geographic locations, wherein the first mail facility serves as originating mail facility for mail and tags transported to the second mail facility as destinating mail facility, and

the second mail facility serves as originating mail facility for mail and tags transported to the first mail facility as destinating mail facility.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a) to (d) are conducted continuously using a number of tag mail pieces which are each delivered to different destinations.

5. A system for tracking postal service performance, comprising:

a plurality of tag mail pieces each bearing a machine readable identification code;

a computerized tracking system that maintains a database of tracking data which reflects when each tag was scanned during a postal delivery cycle, which tracking system receives tracking data from postal mail sorting machines which scan the tag mail pieces and from manual scanning devices used to scan the tag mail pieces during postal delivery;

a communications system whereby the tracking system receives tracking data from a plurality of postal sorting machines and manual scanning devices; and

an automated analyzer that identifies tag arrival data associated with postal performance problems.