Method for dynamically addressing physical mail

A method for automatically changing the address of an occupant when the occupant moves from one internal address to another internal address. The foregoing is accomplished by placing a radio frequency identification tag in occupant's nameplate, wherein the tag contains encoding information that identifies the occupant so that when the occupant changes his/her location, the nameplate may be used to update a data base and determine the occupant's new address.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Reference is made to commonly assigned co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/322,150 filed herewith entitled “A Method For Dynamically Obtaining Telephone Numbers” in the names of Ronald Reichman, Deborra J. Zukowski and Brian Romansky.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to the field of mailing systems and, more particularly, to systems for delivering mail.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Governments have created post offices for collecting, sorting and distributing the mail. The United States Postal Service (USPS) currently handles large volumes of mail, which is delivered to individual homes, government offices and many other entities. An individual home may have few occupants and a single mailbox in which the USPS places all of the mail for the occupants of the home. A large apartment house may have many apartments having one or more occupants in which the USPS places all of the mail for the occupants of an apartment in the same mailbox. Small business may have a single mailbox in which the USPS deposits all of the small business mail. The USPS may also deliver the mail to the lobby of medium sized establishments. Large establishments have many people who receive large volumes mail. Typically, the USPS delivers the mail addressed to occupants of large establishments to the establishment's mailroom, or personnel from large establishments go to the USPS to retrieve the establishment's mail.

Mailrooms of large establishments currently handle large volumes of mail, which is delivered to individual offices and/or local distribution points. Large establishments often assign individual internal addresses, which are often kept in computer databases, to the occupants of their buildings to make it easier for their mailroom personnel to deliver internal mail. Mailroom personnel may deliver mail directly to individual offices and/or to mail stops that serve a plurality of offices and/or desks.

As occupants move from one office or desk to another, their internal address changes, and the mailroom should redirect the occupant's mail to the occupant's new address. To have the mail redirected, someone would need to change the occupant's internal address in the database. Often, the internal address change does not occur, so mail continues to be delivered to the occupant's old office address or the occupant's old local distribution point. A great amount of time may transpire before the mailroom realizes that the occupant's internal address has changed. Thus, a disadvantage of the prior art is that mailroom personnel must search for the moved occupant's new address, often by phoning the occupant and asking where to deliver the occupant's mail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by automatically changing the address of an occupant when the occupant moves from one internal address to another internal address.

The foregoing is accomplished by placing a radio frequency identification tag in an occupant's nameplate, wherein the tag contains encoding information that identifies the occupant so that when the occupant changes their location, the nameplate may be used to update a data base and determine the occupant's new address.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly toFIG. 1, the reference characters11A-11E represent a plurality of large offices on a portion of floor5of a large office building. Small offices12,13,14and15, mail stops30and32, coffee room31, photocopy room33and filing cabinets34are also on floor5. A hold and forwarding board45that is used for the holding and forwarding of mail as well as RFID reader46are situated in mail stop30. Board45and reader46will be described in the description ofFIG. 7. Aremovable nameplate17containing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag25(FIG. 2) that indicates the user of nameplate17. Nameplate17is attached to a wall near the entrance of each office11A-11E and12-15by means of a holder20(FIG.2). Holder20may also be placed on any flat surface, i.e., desk inside offices11-15. The space containing the offices11A-11E and12-15is scanned with scanning devices, e.g., radio frequency identification tag readers26,27,28,29and46, which periodically scan the area to determine if any RFID tag25(FIG. 2) is within a given distance from any reader26,27,28,29and46. Reader26scans offices11A-11E, and reader27scans offices12. Reader28scans offices13and14, and reader29scans offices15. Reader46scans hold and forwarding board45. Radio frequency identification tag readers26-29and46may be the Pint Point Cell Controller Network manufactured by RFT Technologies of 3125 N. 126thStreet, Brookfield, Wis. 53005.

Mailroom personnel may deliver mail addressed to the occupants of offices12by depositing the mail in bins (not shown) located in mail stop30and mailroom personnel may deliver mail addressed to the occupants of offices13,14and15by depositing the mail in bins (not shown) located in mail stop32. Mailroom personnel may deliver mail addressed to the occupants of offices11A-11E by delivering the mail to the occupant's of offices11A-11E. Display43, located in mail stop30, will indicate all of the users of name plates17who have their mail delivered to mail stop30, and display44located in mail stop32will indicate all of the users of name plates17who have their mail delivered to mail stop32.

FIG. 2is a perspective drawing of nameplate17showing how nameplate17may be placed in a holder20. Nameplate17has a region21that indicates the user of nameplate17and a RFID tag25that indicates the user of nameplate17. RFID tag25may be the Pin Point Active RF Tag manufactured by RFT Technologies of 3125 N. 126thStreet, Brookfield, Wis. 53005. Additional information regarding the user of name plate17may be entered into RFID tag25, i.e., the user's employee number, the user's social security number, etc. Thus, the information in RFID tag25will uniquely identify the user of nameplate17. Nameplate17may be placed in slot22of holder20and removed from slot22of holder20. Holder20is attached to the wall of the entrances of the offices described inFIG. 1or placed on any flat surface, i.e., desk inside the offices described in FIG.1. Holder20is attached to wall23by any known means, i.e., screws, nails, glue, etc.

FIG. 3Ais a drawing showing the transmission of information from RFID tag25to mail stop assignment data base36. Periodically, radio frequency identification tag readers26-29and46, poll their areas of search to determine all nameplates17in their areas of search. The list of nameplates, along with each tag readers26-29and46identity and the users of nameplates17indicated in tags25, are transmitted to mail server35. Mail server35includes a nameplate tracking system reader table37(FIG. 3B) that associates each reader with a mail stop or a individual office delivery point. Server35is coupled to mail stop assignment data base36. Database36will be described in the description of FIG.3C. Mail server35and database36are coupled to display42. Display42, located in or near mail sorting area, displays information contained in mail server35and database36. Display43, located in mail stop30, is coupled to database36and display44, located in mail stop32, is coupled to database36. Display43indicates all of the users of nameplates17who have their mail delivered to mail stop30, and display44indicates all of the users of nameplates17who have their mail delivered to mail stop32.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that radio frequency identification tag readers and radio frequency identification tags may be located on all or some of the floors of a building and/or located in different buildings and then coupled to mail server35.

FIG. 3Bis a drawing showing the nameplate tracking system reader table37of mail server35of FIG.3A. Reader table37is a static, pre-configured table. Column38of table37indicates the RFID tag reader identity that read tags25, and column39indicates the mail stop that is associated with the particular RFID tag reader. Thus, mail that is going to be addressed to the user of name plate17, identified in tags25and read by reader27, will be delivered to mail stop32.

FIG. 3Cis a drawing of mail assignment database36. Database36is a dynamic database that associates the user of nameplate17identified in the RFID tag25with the mail stop or office to which their mail will be delivered. Column40, of database36, indicates the person's name, and column41indicates their associated mail stop. Thus, person A will receive their mail at mail stop30. When a person changes offices they will usually be assigned a different mail stop.

FIG. 4is a drawing showing an occupant of an office15ofFIG. 1moving to office11E of FIG.1. When Mr. G, the occupant of one of the offices15, moves to office11E, Mr. G removes his name plate17from a holder20(FIG. 2) attached to the wall near the entrance of his old office15and places name plate17in a holder20(FIG. 2) attached to the wall near the entrance of his new office11E. The prior occupant of office11E, Ms. H, removed her name plate17and placed it in a holder20(FIG. 2) attached to the wall near the entrance of her new office (not shown) which is on the twentieth floor of the same office building. Mr. G may notify mailroom personnel to update assignment database36to indicate that he has moved to office11E, and that his mail should be delivered directly to his office.

FIG. 5is a drawing of the process flow for the transmission of information from RFID tag25to mail stop assignment database36. The process begins in step50, where nameplates17are placed at the entrances of or in offices11A-11E, and12-15. Next in step51, individual nameplates17respond to their assigned readers at the next reader period. Then in step52, the nameplate tracking reader table37is used to map individual nameplates17to their mail stops. Now in step53, the mail stop assignment database36is updated to indicate that a specific user of a nameplate17is now assigned a different mail stop. Then in step54, the information contained in nameplate tracking reader table37and database36is displayed in display42. An email is sent to the person asking if he/she wants to order new business cards. If so, a business card provider may be notified to print new business cards indicating the new address for the user of nameplate17.

If Mr. G does not notify mailroom personnel to update assignment database36to indicate that he has moved to office11E, reader26will poll its area of search during its next search period and determine that a new nameplate17is at office11E. Mail stop assignment database36(FIG. 3A) will be updated in the manner described in FIG.5. If Ms. H does not notify mailroom personnel to update assignment database36to indicate that she has moved to a new office, a reader (not shown) on the twentieth floor similar to reader26will poll its area of search during its next search period and determine that a new nameplate17is at Ms. H's new office. Mail stop assignment database36(FIG. 3A) will be updated in the manner described in FIG.5.

FIG. 6is a drawing of the process flow when the occupant of an office does not inform mailroom personnel that they have moved to a different office. The process begins in step60, where mail room personnel sort and deliver mail as they have done before. Next in step61, when mail delivery is attempted, mail room personnel realize that a different name plate17is at the addressee office, or displays43or44do not indicate that the addressee is at that mail stop. Now in step62, mail room personnel view display42to access mail stop assignment database36to find the new location for the addressee who is not currently at the attempted delivery office or attempted delivery mail stop. Then in step63, mailroom personnel change the mail stop on the mail pieces for the next delivery cycle and make a mental note of the new mail stop assignment.

FIG. 7is a drawing of hold and forwarding board45ofFIG. 1in greater detail. Board45has a hold column70, a forward column71, and a forward to column72. A plurality of holders20, are attached to hold column70and forward column71. When the occupant of an office11A-11E or12-15(FIG.1), i.e., Mr. J, desires his mail held because he is going to be out of the office, he will place his name plate17containing RFID tag25in a empty holder20in hold column70. When the occupant of an office11A-11E or12-15(FIG.1), i.e., Ms. K, desires that her mail be forwarded to someone else, she will place her name plate17containing RFID tag25in an empty holder20in forward column71and attach a piece of paper47indicating that she wants her mail forwarded to Ms. L.

When tag reader46periodically scans the area to determine if any RFID tag25is within a given distance from any reader46, reader46will report to mail server35and mail stop assignment database36(FIG. 3A) that Mr. J and Ms. K have placed their name plates17in a holder20of board45. The mail delivery information is now up to date. However, mailroom personnel may not be aware of the hold and forwarding instructions until they attempt to deliver the mail. When mailroom personnel arrive at the original mail stop, i.e., mail stop30, they will not find that Mr. J and Ms. K names are displayed in display4344(FIG. 1) and that their nameplates are not on any other offices11A-11E or12-15. At that time, mailroom personnel may place the mail aside, finish the route, and return to the mailroom. They will then access mail stop assignment database36to determine that Mr. J's and Ms. K's nameplates17are in board45, which is located at mail stop30. Then the mailroom personnel will view board45and determine that Mr. J wants his mail held and Ms. K wants her mail forwarded to Ms. L.

The above specification describes a new and improved method for changing the address of an occupant when the occupant moves from one internal address to another internal address. 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.