Patent ID: 6674038
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: B07C,G07B,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for distributing mail items, which mail items are created by a number of originators for delivery to a number of recipients having different addresses through a postal service, which postal service has a set of postal regional sorting centers having an associated set of postal regions, which postal regional sorting centers sort incoming mail pieces for shipment to local post offices within the associated postal region for delivery to the recipients, comprising the steps of:(a) receiving mail items from an originator at one of a plurality of receiving private processing centers each having an associated set of one or more destination codes; (b) sorting the received mail items into groups by the sets of destination codes; (c) transferring each group of mail items having a destination code different from one of those associated with the receiving private processing center to a corresponding destination private processing center; (d) at each private processing center, converting any mail items in data form transferred in step (c) and any mail items in data form having a destination code which corresponds to one of those associated with the destination processing center into mail pieces; (e) at each processing center, sorting mail pieces from steps (c) and (d) together with any mail pieces received directly from originators having a destination code which corresponds to one of those associated with the receiving processing center into batches effective to reduce processing costs as compared to mailing the same mail pieces with the postal service in an originating entry unsorted condition and without mail pieces received from other processing centers; and (f) delivering the batches from step (e) to one or more of the postal regional sorting centers for delivery to the recipients.