Remote encoding center automation systems and methods

• US 8,625,841 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Ovando, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Fitzpatrick, Atiba O
• Application Number:
  US13/351,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20130182888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 382100-102, 209584-587, 209900-903, 705401-404
• US Class Current: 382/101
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/10 Apparatus characterised by the means used for detection ofthe destination methods or arrangements for reading and recognising printed or written characters or geometric figures G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/12 using electric or electronic detecting means B07C3/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/955 using specific electronic processors
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/96 Management of image or video recognition tasks

Abstract

A nontransitory computer readable medium having stored thereon software instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations. The operations can include intercepting a request for manual processing of a mail piece image. The request can be transmitted by an originating MPE having failed to resolve the mail piece image. The request can be ignored and the mail piece scan image can be forwarded to an automated mail recognition system (AMRS). If the AMRS successfully resolved the image, a response, including a plurality of addressing data corresponding to the mail piece scan image, can be received from the AMRS. If the AMRS successfully resolved the image, at least a portion of the plurality of addressing data can be transmitted to the originating MPE. If the AMRS did not successfully resolve the image, the request can be forwarded to a manual mail recognition processing system.

Claims

1. A computer system configured to provide automated mail recognition processing to a legacy manual mail recognition processing system, said computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein software instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

receiving a manual mail recognition processing request from an originating mail processing component, said manual mail recognition processing request including a mail piece scan image, said originating mail processing component having failed to automatically resolve an address in said mail piece scan image, said manual mail recognition processing request requesting manual processing of said mail piece scan image by a human, said mail piece scan image comprising a digital image of at least a portion of a mail piece, said digital image capturing a plurality of digital image addressing information associated with said mail piece;

ignoring said request for manual processing of said mail piece scan image by a human and performing automated mail recognition processing of said mail piece scan image, said automated mail recognition processing including creating a plurality of computer recognized address portions if said automated mail recognition processing is successful, said plurality of computer recognized address portions corresponding to said plurality of digital image addressing information associated with said mail piece;

generating a mail piece scan image processing result, said mail piece scan image processing result containing said plurality of computer recognized address portions if said automated mail recognition processing is successful;

transmitting said mail piece scan image processing result to said originating mail processing component if said automated mail recognition processing is successful and said mail piece scan image processing results contains said plurality of computer recognized address portions; and

transmitting said mail piece scan image to said manual mail recognition system if said automated mail recognition processing is not successful and said mail piece scan image processing results does not contain said plurality of computer recognized address portions,

wherein said manual mail recognition system includes a plurality of human users, said human users performing manual mail recognition of said mail piece image if said mail piece scan image is transmitted to said manual mail recognition system.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said ignoring said request for manual processing of said mail piece scan image by a human and performing automated mail recognition processing of said mail piece scan image includes:

transmitting said mail piece scan image to a remote automated mail recognition system, and

receiving said plurality of computer recognized address portions from said remote automated mail recognition system if said remote automated recognition system is able to successfully resolve an address in said mail piece scan image.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said ignoring said request for manual processing of said mail piece scan image by a human and performing automated mail recognition processing of said mail piece scan image includes performing mail recognition processing on said mail piece scan image and creating said plurality of computer recognized address portions corresponding to said mail piece scan image.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computer recognized address portions includes a destination ZIP code of said mail piece.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computer recognized address portions includes a destination ZIP+4 code of said mail piece.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computer recognized address portions includes a destination eleven digit ZIP code of said mail piece, said eleven digit zip code including a ZIP+4 code and a two digit delivery point.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computer recognized address portions includes a destination mailing address of said mail piece.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein, when said automated mail recognition processing is unsuccessful, said operations further include:

receiving a manual mail recognition system response from said manual mail recognition system, said manual mail recognition system response containing a plurality of manually keyed addressing information, said plurality of manually keyed addressing information corresponding to said plurality of digital image addressing information associated with said mail piece; and

transmitting said manual mail recognition system response to said originating mail processing component.

9. A method for retrofitting a legacy manual mail recognition system with automated mail recognition processing without substantially altering the configuration of said existing legacy manual mail recognition system, the method comprising:

redirecting, at a network component, a mail piece scan image manual processing request to an automated recognition interception computer, said mail piece scan image manual processing request transmitted by a requesting mail processing component, said mail piece scan image manual processing request including a mail piece scan image, said mail piece scan image including a digital image representing at least a portion of a mail piece, and said mail piece scan image manual processing request requesting manual mail recognition processing to be performed on said mail piece scan image by a human;

receiving, at said automated recognition interception computer, a mail piece scan image manual processing request;

processing said mail piece scan image, said processing including creating a plurality of computer recognized address portions if said processing is successful, said plurality of computer recognized address portions corresponding to the addressing information of said mail piece captured in said mail piece scan image;

generating a mail piece scan image processing result, said mail piece scan image processing result including at least a portion of said plurality of computer recognized address portions if said processing was successful;

transmitting, from said automated recognition interception computer, said mail piece scan image processing result to said requesting mail processing component if said processing was successful; and

transmitting, from an automated recognition interception computer, said mail piece scan image to a manual recognition system for manual processing if said processing was unsuccessful.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said processing said mail piece scan image includes:

transmitting said mail piece scan image to a remote automated mail recognition system, and

receiving said plurality of computer recognized address portions from said remote automated mail recognition system if said remote automated recognition system is able to successfully process said mail piece scan image.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said processing said mail piece scan image includes performing, at said automated recognition interception computer, mail recognition processing on said mail piece scan image, said mail recognition processing creating said plurality of computer recognized address portions corresponding to said mail piece scan image.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said plurality of computer recognized address portions includes a destination ZIP code of said mail piece.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said plurality of computer recognized address portions includes a destination ZIP+4 code of said mail piece.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said plurality of computer recognized address portions includes a destination eleven digit ZIP code of said mail piece, said eleven digit zip code including a ZIP+4 code and a two digit delivery point.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

if said processing is unsuccessful, receiving a manual mail recognition system response from said manual mail recognition system, said manual mail recognition system response containing a plurality of manually keyed addressing information, said plurality of manually keyed addressing information corresponding to said plurality of digital image addressing information associated with said mail piece; and

transmitting said manual mail recognition system response to said originating mail processing component.

16. The method of claim 9, where said network component is a switch.

17. The method of claim 9, where said network component is a router.

18. A nontransitory computer readable medium having stored thereon software instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

intercepting a manual mail recognition processing request requesting manual processing of a mail piece image, said manual mail recognition processing request transmitted by an originating mail processing component having failed to resolve the mail piece image;

after receiving the manual mail recognition processing request, ignoring the manual mail recognition processing request and instead forwarding said mail piece scan image to an automated mail recognition processing system;

receiving an automated mail recognition processing response from said automated mail recognition processing system, said automated mail recognition processing response including a plurality of addressing data corresponding to said mail piece scan image if said automated mail recognition processing system was able to successfully resolve said mail piece image;

transmitting at least a portion of said plurality of addressing data to said originating mail processing component if said automated mail recognition processing system was able to successfully resolve said mail piece scan image; and

forwarding said manual mail recognition processing request to a legacy manual mail recognition processing system if said automated mail recognition processing system was not able to successfully resolve said mail piece scan image.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein said operations further comprise:

if said automated mail recognition processing system was not able to successfully process said mail piece image, intercepting a manual mail recognition system response from said manual mail recognition system, said manual mail recognition system response containing a plurality of addressing data corresponding to said mail piece scan image; and

transmitting at least a portion of said plurality of addressing data to said originating mail processing component.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein said plurality of addressing data corresponding to said mail piece scan image includes a destination ZIP code of said mail piece.