System and method for processing returned mail

#The present invention relates generally to mail processing, and more particularly to a method, system, and program product for processing business mail that is returned to the sender due to an inaccurate or expired address for the intended recipient.

#Many businesses mail thousands or even millions of pieces of mail each month to customers, clients, and prospects. Such businesses include, for example, insurance companies, mortgage and finance companies, bulk mail advertisers, and credit card companies. Inevitably, a certain percentage of the items that are mailed each month by these businesses are returned to the sender, usually because the intended recipient has moved without notice or otherwise is no longer at the address to which the mail was sent. Other causes, such as incomplete addresses and local changes in addresses of residences in an area also may result in returned mail. Intended recipients also can change their names through marriage or otherwise, which also can result in returned mail.

#The processing of mail that is returned to sender historically has been a time-consuming labor-intensive process for high volume mail users. It is not uncommon for such high volume users to retain a staff of several employees whose job it is to receive the returned mail, manually research the reasons for the unsuccessful delivery, obtain, where possible, the correct addressing information for the intended recipient, and oversee a second mailing to the corrected address. Even with the availability of address updating services to aid in researching for the correct address, the process is substantially a manual one subject to human error and delays. Furthermore, the cost of maintaining a staff to handle returned mail, to update company address databases, and the postage expense that is incurred before the mail actually reaches the intended recipient is substantial. Finally, human error is always an issue with such manual systems.

#The invention is better understood by reading the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

#FIG. 1 illustrates the processing flow for the returned mail handling system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 illustrates the processing logic at the returned mail application servers for handling of mail determined to be undeliverable in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

#The present invention is directed to an improved method and system for processing returned mail that successfully addresses the problems with prior art methods. The methodology is offered to subscribers through a return mail processing service provider that can be centrally located or that can have regional locations. The return mail process is particularly applicable to high volume (bulk) mail users such as credit card companies, but is also applicable to any mail user who experiences and must deal with quantities of returned mail each month. The methodology of the process is described in the following.

#Each piece of mail to be sent by a subscriber to its own customers is optically encoded on its face or back side with a block of machine-readable data in the form of a two-dimensional (2-D) barcode that can include a wide variety of information. This information can include the name and address of the addressee, identifying information regarding the sender, electronic mail address of the sender, and virtually any other information useful to include on the mail. In reality, a relatively large volume of information can be encoded in such optical data blocks. For example, information related to the address history of the addressee and similar data can be included.

#Portable Data File 417 (PDF417) is the most widely used 2-D barcode. Developed by Symbol Technologies, Inc, this barcode can hold up to 1800 bytes of any digital data in a printed area the size of a business card. An optical scanner reads the barcode horizontally and vertically.