Patent ID: 8085980
Filing Date: 2011-12-27
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. A centralized recognition system for sorting mail comprising: a first computer having a first processor adapted to obtain, during a first sorting operation, a first image of at least one surface of a mail piece; a second computer having a second processor and being adapted to receive from the first computer the mail piece image, a first request for address recognition and a first request for virtual identification signature extraction, the second computer adapted to create a database record in a mail piece database, the database record corresponding to the mail piece and being identified by a unique mail piece identification number; and a third computer having a third processor and being adapted to receive from the second computer the mail piece image, the first request for address recognition and the first request for virtual identification signature extraction, wherein the third computer is adapted to perform an automatic address recognition process on the mail piece image and to determine a virtual identification signature based on the mail piece image and a portion of a result of the automatic address recognition process, the third computer being adapted to provide the result of the automatic address recognition process and the virtual identification signature to the second computer, wherein the second computer is further adapted to provide the result of the automatic address recognition process to the first computer and to update the database record to include the result of the automatic address recognition process and the virtual identification signature, wherein the first computer is further adapted to receive the result of the automatic address recognition process and provide a sort attribute to a mail processing machine and, after the mail piece is sorted, to update the database record with a sort bin attribute and adjacency information associated with a preceding mail piece and to update a preceding mail piece database record with adjacency information associated with the mail piece, wherein, during a second sorting operation subsequent to the first sorting operation, the first computer obtains a second image of at least one surface of the mail piece and attempts to identify the mail piece using a unique indicium in the second image, wherein if a unique indicium is found then the database record for the mail piece is retrieved and the mail piece is sorted using the information in the database record, if a unique indicium is not found, then the first computer adds an entry to an unmatched mail piece list and the second image, a second request for address recognition and a second request for virtual identification signature extraction, wherein, the second computer is adapted to create, during the second sorting operation, a new database record for the mail piece and to provide the second image, the second request for address recognition and the second request for virtual identification signature extraction of the second image to the third computer, wherein the third computer is adapted to perform an automatic address recognition process on the second image and to determine a virtual identification signature based on the second image and a portion of a result of the automatic address recognition process on the second image, the third computer is adapted to provide the result of the automatic address recognition process on the second image and the virtual identification signature of the second image to the second computer, wherein the second computer is adapted to provide the result of the automatic address recognition process on the second image and the virtual identification signature of the second image to the first computer and update the new database record with the result of the automatic address recognition process on the second image and the virtual identification signature of the second image, and wherein the first computer is adapted to add, during the second sorting operation, the result of the automatic address recognition process on the second image and the virtual identification signature of the second image to the entry in the unmatched mail piece list and, if there are entries in the unmatched mail piece list, to periodically and asynchronously perform a virtual identification signature matching process on any entries in the unmatched mail piece list.