Method and system for delivery of alternative or supplemental material to a designated recipient of a mail piece
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsTheresa Biasi, Andrei Obrea
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for delivering alternative material to a designated recipient of a mail piece. A user system scans a mail piece to read an identifier affixed thereto. The system uses information in the identifier to access a database and download alternative digital material provided by a mailer. The alternative material is then delivered electronically to a designated recipient of the mail piece.
Claims20
A method for delivering alterative material to a designated recipient of a mail piece, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) scanning said mail piece for address information;
- b) determining a recipient address in accordance with said address information;
- c) scanning said mail piece for an identifier and reading identifying information from said identifier;
- d) identifying and accessing said alternative material in accordance with said identifying information;
- and
- e) delivering said alternative material to said recipient address.
A method delivery of alternative material associated with a mail piece, said mail piece having affixed thereto an identifier associating said mail piece with said alternative material, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) storing said alternative material;
- b) receiving identifying information derived from scanning said identifier;
- from an intermediate recipient of said mail piece;
- and
- c) providing said alternative material to said intermediate recipient.
A system for delivering alterative material to a designated recipient of a mail piece, said mail piece having affixed thereto an identifier, comprising:
- a) a programmable controller;
- b) scanning means for scanning said mail piece, said scanning means communicating with said programmable controller;
- where
- c) said programmable controller has a communications link to a data base system and a second communications link to a plurality of addressable terminals, and is programmed to:
- c1) control said scanning means to scan said mail piece for address information;
- c2) determine a terminal address associated with said designated recipient in accordance with said address information;
- c3) control said scanning means to scan said mail piece for an identifier and read identifying information from said identifier;
- c4) identify and access said alternative material in accordance with said identifying information;
- and
- c5) deliver said alternative material to one of said terminals corresponding to said terminal address.
A method for creating mail pieces which are associated with alternative material, said alternative material being stored in a database system, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) generating said alternative material;
- b) obtaining an identifier uniquely associated with said alternative material;
- c) sending said alternative material to a database system for storage and linkage to said identifier.
- d) creating a corresponding mail piece;
- e) affixing said identifier to said mail piece;
- and
- f) mailing said mail piece.
A method for controlling a database system to provide alternative material to a mail recipient, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) receiving said alternative material from a mailer;
- obtaining an identifier uniquely associated with said alternative material;
- c) linking said alternative material with said identifier and storing said material;
- d) receiving said identifier from said mail recipient;
- and
- e) downloading said linked alternative material to said mail recipient
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.