Patent ID: 7698147
Filing Date: 2010-04-13
Classification: B07C,G06Q,G07B

Abstract:
1. A process for allocation of cost savings for members of a network of mail processing centers each having an associated set of one or more destination codes for which it receives mail addressed to destinations associated with such codes from other processing centers in the network, which network generates a net savings in processing costs by transferring mail between network processing centers prior to delivery to a final destination, comprising (a) determining a value of labor performed by each network processing center in processing of mail received from or sent to each of the other network processing centers; (b) determining a value of costs incurred by each network processing center in processing of mail received from or sent to each of the other network processing centers, which costs include destination-based sorting of such mail and transportation costs for transporting mail from one processing center to another; (c) inputting to a computer data comprising values determined in (a) and (b) and (d) using the computer to determine a value of cost savings generated by each network processing center by calculating a sum of labor performed and costs incurred for each processing center in the processing of mail, determining what costs each processing center incurred and what labor it performed on behalf of other processing centers, and determining what costs other processing centers incurred and what labor other processing centers performed on behalf of it.