Abstract:
The invention makes it easier for the post office to calculate accurately terminal dues by providing information to the post regarding each piece or parcel of mail that crosses an international border. The invention also makes it easier for the post offices to calculate terminal dues by obtaining fee information from mail that is sent internationally. The foregoing is accomplished by placing an indication on the mail that the fees for delivering the mail have been paid or will be paid by a mailer who has an account with the post office; sorting the mail to find international mail; storing the fees that have been paid or will be paid for international mail; reporting the fees that have been paid for international mail to all participating post offices; and calculating the fees that are to be transferred to participating post offices.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Reference is made to commonly assigned copending patent application Docket No. F-722 filed herewith entitled “Method For Postage Evidencing With Cross-Border Mail Tracking Capability And Near Real Time For Terminal Dues Reconciliation” in the names of Ronald P. Sansone and Erik Monsen, and Docket No. F-729 filed herewith entitled “Method For Postage Evidencing For the Payment Of Terminal Dues Using Radio Frequency Identification Tags” in the names of Ronald P. Sansone and Erik Monsen. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates generally to the field of mailing systems and, more particularly, to methods for determining terminal dues.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The Universal Postal Union has a complex system that administers contracts between member post offices relating to terminal dues paid between and among different post offices. Terminal dues are the payments made between national postal administrations to cover the costs of handling and delivering international mail. Rates are established by the Universal Postal Union and through bilateral and multilateral agreements. Typically, a post office will charge another post office for the delivery of mail to a recipient within its jurisdiction. For instance, if mail is sent from the United States to the United Kingdom, the United States post office will deliver the mail to the Royal Mail, and the Royal Mail will deliver the mail to the recipient. At the end of a predetermined time, the United States post office and the Royal Mail will tabulate, by weight, all of the mail each post office delivered for the other post office and calculate how much money one post office owes to the other post office.  
         [0004]     One of the disadvantages of the above procedure is that it does not accurately determine the services performed by each post office.  
         [0005]     An additional disadvantage of the prior art is that each post office was not sure that it was receiving the proper amount of money for the services it was performing.  
         [0006]     A further disadvantage of the prior art is that mail did not have an indication of the value of the services produced by different post offices.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by making it easier for various post offices to calculate accurately terminal dues by providing information to the post office regarding each piece or parcel of mail that crosses an international border. The invention also makes it easier for the post offices to calculate terminal dues by obtaining fee information from mail that is sent internationally. The foregoing processes are accomplished by placing an indication on the mail that the fees for delivering the mail have been paid or will be paid by a mailer to each post office that handles the mail. For instance, if a mail piece is mailed in the United States and delivered to a destination in the United Kingdom, the mailer&#39;s postage meter will place a United States postal indicia on the mail piece for that portion of the delivery cost that is attributable to the United States post office and a Royal Mail postal indicia on the mail piece for that portion of the delivery cost that is attributable to the Royal Mail. The United States postal indicia and the Royal Mail postal indicia may or may not include the proportional amount of postage charged in the United States and Royal Mail postal indicium. The amount of postage paid may be totaled or written in an encrypted or coded form.  
         [0008]     An advantage of this invention is that it provides more accurate reporting and checking of the amount of international mail. Thus, each post office receives the correct revenue for the amount of mail that it processes. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1A  is a drawing of mail containing United States post office postal indicia and Royal Mail postal indicia;  
         [0010]      FIG. 1B  is a drawing of mail containing a common carrier indicia and Royal Mail postal indicia;  
         [0011]      FIG. 1C  is a drawing of mail containing a common carrier indicia and Royal Mail postal indicia;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the process of metering international mail so that terminal dues will be paid;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of postage meter  130  or personal computer meter  131  of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a drawing of the information stored in buffer  154 A; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a drawing of the information stored in buffer  166 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0016]     Referring now to the drawings in detail, and more particularly to  FIG. 1A , the reference character  21  represents mail, i.e., letter, flat, package, that has a recipient address field  22 , a sender address field  23 , United States postal indicia  20 , and Royal Mail postal indicia  31 . Indicia  20  includes the price for United States postage  24 , the date  25  that indicia  20  was affixed to mail  21 , the place  26  from which mail  21  was mailed, a postage meter number  27 , an eagle  28 , an international mail designation  29 , a two-dimensional bar code  30 , and a unique number  19 . Royal Mail postal indicia  31  includes bar code  32 , meter number  18 , and the price of United Kingdom postage  17 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 1B  is a drawing of mail containing a common carrier indicia and Royal Mail postal indicia. This type of mail is used for mail that is deposited with a common carrier in the United States and delivered to the recipient by the Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. Mail  41  may be a letter, flat, or package, etc. Mail  41  has a recipient address field  42 , a sender address field  43 , carrier indicia  44 , carrier bar code  45 , Royal Mail postal indicia  46  and unique number  50 . Royal Mail postal indicia  46 , includes bar code  47 , meter number  18 , the price of United Kingdom postage  49 , and unique number  50 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 1C  is a drawing of mail containing a common carrier indicia and Royal Mail postal indicia. This type of mail is used for mail that is deposited with Royal Mail in the United Kingdom and delivered to the recipient by a carrier in the United States. Mail  51  may be a letter, flat, or package, etc. Mail  51  has a recipient address field  52 , a sender address field  53 , carrier indicia  54 , carrier bar code  55 , Royal Mail postal indicia  56  and unique number  60 . Royal Mail postal indicia  56  includes bar code  57 , meter number  88 , the price of United Kingdom postage  59 , and unique number  60   
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the process of metering international mail so that terminal dues will be paid. Electronic postage meter  130  or personal computer meter  131  may be used to print indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique number  18  ( FIG. 1 ). During a communication between postage meter  130  or personal computer meter  131  with data center  132 , it will be indicated that meter  130  or meter  131  printed indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique number  18 . Meters  130  and/or  131  will also transmit all of the information contained in indicators  20  and  40  to data center  132 . Data center  132  will transmit the information contained in indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique number  18  to mail records controller  133 . The operation of meters  130  and  131  will be described in the description of  FIG. 3 . Mail records controller  133  will transmit the information it receives from data center  132  to data base  102 , where a record is created specifically referenced to the issued unique number  18  for a particular meter  130  or  131  account number. The record is a proof of validity of postal indicia  20  and  31  having an issued unique number  18  for a particular meter, and the proof is provided when data base  102  is consulted.  
         [0020]     Postal terminal dues processor  140  is coupled to archive  108 , national, international and terminal dues data base  141 , finance  142  and archives  108  and  113 . Processor  140  will poll archive  108  and archives  113  in other lands  111  (United Kingdom, France, German, Japan, etc.) and utilize data base  141  to determine the value of the mail processed by the receiving countries from the sending countries. Then processor  140  will determine how much money each country will receive for delivering mail  21 . The amounts of money will be described in the description of  FIG. 4 . At agreed upon intervals, finance  142  will issue terminal dues statements to all participating countries and arrange for the transmission of funds to the countries&#39; post offices.  
         [0021]     In step  104 , the mail is collected and rated at various post office recording stations using data capture techniques and processed by the accepting post office in step  105 . As part of the mail accepting procedures in step  105 , indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique number  19  are examined and compared to data in data base  102 , to determine whether the indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique number  19  used are legitimate. When unique number  19  is issued for postal indicia  20 , and unique number  19  is issued for indicia  31 , the issuance of unique numbers  18  and  19  are reported to the all issued indicia records national data base  102 , where a record is created, specifically referenced to the issued unique numbers  18  and  19  for a particular mailer account number. The record is a proof of validity of postal indicia  20  and  31  having an issued unique number for a particular mailer account number, and the proof is provided when data base  102  is consulted.  
         [0022]     In the acceptance process, a code reader is used to identify the unique numbers  18  and  19  and account number on indica  20  and  31 . It is understood that, if any portion of indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique numbers  18  and  19  are produced with an invisible ink, a special light source will be needed to make the indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique number  18  visible to the code reader. The identified indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique numbers  18  and  19  are reported to data base  102 , and a proof of validity of indicia  20  and  31 , bar codes  30  and  31  and unique number  18  is requested. If data base  102  has a record showing the issuance of the unique number  18  for the particular meter account serial number used and that the unique number  18  has not been canceled, then indicia  20  and  31  are considered legitimate. In that case, indicia  20  and  31  have passed the verification process, and the mail is accepted for further processing, with indicia  20  and  31  being canceled in step  105 . It is preferred that the cancellation mark is produced with a visible ink in a manner that a “canceled” postal indicator is easily distinguishable from an unused one, and that a “cancelled” postal indicator” will still be able to be read.  
         [0023]     When indicia  20  and  31  bearing a unique number  19  for a particular user meter account serial number is canceled in step  105 , a request is made to data base  102  to alter the record that is specifically related to the unique number  19  being canceled. The altered record will contain the date and time of cancellation, the cost of the selected services derived from the weighing of the mail, and no longer provide a proof of validity when data base  102  is consulted. The cost for mailing the mail determined in step  105  will be charged to the mailer&#39;s meter  130  or  131 . The mailer cost information will be transmitted to data center  132  via data base  102  and controller  133 .  
         [0024]     However, if the acceptance procedures in step  105  fail to yield a proof of validity of indicia  20  and  31 , the mail will be sent to rejected mail process  106  where the mail will be returned to the sender or placed in the dead mail file.  
         [0025]     The mail that step  105  determines has legitimate indicia  20  and  31  is sent to step  107  for internal sorting and routing from place to place. Step  107  will note the date and time the mail is at each step in the process. The foregoing information will be sent to archive  108 . Then the physical mail is delivered nationally in step  109  or delivered internationally in step  110 . Nationally, at the recipient&#39;s delivery post office, the mail will be scanned during the last sorting process where the date and time of sorting as well as other information identifying the mail, i.e., unique number  18 , will be captured and stored in archive  108 . At the last facility before the mail is transferred internationally in step  110 , the mail will be scanned where the date and time of sorting as well as other information identifying the mail, i.e., unique number, will be captured and stored in archive  108 .  
         [0026]     At this point, the physical mail will be delivered to other lands  111 . Then the mail will go to step  112  for sorting, routing and acceptance in the country that the recipient is located. Step  112  will note the date and time the mail is at each step in the process. The foregoing information will be sent to archive  113 . Then the physical mail is delivered nationally in step  114 . At the international recipient&#39;s delivery post office, the mail will be scanned during the last sorting process where the date and time of sorting as well as other information identifying the mail, i.e., unique number, will be captured and stored in archive  113 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of postage meter  130  or personal computer meter  131  of  FIG. 2 . The first step takes place at decision block  150 . Decision block  150  determines whether or not the next mail is present. If block  150  determines that the next mail is not present, the next step will be step  162 . Step  162  clears buffers  154 A- 154 E. If block  150  determines that the next mail is present, the next step will be step  151 . Step  151  obtains all mail rating parameters from the operator of meters  130  or  131  and/or another external source, i.e., how much does the mail weigh, the size of the mail, where is the mail going, what is the level of mail service, the contents of the mail, etc., and places them in buffer  154 A. Next, in step  153  the delivery location of the mail and the final carrier is obtained from the operator of meters  130  or  131  and/or another external source and stored in buffer  154 A. Then in step  155  all desired special services are obtained from the operator of meters  130  or  131 . The data from step  155  is stored in buffer  154 A. In step  156  the correct route and fees are verified with data center  132 , i.e., the information obtained from buffer  154 A is verified with remote data center  132 .  
         [0028]     Step  165  stores the valid mail route and fees file and any new bar codes and indicia graphics it receives from data center  132  and then transmits the valid mail route and fees file and indicia graphics to buffer  166 . Step  157  reads the valid mail route and fees file in buffer  166 . Step  158  takes the valid mail route and fees file and computes and buffers all fees, carrier bar codes plus required indicia and special service graphics with buffers  154 B,  154 C and  154 D, i.e., the total fee for mail  20  ( FIG. 1A ) would be $4.70 with $2.20 payable to the Royal Mail and $2.50 going to the United States Postal Service. It would be obvious to one skilled in the art that the payment to the Royal Mail may be made in United States Dollars or United Kingdom currency at the prevailing exchange rate. Step  159  composes the full indicia enroute, sequenced order and stores the above information in print buffer  154 E. In step  160  the print image stored in buffer  154 E is printed on mail  20 , and then the image is sent to data center  132 . The next step is performed by decision block  161 . Decision block  161  determines whether or not the image has been printed on mail  20  and whether or not the image has been sent to data center  132 . If the image has not been printed on mail  20  and the image has not been sent to data center  132 , the process will go back to the input of decision block  161 . If the image has been printed on mail  20  and the image has been sent to data center  132 , buffers  154 A- 154 E and  166  will be cleared and the next step will be performed by decision block  150 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 4  is a drawing of the information stored in buffer  154 A ( FIG. 3 ) as buffered mail rating data elements  200 . Item  201  indicates the mailer identification, i.e., the mailer postage meter serial number PB 1234567. Item  202  indicates the zip code in which the meter is registered, namely 06926. Item  203  indicates the code for the country of the first carrier, namely the United States. Item  204  indicates, the code for the first carrier, namely the United States Postal Service. Item  205  indicates the service classification of the mail, namely first class mail. Item  206  indicates the special services requested code of the first carrier, for example the code for track and trace. Examples of other special services are delivery confirmation, registered mail, registered mail, certified mail, insured mail, collect on delivery, recorded delivery, special delivery, special handling, parcel airlift, business reply mail, return receipt for merchandise, return receipt, postal money order, restricted delivery, and recorded delivery, etc. Item  207  indicates the UPC code of the contents of the mail. Item  208  indicates the size of the mail, namely 4×6×2. Item  209  indicates the weight of the mail, namely 4 ounces. Item  210  indicates the code for the country of the second carrier, namely the United Kingdom. Item  211  indicates the second carrier, namely the Royal Mail. Item  212  indicates the special services requested code of the second carrier, namely the code for track and trace. Item  213  indicates the total payment that is going to be charged to the meter.  
         [0030]      FIG. 5  is a drawing of the information stored in buffer  166  as buffered mail route data elements  220 . Item  221  indicates the code for the country of the first carrier, namely the United States. Item  222  indicates the code for the first carrier, namely the United States Postal Service. Item  223  indicates part of the amount of United States postage. Item  224  indicates the special services requested code of the first carrier, namely the code for track and trace. Item  225  indicates the special services fee of the first carrier, namely $0.50. Item  226  indicates the amount of United States postage, namely $2.50. Item  227  indicates the code for the country of the second carrier, namely the United Kingdom. Item  228  indicates the second carrier, namely the Royal Mail. Item  229  indicates the special services requested code of the second carrier, namely the code for track and trace. Item  230  indicates the fee for track and trace charged by the second carrier namely, $1.00. Item  231  indicates the terminal dues process and delivery fee of $1.20. Item  232  indicates the amount of United Kingdom postage, namely $2.20.  
         [0031]     The above specification describes a new and improved method for controlling domestic and international mail. It is realized that the above description may indicate to those skilled in the art additional ways in which the principles of this invention may be used without departing from the spirit. Therefore, it is intended that this invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.