Messaging Services for Uniquely Identified Mail
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Europäisches Patentamt *EP001246134A1* (19) European Patent Office Office européen des brevets (11) EP 1 246 134 A1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (43) Date of publication: (51) Int Cl.7: G07B 17/00 02.10.2002 Bulletin 2002/40 (21) Application number: 02006682.5 (22) Date of filing: 26.03.2002 (84) Designated Contracting States: (72) Inventor: Sansone, Ronald P. AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU Weston, CT 06883 (US) MC NL PT SE TR Designated Extension States: (74) Representative: HOFFMANN - EITLE AL LT LV MK RO SI Patent- und Rechtsanwälte Arabellastrasse 4 (30) Priority: 27.03.2001 US 818800 81925 München (DE) (71) Applicant: PITNEY BOWES INC. Stamford, Connecticut 06926-0700 (US) (54) Messaging services for uniquely identified mail (57) A method that enables the recipient to receive sender to the same recipient on the same day) so that notification of the letters, flats and/or packages (mail) the mail may be more easily identified by the carrier, that the recipient is going to receive prior to the delivery sender and the recipient. For instance, the recipient may of the mail. The recipient is then able to inform a post or want the mail physically delivered to their house faster courier i.e., Federal Express®, Airborne®, United Par- or slower, or the mail physically redirected to the recip- cel Service®, DHL®, etc., of the manner in which the ient's temporary address, or physically delivered to the recipient would like the mail delivered. The post and recipient's agent, or physically delivered to the recipi- courier hereinafter will be referred to as "carrier". The ent's attorney, or physically returned to the mailer, or invention also allows the carrier to uniquely identify each have the carrier open the physical mail and have the piece or parcel of mail (even if they are from the same carrier e-mail or fax the contents of the mailpiece to the recipient and/or parties designated by the recipient. EP 1 246 134 A1 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) 1 EP 1 246 134 A1 2 Description to as "carrier". The invention also allows the carrier to uniquely identify each piece or parcel of mail (even if [0001] The invention relates generally to the field of they are from the same sender to the same recipient on mail delivery systems and, more particularly, to systems the same day) so that the mail may be more easily iden- that may deliver mail by physical and/or electronic 5 tified by the carrier, sender and the recipient. For in- means. stance, the recipient may want the mail physically deliv- [0002] People have directly transmitted information ered to their house faster or slower, or the mail physically from one person to another. Information was first trans- redirected to the recipient's temporary address, or phys- mitted by spoken word and later by the written word. ically delivered to the recipient's agent, or physically de- Writings enabled people to transmit information by mes- 10 livered to the recipient's attorney, or physically returned sengers from a location in which the sender of the writing to the mailer, or have the carrier open the physical mail was present to another location where the receiver was and have the carrier e-mail or fax the contents of the present. In time, postal services were developed in mailpiece to the recipient and/or parties designated by which a person would deliver letters to the post office in the recipient. one city, and an agent of the post office would deliver 15 [0006] This invention accomplishes the foregoing by that letter to a post office in another city, where the letter depositing with the carrier mail containing the recipient's mail would be picked up by the person to whom the letter name and physical address and the sender's name and was sent. address; placing a unique number on the mail; capturing [0003] Ever since the numeric codification of streets the name, physical address of the recipient and the and buildings received general acceptance, an individ- 20 sender, and the unique number; translating the name ual's name and household postal address have been and physical address of the recipient into an e-mail ad- linked. The sender of a letter or package would deliver dress; notifying the recipient of the availability of the de- a letter or package to the post that had the correct re- posited mail by the unique number assigned to the mail; cipient postal address, and the post would deliver the notifying the carrier of the manner in which the recipient letter or package to the numeric street address of the 25 would like the mail delivered; and delivering mail to the recipient of the letter or package. A correct recipient recipient in the manner specified by the recipient to the postal address for the delivery of the letter or package carrier. to the recipient included the name of the recipient; the street address of the recipient; the city and state of the Fig. 1A is a drawing of a metered mailpiece; recipient; and the zip code of the recipient. Thus, the 30 Fig. 1B is a drawing of a permit mailpiece; correct recipient postal address is usually the actual lo- Fig. 1C is a drawing of a stamped mailpiece; cation of the recipient. Fig. 1D is a drawing of a flat or package that is going [0004] Typically, it takes the post three to five days to to be delivered by a carrier; deliver letters and/or packages to a recipient. Some- Figs. 1A-1D show various methods of evidence for times, recipients of letters and packages like to know 35 the payment of postage. It will be obvious to one what letters and packages they are going to receive be- skilled in the art that additional methods of evidence fore they receive them. For instance, if someone is going for the payment of postage exist; on a trip, they may want to receive their bills, i.e., credit Fig. 1E is a drawing of a metered mailpiece, that card, electric, gas, oil, hospital, doctor, etc., before they has been metered with a digital meter that affixes a leave on the trip so that they may pay the bills before a 40 unique number to the mailpiece; finance charge for late payment of the bill is applied to Fig. 1F is a drawing of a metered mailpiece, that their account. Someone may also want to receive a has been metered with a personal computer meter package before they go on a trip so that they may take that affixes a unique number to the mailpiece; the contents of the package on the trip. The recipient Fig. 2 is a drawing showing how this invention may may also want to delay delivery of a particular letter or 45 be used by a post in the processing of letter mail; package until they return from their trip. The reason for Fig. 3 is a drawing showing how this invention may the foregoing may be that the recipient does not want to be used by the post and/or a courier in the process- retrieve the letter or package at the post office or have ing of flats and packages; the letter or package waiting at a vacant house. Fig. 4 is a drawing of the information that appears [0005] This invention overcomes the disadvantages 50 on one or more of receiving devices 36 and of the prior art by providing a method that enables the Fig. 5 is a drawing of major mailer site 90. recipient to receive notification of the letters, flats and/ or packages (mail) that the recipient is going to receive [0007] Referring now to the drawings in detail and prior to the delivery of the mail. The recipient is then able more particularly to Fig. 1A, the reference character 11 to inform a post or courier i.e., Federal Express®, Air- 55 represents a mailpiece that has a sender address field borne®, United Parcel Service®, DHL®, etc., of the 12, a recipient address field 13 and a postal indicia 14. manner in which the recipient would like the mail deliv- Mailpiece 11 also contains a unique number 110. Unique ered. The post and courier hereinafter will be referred number 110 may be in the form of numbers, letters or 2 3 EP 1 246 134 A1 4 alphanumeric characters. Number 110 may also take ice unsorted. Collection letter mail is sent to advanced the form of a unique bar code or other coded graphic. facer canceller (hereinafter "AFCS") 22. AFCS 22 first Number 110 is affixed to mailpiece 11 by the post. The faces the letter mail. Then AFCS 22 electronically iden- manner in which number 110 is affixed to mailpiece 11 tifies and separates prebarcoded mail, handwritten ad- hereinafter will be described in the description of Fig. 2. 5 dresses and machine-imprinted address pieces for fast- [0008] Fig. 1B is a drawing of a permit mailpiece. Mail- er processing through automation. A printer 120 or piece 15 has a sender address field 16, a recipient ad- AFCS 22 will print unique number 110 on mailpieces 11, dress field 17 and a permit 18. Mailpiece 15 also con- 15 and 19 (Figs 1A, 1B, 1C). Unique number 110 may tains a unique number 110. Unique number 110 may be contain the serial number of printer 120 plus a unit count in the form of numbers, letters or alphanumeric charac- 10 of the mailpiece printed or the serial number of AFCS ters.