Abstract:
A system and method by which mail sorting equipment can correct postal addresses utilizing cloud technology. The real-time address correction system for correcting addresses of mail articles in real-time, comprises sorters, vision systems, controllers, processors, printers, local and remote computers, databases, bins, and a cloud system to tie together the local and remote computers in addition to the sorters and controllers. Corrected postal addresses are stored remotely and locally to the sorter and provided to the sorter as needed by a cloud based system. The system and method accommodates delays in providing the corrected postal addresses to the sorter.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/565,099 filed 2 Aug. 2012, titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL-TIME ADDRESS CORRECTION,” which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,221,079 on 29 Dec. 2015, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/670,274 filed 11 Jul. 2012, titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL-TIME ADDRESS CORRECTION,” and No. 61/514,235 filed 2 Aug. 2011, titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL-TIME ADDRESS CORRECTION,” all of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present application relates to a system and method by which mail sorting equipment can correct postal addresses utilizing cloud technology. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    In conventional methods of processing mail, if processor does not have the correct mailing destination, the mailer will exhaust delivery time and handling costs. These costs are currently absorbed by the Postal Service, and the time is absorbed by the recipient. The rehandling of addressed mail is affecting postal systems both domestically and international by having to redirect the mail pieces. 
         [0006]    Older sorters rely upon local databases to obtain change of address information (COA). These local databases must be repeatedly updated to ensure they are up to date. Previously the owners of the COA databases relied on physical distribution to update the COA databases in the hands of the mail sorters. 
         [0007]    Although great strides have been made in mail processing, considerable shortcomings remain. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The novel features believed characteristic of the embodiments of the present application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the embodiments themselves, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a system and method according to the preferred embodiment of the present application. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a group of postal sorter machines linked together and connected through the cloud to a single remote computer according to the present application. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of multiple groups of postal sorter machines linked together and connected through the cloud to a single remote computer according to the present application. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a system and method according to an optional embodiment of the present application that uses the United States Postal Service 00-Table Service subscription according to the present application. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a system and method according to an optional embodiment of the present application that designates a unique COA Pass bin to accept mailpieces that did not receive a response from the postal service data base in time to print the required COA address and barcode during Pass  1  processing according to the present application. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of the method according to an optional embodiment of the present application that designates a unique COA Pass bin to accept mailpieces that did not receive a response from the postal service data base in time to print the required COA address and barcode during Pass  1  processing according to the present application. 
       
    
    
       [0015]    While the system and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0016]    Illustrative embodiments of the system and method are provided below. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions will be made to achieve the developer&#39;s specific goals, such as compliance with assembly-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
         [0017]    A sorter is a machine utilized for sorting letter mail and/or flats mail or parcels, which are hereafter referred to generically as “mail.” The address is electronically lifted off the mail piece so that the address can be standardized and potentially looked up in a data base of address changes. Previous address correction was done within a local area network to a localized database. The system and method as described by this application is utilized as part of a mail sorter machine. The process must be completed at a high speed while the piece of mail is in the sorter. High speed sorter such as would utilize this system and method process tens of thousands of pieces of mail each hour. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIG. 1  in the drawings, a schematic of the preferred system  10  and method is shown. System  10  utilizes the following method for correcting address for Patrons that have moved. The system is comprised of a vision system  20 , a forwarding system  30 , a controller  40 , and a printer system  50 . 
         [0019]    In the preferred embodiment, the first step includes reading images from the mail pieces. In particular, the Multi Line Character reader of system  10  has a vision system that lifts the image from the mail piece. Once the image is lifted it is translated into a binary Tiff (or a file format specific to the vision system). 
         [0020]    Vision system  20  consists of a camera  203 , a first computer  207 , and a second computer  213 . The camera  203  electronically lifts the image of an address  223  from the mail piece  229  and converts this image into a binary record (system useable record) with help of the first computer  207 . The first computer  207  sends the image to the second computer  213 . The second computer  213  performs optical character recognition (OCR) on the image. The result of the OCR is a record containing the translation of the image into a bunch of characters usable by the sorter. The second computer through the use of fuzzy logic generates multiple variations of the character interpretations for each mail piece  229 . The Binary information or OCR results are then matched and modified against a first database  233  for standardizing the address information. It should be understood that first local database  233  while in the preferred embodiment is locally stored on second computer  213 , in an alternative embodiment the first database  233  could be stored on a different computer either locally or remotely. The results of the standardization are then sent to the controller  40 . It should be apparent that the camera  203 , the first computer  207 , and the second computer  213  could be combined into a single unit that takes a picture and generates an output of characters. 
         [0021]    The controller  40  consists of a networked computer that controls the operation of the sorting machine  100 . It should be understood that fuzzy logic is a form of many-valued logic that uses, the vision system&#39;s first, second, and third choice character interpretations, if available, for data found in the delivery address for matching in the postal database. Also, it should be understood that NPINuMuv is the name of a software package that takes the electronic lift of the address and translates the information into a format that can be used for lookup in the postal systems data base for address changes. NPINuMuv is a name of a software package that translates the record information into a format that can utilize the postal systems data base. Referring specifically to the NPINuMuv translation process, the Electronic lift of the address from the OCR needs to be translated, prioritized, and presented to the postal system data base in a specific format. The controller  40  sends the translated record to the forwarding system  30 . 
         [0022]    Forwarding system  30  consists of a local computer  303 , a remote computer  333 , and a cloud  363 . Local computer  303  is connected to the sorter  100  via a local area network which connects the controller  40  to the local computer  303 . The remote computer  333  is connected to the postal systems data base for address changes and or address standardization. The remote computer  333  will be utilized through the cloud  363  and will be located at a remote site. All transmissions between local computer  303  and remote computer  333  will be encrypted. 
         [0023]    Referring now also to  FIG. 2  a diagram of multiple sorters connected to a single local computer  3003 . A group of sorters  3000  consists of multiple sorters  1000   a - 1000   g . The group of sorters  3000  connects to a single local computer  3003 . Local computer  3003  then connects to the remote computer  3033  through the cloud  3063 . 
         [0024]    Referring now also to  FIG. 3  a diagram of multiple local computers each with a multitude of sorters connected to the cloud. A first group of sorters  3000   a  connects to a first local computer  3003   a . First local computer  3003   a  connects to the remote computer  3033  through the cloud  3063 . Additional groups of sorters could be added so long as they were connected to a different local computer, the max number of sorters than can be added to a local computer is seven. Second group of sorters  3000   b  is connected to second local computer  3003   b  which is connected to remote computer  3033  through the cloud  3063 . The process of the connecting sorters to the cloud is scalable. 
         [0025]    Referring now back to  FIG. 1  in the drawings. In the preferred embodiment the local computer  303  looks up the translated record in the remote computer  333  to see if a COA is on file. The remote computer  303  is connected to the local computer through a cloud  363 . If the remote computer  333  has a change of address on file for the translated record then the remote computer  333  returns to the local computer  303  a COA. The COA is returned via the cloud network  363 . The local computer  303  sends the COA to the controller  40 . The controller then sends the COA to the printing system  50 . 
         [0026]    The cloud  363  is preferably an Internet connection between the local computer  303  and remote computer  333 . The connection to the cloud  363  and through the cloud  363  needs to be high speed in order for the data to be relayed from the sorter  100  to the local computer  303  though the cloud  363  to the remote computer  333  and then back from the remote computer  333  through the cloud  363  and then to the local computer  303  to the sorter  100  in such a short amount of time as the mail is still in the sorter to be sorted. The ideal response time from the sorter  100  to the remote computer  333  should be less than 100 milliseconds. Factors such as high data usage and heavy internet traffic can cause slowdowns on the cloud. 
         [0027]    The printing system consists of a first printer  501 , a second printer  503 , and a third printer  505 . The data from the controller  40  is sent to the printing system  50  for spraying onto the processed mail piece  507 . The information that is sprayed can be in a couple of different forms. There could be a bar code  513  from the first printer  501 , the bar code  513  could be an intelligent bar code. A visual address change could be printed such as COA code and new address  523  from the second printer  503  or a human readable automation marking and zip code  533  from the third printer  505 . Additionally the new  523  could be annotated dependent upon what database the COA originated from. 
         [0028]    Referring now also to  FIG. 4  in the drawings, a schematic of the system is shown. In an alternative embodiment the local computer  303  compares the translated record from the controller  40  to a second local database  313 . It should be understood that second local database  313  while in the preferred embodiment is locally stored on local computer  303 , in an alternative embodiment the second local database  313  could be stored on a different computer either locally or remotely. Second local database  313  could be a 00-Table that is obtained from the United States Postal Service by subscription. If the translated record from the record does not match the second local database  313  there is no potential COA. Therefore there is no reason for the local computer  303  to check with the remote computer  333  through the cloud  363 . Having the local computer  303  check for possible matches against the second local database  313  saves money, time, and processing cycles. If there is no COA the mail piece  229  receives the printed bar code  513  and is sorted to the proper bin. If the translated record does match a listing in the second local database  313  then, the local computer  303  checks with the remote computer  333  through the cloud  363 . The cloud  363  may include globally networked computers, internet switches, hubs, digital storage mediums or computer-readable storage mediums, local area networks, wide area networks. Preferable the cloud  363  includes networked computers and computer-readable storage mediums providing a transmission path for data between the local computer  303  and the remote computer  333 . In an alternative embodiment the cloud  363  includes processors capable of processing the data and transforming the data between the local computer  303  and the remote computer  333 . The remote computer  333  then provides the local computer  303  with the COA. The local computer passes the COA to the controller  40 . Controller  40  then sends the COA to the printer system  50  and then sort the mail piece  229  thereby creating a processed mail piece  507 . 
         [0029]    The 00-Table Service allows service providers to locally query whether a potential match can be made within the NCOA Link  database, without sending data upstream through the internet cloud to the server. If there is no 00-Table match, the data base lookup result is sent to the sort decision computer so that the address information is bar coded onto the mail piece and sorted to the correct bin. If there is a 00-Table match, the data base lookup result is then processed through the cloud. 
         [0030]    Referring now also to  FIG. 5 , a schematic of the system and method according to an optional embodiment of the present application that designates a unique COA Pass (CPass) bin to accept mailpieces that did not receive a response from the remote computer  333  in time to print the required COA address  523  and barcode  513  during Pass  1  processing. In this instance, the result from the cloud  363  is locally data based  601  until such time as the mail in the CPass bin is restaged, reinducted, reread by OCR, and correlated to the Cloud result. The mailpiece is then printed with the required COA  523  address and barcode  513  and sorted accordingly to conclude Pass  1 . It is important to note that only the original cloud lookup is necessary, and once the required COA address and barcode is printed on the mailpiece, the Cloud result is purged from the local database  601 . 
         [0031]    Referring now also to  FIG. 6 , a block diagram of the method according to an optional embodiment of the present application that designates a unique COA Pass (CPass) bin to accept mailpieces that did not receive a response from the remote computer  333  in time to print the required COA address  523  and barcode  513  during Pass  1  processing. In this embodiment the mail piece  229  is read by the OCR system  903 . The software  905  processes the decision determining if there is a potential COA  907 . If there is no potential COA then nothing is printed  911  and the mailpiece is sorted  921 . If there is a potential COA the software looks up the COA  925  from the cloud. The software has an expected timeframe to receive the response from the cloud. The software determines if the response from the cloud is late 931. If the response from the cloud is not late then, the COA is printed on the mailpiece  935 . After printing the COA on the mailpiece the memory of the COA is cleared  939 . The mailpiece is then sorted  921 . If however the response from the cloud is late then the COA is not printed on the mail piece  941 . The memory of the OCR read and the results from the cloud when received are retained  945 . The mailpiece is then is routed to a Cpass bin  949 . The Cloud result is locally data based until such time as the mail in the CPass bin is staged  951 , inducted, read by OCR  955 , and correlated to the Cloud result. The mailpiece is then printed with the required COA address and barcode  959 . After printing the COA on the mailpiece the memory of the COA is cleared  963 . Finally, the mailpiece is sorted  921  accordingly to conclude Pass  1 . It is important to note that only the original Cloud lookup is necessary, and once the required COA address and barcode is printed on the mailpiece, the Cloud result is purged from the local database. 
         [0032]    Additionally, it should be apparent that the vision system  20 , the controller  40 , the printer system  50 , and the local computer  303  could be combined in a single unit. In an alternative embodiment the controller  40  directly communicates through the cloud  363  with the remote computer  333  without the need for the local computer  303 . 
         [0033]    It is apparent that an assembly and method with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the embodiments may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. Although the present embodiments are shown above, they are not limited to just these embodiments, but are amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.