Patent ID: 6822182
Filing Date: 2004-11-23
Classification: B07C,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for sorting mail pieces for delivery by a carrier, wherein the mail pieces include both letters and flats, comprising:a) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of letters, each letter having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of a predetermined number of delivery destinations for a carrier delivery route, using an automated sorting machine which scans each destination code and stores it in a computer memory; b) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of flats, each flat having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of the predetermined number of delivery destinations for the carrier delivery route, using the same automated sorting machine which scans each destination code and stores it in a computer memory; c) repeating steps (a) and (b) using the scanned and stored destination codes according to a computer-implemented sort scheme which results, after two or more sorting passes, in a series of groups of mail pieces, each corresponding to a delivery destination on the carrier delivery route, which groups may include letters only, flats only, or both letters and flats, and which groups are in delivery route order, and within each group mail pieces are divided into subgroups of letters and flats, which subgroups alternate with one another when two groups of mail having both letters and flats for their respective destinations are sorted in the series in delivery route order; d) identifying those groups wherein the last mail piece in a group is of the same type as the first mail piece in the next group; and e) inserting a divider between adjacent groups in the series whenever a last mail piece in a group addressed to one destination is of the same type as a first mail piece in the next group.