Method of outsorting return to sender mail using an incoming mail sorting apparatus
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsJohn H. Steinmetz, Robert K. Gottlieb, Joseph D. Mallozzi, Edward P. Daniels JR.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The an embodiment of the present invention generally comprises a mailpiece sorting apparatus including an addressee database and a state/ZIP Code list generated from the addressee database. Mailpieces for which the addressee cannot be determined are processed using ZIP Code and/or State information read from the mailpiece. The state/ZIP Code information read from the mailpiece is compared to the state/ZIP Code list to determine if there is a match. If there is not match, the mailpiece is sorted to a “return to sender” bin.
Claims15
A method of sorting return to sender mailpieces using a mailpiece sorting apparatus, the mailpiece sorting apparatus comprising a control system, memory devices and an addressee database, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. obtaining addressee information and address information for an addressee from a mailpiece using the mailpiece sorting apparatus;
- b. comparing information obtained from the mailpiece to addressee and address information from the addressee database in an attempt to determine the addressee of the mailpiece;
- c. determining whether address information was determined with a level of confidence indicative of correct information if the addressee can not be determined in step b;
- d. comparing the address information with information from the addressee database if the address information was determined with a level of confidence indicative of correct information;
- e. delivering the mailpiece to a reject bin if address information compared to information from the addressee database matches information in the addressee database;
- and
- f. delivering the mailpiece to a return to sender bin if address information compared to information from the addressee database does not match information in the addressee database.
A method of sorting return to sender mailpieces using a mailpiece sorting apparatus, the mailpiece sorting apparatus comprising a control system, memory devices and an addressee database, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. obtaining addressee information including state and ZIP Code information for an addressee from a mailpiece using the mailpiece sorting apparatus;
- b. creating a state/ZIP Code list from the addressee database;
- c. comparing addressee information obtained from the mailpiece to addressee and address information from the addressee database in an attempt to determine the addressee of the mailpiece;
- d. comparing information obtained from the mailpiece to addressee and address information from the addressee database to determine whether the addressee can be determined;
- e. determining if the ZIP code information for the addressee was determined with an level of confidence indicative of correct information if the addressee was not determined in step d;
- f. determining if the ZIP Code is in the state/ZIP Code list created from the addressee database if the ZIP Code information for the addressee was determined with a level of confidence indicative of correct information;
- delivering the mailpiece to a reject bin if in step f the ZIP Code is in the state/ZIP Code list created from the addressee database;
- and
- g. delivering the mailpiece to a return to sender bin if the ZIP Code is not in state/ZIP Code list created from the addressee database.
A method of sorting return to sender mailpieces using a mailpiece sorting apparatus, the mailpiece sorting apparatus comprising a control system, memory devices and an addressee database, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. obtaining addressee information including state and ZIP Code information for an addressee from a mailpiece using the mailpiece sorting apparatus;
- b. creating a state/ZIP Code list from the addressee database;
- c. comparing addressee information obtained from the mailpiece to addressee and address information from the addressee database in an attempt to determine the addressee of the mailpiece;
- d. comparing information obtained from the mailpiece to addressee and address information from the addressee database to determine whether the addressee can be determined;
- e. determining if the state information for the addressee was determined with an level of confidence indicative of correct information if the addressee was not determined in step d;
- f. determining if the state is in the state/ZIP Code list created from the addressee database if the state information for the addressee was determined with a level of confidence indicative of correct information;
- g. delivering the mailpiece to a reject bin if in step f the state is in the state/ZIP Code list created from the addressee database;
- and
- h. delivering the mailpiece to a return to sender bin if the state is not in state/ZIP Code list created from the addressee database.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.