Patent ID: 11907890
Assignee: DEUTSCHE POST AG
Field: IT methods for management (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 12:
13. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause an apparatus at least to perform or control:
obtaining or causing obtaining first information representing a first string of characters with a first portion representative of a set of height levels of corresponding sections of at least a part of a surface of a first consignment unit;
determining or causing determining, based on the obtained first information, whether or not the first string of characters is present in a database; and
if the first string of characters is present in the database, at least one of (a) or (b):
(a) outputting or causing outputting shipping information associated with the first information representing the first string of characters in the database;
(b) outputting or causing outputting a control signal based on the shipping information for causing an external apparatus to perform a predetermined operation; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform or control:
if the first string of characters is not present in the database, the following steps (a), (b), and (c):
(a) obtaining or causing obtaining at least second information representing at least one first model string of characters with a first portion representative of a first model set of height levels of the corresponding sections of the at least a part of the surface of the first consignment unit;
(b) determining or causing determining, based on a metric function, whether or not at least one second string of characters is present in the database, a distance of which to the at least one first model string of characters and/or the first string of characters is below a second predefined threshold;
(c) if at least one second string of characters is present in the database, the distance of which to the at least one first model string of characters and/or the first string of characters is below the second predefined threshold, at least one of (c1), (c2):

(c1) outputting or causing outputting shipping information associated with information representing the at least one second string of characters in the database;
(c2) outputting or causing outputting a control signal based on the shipping information associated with information representing the at least one second string of characters for causing the external apparatus to perform the predetermined operation.