Patent Publication Number: US-2006004761-A1

Title: Integrated mail-piece tracking and on-line document viewing

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
      The present subject matter relates to methods and systems for providing combined or integrated access to tracking data regarding articles to be mailed or shipped and corresponding electronic information.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Many businesses are sending bills or statements to their customers on a yearly, quarterly, monthly, or even daily basis. For example, a utility company may send millions of bills to their customers every month. As another example, a brokerage firm or other financial institution may send thousands of trade confirmations to their customers, every business day. In either example, each paper document provides information that is both important to the customer and/or a means of revenue collection for the company. Businesses also ship a vast array of other physical articles to customers and prospective customers, including various products as well as advertisement and promotional items. In many cases, these same businesses receive and process responses, such as payments for purchases or for account transactions, through return mail.  
      Systems have been developed to allow such businesses or other enterprise entities to track various aspects of the mail processing of their articles. Such systems enable tracking of printing and finishing (inserting/sorting) documents, tracking of package preparation, tracking of receipt and progress through the postal or package shipment system, as well as tracking of receipt and processing of responsive mail (both through the postal network and the internal operations of the enterprise itself). The tracking information may be available on-line to agents or representatives of the sender, or the data could reside in a PC or mainframe based application, and some systems offer similar on-line access for intended recipients.  
      With the rapid growth in data communications and computer capabilities, in the last decade or so, a number of systems have been developed to present information or documents electronically, as an alternative or supplement to the older print mail delivery. Such systems may present the electronic information to agents or representatives of the enterprise, but many such systems now offer presentment to intended document recipients. Electronic presentment, for example, allows an enterprise to notify its customers by e-mail of posting of new statements or invoices to their accounts. Customers may log-in to a web-site via the Internet and view their account information and if desired view soft copies of the actual statement documents. Many such systems used today for billing also offer associated electronic payment options. These electronic presentment systems offer a number of advantages over paper based systems, such as speed and reduction in paper handling and postage costs. Representatives or agents of the enterprise use the electronic information extensively, for example, in call centers to respond to customer telephone inquiries. However, many customers have been slow to sign-up and directly use electronic presentment and payment services; and as a consequence, most enterprises still send virtually all of their customer correspondence in hard-copy form.  
      In many cases the electronic presentment offers information on-line, while a corresponding package or document mailing is “in the mail” so to speak going through the postal service or carrier network. As noted above, systems have offered the ability for an enterprise&#39;s agents or representatives or even intended recipients to check the tracking data regarding the hard-copy item. To date, however, these two information technologies have been entirely separate. No system that offered tracking data regarding the physical article offered electronic presentment of any corresponding electronic information. Conversely, no electronic presentment system offered tracking data regarding processing or mail handling of the corresponding physical article. Consequently, if a user wanted both types of on-line information, the user had to know about and log into both disparate systems and separately query each separate system for the desired electronic version or article tracking data.  
     SUMMARY  
      The concepts discussed herein address problems with divergent systems and methodologies for mail tracking and electronic presentment. Broadly, electronic presentment is linked to or integrated with tracking data regarding processing of corresponding articles for mail delivery.  
      An exemplary method provides electronic access to tracking data regarding articles processed for mail delivery and to electronic information corresponding to the articles processed for mail delivery. The method involves processing the articles for mail delivery and storing tracking data regarding processing of the articles through one or more stages. The method also entails storing electronic files, which contain electronic information corresponding to respective ones of the articles processed for mail delivery. For each respective article, there is a link established between the stored tracking data for the item and the stored file containing the corresponding electronic information. Electronic access enables a user to access stored tracking data and corresponding stored electronic information, via the linkage therebetween.  
      In the examples discussed in detail, the articles intended and processed for mail delivery are hard-copy documents, typically printed documents. In those examples, the corresponding electronic information may include electronic or “soft” copies of the documents, processed information derived from electronic copies and/or images of items, e.g. camera shots of envelopes containing finished documents ready for shipment. “Hard-copy” and “soft-copy” terminology may be used here to clearly distinguish between physical articles requiring traditional delivery through the mail or alternate carrier services and the various electronic forms now commonly delivered via modern telecommunications networks or other electronic media, optical media, magnetic media, or the like. The hard-copy items processed for mail delivery and tracking and for which a system offers related on-line information presentment may include traditional print mail pieces including various types of documents, as in the examples, as well as other physical articles such as CDs, DVDs, brochures, packages, floral arrangements, etc.  
      The mail delivery stream for the articles typically utilizes a traditional postal service, but may be or include a variety of other delivery services, such as those offered by commercial carriers. For purposes of this discussion, mail delivery of articles refers to physical delivery of actual items by a postal service or package delivery carrier. On-line or electronic access or delivery of corresponding electronic or soft-copy information may utilize any convenient form of electronic delivery or presentment, such as web page access or e-mail delivery, as contrasted with the various services providing mail delivery of physical articles.  
      The method may link on-line presentment of electronic information to tracking data obtained from various systems that prepare items for mailing, handle the items during shipment through the actual mail delivery stream or even handle corresponding return mail. The on-line service can present information and related hard-copy tracking data, for example, to a representative of a sender or mailer of the articles or to intended recipients of the physical articles.  
      The integrated access process may begin with a request for tracking data regarding a selected item, received from the user. Upon presenting the requested tracking data to the user, the user may select the link to the soft-copy or other corresponding electronic information, i.e. corresponding to the selected article. In response, at least some of the corresponding electronic information is presented to the user. Alternatively, the user may first request information from a selected electronic file. Then, when the user indicates selection of the link to the tracking data, the user receives an electronic presentation of the tracking data regarding the corresponding physical article. Of course, other procedures for linked access are also possible.  
      Electronic information corresponding to a physical article refers to some form of information that is copied, extracted or derived from the article or from some file representing the article. The electronic information, corresponding to the article, can take various forms. If the article is or includes a document, such as a statement or invoice or a bill of lading for a product shipment, a system may extract and process data from an electronic copy of the document and electronically present the processed data as the corresponding information. For example, if the document is a printed account statement, the system might electronically present the data for the account taken from a print file of the statement as a web page approximation of the statement. Another approach is to present a soft-copy of one or more pages from the actual document, for example, as extracted from a print file of the document. In implementations where some or all of the items to be mailed consist of or include at least some printed documents, it is often convenient to obtain the electronic files containing soft-copy information by converting the print files to a format compatible with communication via a data communication network. Another useful option is to capture an image of the finished article before shipment, e.g. a photo or image scan of the finished envelope or package containing the document or other articles, and present the image to the user electronically upon request.  
      The concepts disclosed herein may be embodied in various forms, particularly forms implementing any of the methods via appropriate computer technology. For example, the methods summarized above may be implemented using one or more programmed computer platforms. The methods also may be embodied in a program product for execution by a processor or a computer. A software or program product includes information, which may be carried by at least one machine-readable medium. The information carried by the medium may be executable code, one or more tracking databases and/or files containing the electronically presentable information corresponding to the articles.  
      A computer or machine-readable readable medium, as used herein, may be any physical element or carrier wave, which can bear instructions or code for performing a sequence of steps in a machine-readable form or can bear associated data for processing by a computer or the like. Examples of physical forms of such media include floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD or CD-ROM, DVD or DVD-ROM, any other optical medium, a RAM, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, as well as media bearing the software in a scannable format. A carrier wave type of medium is any type of signal that may carry digital information representative of the data or the instructions or code for performing the sequence of steps. Such a carrier wave may be received via a wireline or fiber-optic network, via a modem, or as a radio-frequency or infrared signal, or any other type of signal which a computer or the like may receive and decode. Physical media also include the wires, fibers, wireless links, etc. over which such carrier waves flow during communications.  
      In a related aspect, another relevant product comprises software transportable by at least one such machine readable medium. Here, the software includes article records containing tracking data regarding processing of the articles through one or more stages of processing of the articles for mail delivery. The software also includes files containing electronic information corresponding to respective ones of the articles processed for mail delivery. The software further provides links between article records and corresponding electronic files. The software links enable integrated access to tracking data for each article and electronic information corresponding to each article.  
      An overall system, for providing electronic access to tracking data regarding articles processed for mail delivery and to electronic information corresponding to the articles processed for mail delivery, might include a mail processing system, data storage and a computer system. The mail processing system processes the articles for mail delivery, and it provides tracking data regarding its processing of each of the articles. The system may utilize or work with a variety of different types of mail delivery processing systems. Examples of such systems include an inserter system, a sorter system and a mail delivery system. The data storage stores the tracking data and files containing electronic information corresponding to respective ones of the articles processed for mail delivery. The data storage also maintains linkages between the stored tracking data for each respective article and the stored file containing the electronic information corresponding to the respective article. The computer system provides a user with on-line access to information in the data storage, including integrated access to the tracking data for the articles and the corresponding electronic information, based on the linkages.  
      Additional objects, advantages and novel features of various examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the concepts may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The drawing figures depict embodiments of the concepts by way of example, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.  
       FIG. 1  is a pictorial/flow diagram useful in explaining integrated collection and dissemination of tracking data and electronic information from documents or other articles intended for mail delivery.  
       FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of an example of a system for providing the integrated tracking and electronic information presentment.  
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart useful in explaining a first procedure for allowing a use linked access to both tracking data and electronic information from a file of a document or other article.  
       FIG. 4  is an exemplary screen shot illustrating how a user might search for a particular document to view tracking information and a link to the related electronic presentment information.  
       FIG. 5  is an exemplary screen shot illustrating a linked display of a soft-copy document image, as it might be electronically presented to a requesting user.  
       FIG. 6  is a flow chart useful in explaining a second procedure for allowing a user linked access to both tracking data and electronic information from a file of a document or other article.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      The concepts here offer integrated electronic presentment of information related to articles and tracking data regarding processing of corresponding physical articles intended for mail delivery. As noted earlier, an article may be any type of “hard-copy” document or any other item requiring physical delivery to an individual intended as the recipient. For purposes of discussion, however, attention will focus on examples for processing and delivery of printed documents, and associated tracking and electronic presentment of corresponding soft-copy document information.  
      Reference now is made in detail to the presently preferred, examples, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and discussed below.  FIG. 1  illustrates a service providing on-line access to combined or integrated tracking information regarding print mail delivery and electronic presentment of soft-copy information regarding corresponding electronic documents.  
      The system  11  offering the integrated solution, shown as blocks in the diagram, comprises software modules running on one or more computer platforms to be discussed later. The software system  11 , for example, includes a consolidation module  13  for collecting, processing and managing incoming data from various document processing equipment. The system may utilize or work with a variety of different types of document production, document finishing and mail delivery processing systems.  
      The system  11  offers on-line access to electronic information files regarding articles for mail delivery and to tracking information regarding corresponding articles processed for physical mail delivery. The illustrated system processes hard-copy items (documents in this example) for mail delivery, and it stores data regarding tracking of the hard-copy items through one or more stages of the processing for physical mail delivery. The system also stores electronic files, which contain corresponding electronic information. In the document processing example, the soft-copy information may be electronic files from which the hard copies were generated, in forms useful for deriving and presenting processed information or in formats that offer views similar to the actual printed products. The electronic files may also include electronic images, for example of finished mail pieces. For each respective hard-copy document, there is a link established between the stored tracking data for the respective item and the stored electronic file containing the corresponding soft-copy information. Electronic access enables a user to access stored tracking data and a stored electronic file for a hard-copy item and corresponding soft-copy information via the linkage therebetween.  
      In the example, a mainframe or host computer system  15  supplies print files and insert control files for document production. In one example, the computer  15  might run an application to produce outgoing bills or other account statements. The files from the computer  15  are the same as used to print and finish the hard-copy versions of the documents. The module  13  processes the files from the computer  15  for handling and storage by a software module  17 . The module  17  may extract certain data for processing, e.g. account statement information. The module also may store a copy of each document file either in original form or in a converted form that facilitates on-line viewing, e.g. in pdf, HTML or XML format.  
      The data consolidation module  13  also receives tracking data from a number of systems that process each hard-copy document, through various stages of document finishing and one or more stages of the physical delivery process. Illustrated examples of these document processing systems that provide tracking information include a printer  19 , various types of inserter system  21 ,  23  and  25  and a sorter system  27 . The inserter  21  inserts previously prepared inserts into or with the printed base documents, and the inserter  21  typically includes a stuffing engine to stuff combined documents (i.e., the printed base documents with the added inserts) into envelopes. The inserter  23  adds inserts to documents and wraps finished documents for mailing. The inserter  25  offers a different inserting and mail finishing function, such as inserting with attendant document binding. Of course other finishing equipment may be used alone or in combination with an inserter. Each of the document finishing systems represented by the exemplary inserters  21 ,  23  and  25  provides tracking data regarding document integrity and completion of its work on each respective document.  
      The exemplary system  11  also processes data from a sorter  27 . The sorter may be operated by the enterprise or by a contractor. The sorter  27  pre-sorts mail, for example, by destination ZIP code, to obtain mail delivery discounts from the postal service or other mail carrier. Like the inserters, the sorter provides tracking data regarding each piece of mail to the consolidation module  13 .  
      The truck  29  represents the general class of mail delivery systems, which would receive and process the finished documents. The mail delivery system may simply provide a tracking entry indicating that the document left the finishing shop at a particular date and time. However, the mail delivery system may offer additional downstream tracking. The US postal service, for example, tracks mail at various stages of the flow through its systems; and this data may be available and incorporated via the module  13 . Similar delivery tracking data may be obtained from commercial carriers, such as FedEx and UPS.  
      The data provided by the various systems  15 ,  19 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  and  29  tracks the processing and delivery of the physical mail that is going out from a company or other enterprise operation. The tracking data is received and processed via the consolidation module  13  and stored and made accessible via module  31 . For each mail piece, the tracking data may indicate the number of pages in the document, each insert added to the envelope (with the base document), the date and time it was processed by each respective piece of equipment, each machine on which the document was processed, the facility or location in which it was processed, etc. The tracking data may also indicate ‘which envelope’ the resulting materials went into. A lot of companies desire such tracking to make sure they use the right envelope stock, e.g. with correct logos, of the right size, etc. If the processing applies postage, the tracking data may also indicate the ‘postage amount’ applied to the mail piece. The tracking data provides an audit trail of each piece finished and sent out from the enterprise facilities. In the system  11 , the consolidation module  13  provides this data to a processing module  31 , for on-line access to the document processing details.  
      Via the processing module  31 , the enterprise may use the document tracking data to indicate what mail has been processed and when, what has not been processed, what mail is in-process and for in-process mail the stage of processing. The tracking data also indicates the integrity of each piece, e.g. what documents or other items were actually included with the base document in each envelope. The mail-room manager, for example, uses the tracking data to generate reports on the levels and efficiencies of operations of the finishing/mail room in generating and sending out documents. Customer representatives, or the like, may utilize data for individual documents to answer questions from customers, for example, regarding concerns about a statement or check or invoice they expected but did not receive.  
      An inserter  21 ,  23  or  25  may use IntelliCenter™ or MIS™ type software to provide the tracking data. The sorter may utilize Sabre™ or Winsort™ software to provide the tracking data. The electronic presentment program may utilize eRoute™. These existing products are separate software modules. One approach would be to use such modules and link the tracking and soft-copy data, e.g. so that the user might find one piece in one system and link to the data in the other system. A variety of techniques are known for linking the tracking data and the soft-copy files. Of course, another approach would be to write a new integrated program providing linked access to both the tracking data and the electronic document information.  
      In the example, the system would also include a camera (not shown) for capturing images of finished items, such as envelopes or packages. The data consolidation module supplies the final image data to a software module  33 , for storage and later access. In such an implementation, a camera takes a picture of each envelope coming out of the machine, and the snap-shot is stored and available for on-line viewing, e.g. as further evidence that the document was actually sent out.  
      The system  11  allows the end user or customer representative to view electronic information, in the form of processed data from the document and/or a soft-copy of all or part of the document, derived from the print file via the module  17 . Thus, it is possible to see information corresponding to the document that was actually sent. The system  11  offers additional corresponding electronic information, such as a camera image of the document envelope or package taken just before shipment, via the module  33 . Via the module  31 , the system  11  also offers a variety of tracking data, regarding the integrity of the document and the processing thereof, through the processing stages beginning with the output by the document source  15  and extending through transport in the delivery system represented by outbound shipment on the truck  29 . In several examples, this tracking data includes tracking through the postal or other delivery service, not just to truck pickup at the company&#39;s location, the tracking may include tracking of a response back to the sender/biller from the recipient.  
      Hence, the system  11  accumulates electronic information files corresponding to articles for mail delivery and tracking information regarding processing of the corresponding articles, as they progress through various stages of processing for physical mail delivery. The illustrated system then offers on-line electronic access, both to the tracking data and to respective electronic document related information files.  
      The discussion of  FIG. 1  focused on the functional aspects and software to process the data from the mail processing systems. An overall hardware system for providing electronic access to electronic files and to tracking information regarding the articles processed for mail delivery, might include a mail processing system, data storage and one or more computer systems.  FIG. 2  shows an example  100  of such an overall system. The overall system  100  includes a number of data processing systems, some of which are operated by the entity performing the tracking and electronic presentment services, and some of which are operated by others who handle or ship documents for the enterprise. The tracking and presentment service may be offered by a service provider to the enterprise that is sending the articles via the mail.  
      The mail processing system processes the articles intended for mail delivery, and it provides tracking data regarding its processing of each of the physical articles. A number of examples of such processing systems have been discussed earlier. In the example of  FIG. 2 , a mainframe or host computer  101  supplies print files or other soft copies of documents, as in the earlier example; and the documents are printed via the printer  103  in the normal manner. The example in  FIG. 2  includes one or more mail finishing systems represented by the inserter  107 , which could be any of the inserters discussed above relative to  FIG. 1 . Sorters also are provided. In this case, a sorting system  109  pre-sorts finished mail pieces before hand-off thereof to the postal service, typically, to maximize postal discounts.  
      The system  111  sorts in-bound mail received by the enterprise. Many mailings include return envelopes. The return envelopes may include tracking marks, e.g. in bar code form, that enable the system to correlate in-bound mail to the original finished mail pieces. The sorter  111  sorts all incoming mail, e.g. by department. Many such systems have the capability to detect codes on incoming mail pieces, including any such codes used to identify responses to the outgoing mail pieces. The sorting system  111  thus offers an opportunity to capture response data and enter that data together with the other tracking data and the on-line document presentment data. Although not shown in this first drawing, other mail handling systems may process in-bound mail and provide related tracking data, for example, systems to image, endorse and process data from incoming payment checks.  
      The system  100  of  FIG. 2  also includes mail delivery tracking systems. In the example, the system  121  is a tracking system operated by the postal service. A commercial carrier operates the tracking system  123 . These systems track mail pieces through the delivery process, from receipt by the mailer, through various internal transport stages, to final delivery to the intended recipients.  
      The systems  101  through  123  communicate via one or more data networks  125 . The network  125  typically provides packet data communication services and may include all or portions of various private networks. Some of the communications may also transit the public data network now commonly known as the Internet. Preferred embodiments of the system  100  utilize general purpose computers in the form of servers or host computers or in the form of personal computers (PCs), for the data storage and processing and for the desired user interface. These systems also communicate via the network  125 .  
      Hence, the routines for providing document tracking and presentment services, represented by the software system  11  of  FIG. 1 , run on a computer platform connected to the network  125 . The hardware example of  FIG. 2  assumes that this software runs on a general purpose type computer platform represented by the exemplary server  251 . For example, the host computer  101  supplies document print files to the server  351 . The printer  103  and the mail processing systems  107 - 123  supply tracking data regarding processing of the hard-copy documents to the server  351 . The system  251  provides storage for the tracking data and electronic files containing soft-copy information corresponding to respective hard-copy documents processed for mail delivery. The data storage also maintains linkages between the tracking data and the stored electronic files containing the corresponding soft-copy information.  
      The server  251  may be operated by the enterprise that is mailing the articles, or another entity may operate the server as a host or service bureau offering the integrated solution  11  to a number of enterprise customers.  
      The server system  251  offers one or more users on-line access to information in the data storage, including integrated access to the tracking data for the physical articles and the files containing the corresponding electronic information based on the linkages. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the computer system  251  may run other programs and/or host a wide range of applications used by the enterprise or other entity offering the tracking and electronic presentment services. Also, each system  251  may be implemented as a single computer system or as a distributed system having multiple appearances at different nodes on the network  125 .  
      There are many electronic formats that may be used for the electronic information presentment functions, including, for example, XML, HTML, PDF, JSP, ASP, PHP, CGI-BIN, ASCII, etc. The document file information from the source host computer system  101  may or may not be in a format that is compatible with electronic delivery. For example, if the service will offer web-based presentment via a network  125 , such as the Internet, the document files often will not be in a format compatible with web presentment technologies. However the file or files from the host will contain the useful information for processing and presentment. For example, if the documents are account statements, the files will contain the relevant data regarding activities in and status of the accounts. The processing for electronic presentment of the soft-copy document information will provide any reformatting of data necessary for using web technologies or the like to deliver the electronic information. The conversion function may also convert files to a format compatible with e-mail communication.  
      Those skilled in the art will recognize that the storage and format conversion(s) can be done in a variety of ways. As just one example, received documents could be stored in native print format, in which case the conversion to appropriate electronic output form (e.g., XML) might be done “on the fly” as a user requests access to specific information. Alternatively, the conversions may be done as print files are received, in which case, the server  251  stores the converted files for later use. Of course, other Internet friendly protocols could be used, such as HTML or PDF, just to name two examples.  
      The tracking data could be stored as records, in the format(s) provided by the various mail processing devices or systems  103 - 123 . In such a case, programming in the server would retrieve and integrate tracking data for a particular article selected or identified by a requesting user. Alternatively, the program-controlled processing by the server would parse and/or convert received tracking data and combine such data from diverse systems into a unified tracking record for each document or other type of article.  
      In the hardware example of  FIG. 2 , the user interface is provided via a client device in the form of a personal computer (PC)  351  or similar general purpose device. Although currently the most common type, those skilled in the art will recognize that the PC  351  is only one example of the types of terminal a user may operate to communicate with the server  251 . Other end-user devices include portable digital assistants (PDAs) with appropriate communication interfaces, cellular or other wireless telephone devices with web or Internet access capabilities, web-TV devices, etc. The various end-user devices may connect into the network  125 , via dial-up or various broadband connections or connect through a corporate Local Area Network (LAN), in order to communicate with the server  251 .  
      The user&#39;s client PC  351  communicates with the server  251  via the network  125 . Typically, the PC  351  will run a browser or similar program, which allows the user to select and view various information available via the network  125 , in this case, including the tracking data and electronic presentment information from the server  251 . The PC and browser may be standard, in that they need not use any specialized hardware or run any special programming, in order for the user to interact with the tracking data and presentment services offered by the server  251 . Of course, the PC  351  will typically run a variety of other programs of interest to the particular user. As noted earlier, the user may be an account representative or other employee/agent of the enterprise that is mailing the articles. In which case, the PC may be owned and operated by the enterprise. However, the user may be an intended recipient, in which case the PC  351  is owned and operated by another entity, typically, one of the enterprise&#39;s customers.  
      It is assumed that those skilled in the art are familiar with the structure and operation of general purpose computer platforms, such as the server  251  and the client PC  351 . However, for completeness, it may be helpful for some readers to consider a summary discussion here of exemplary general purpose computers.  
      Hence,  FIG. 2  includes a functional block diagram type illustration of the hardware of a general purpose computer implementation of the server system  251 , which may perform the functions of the integrated tracking and electronic document presentment service, such as that offered by the system  11  of  FIG. 1 . The exemplary computer system  251  contains a central processing unit (CPU)  252 , memories  253  and an interconnect bus  254 . The CPU  252  may contain a single microprocessor, or may contain a plurality of microprocessors for configuring the computer system  252  as a multi-processor system. The memories  253  include a main memory, a read only memory, and mass storage devices such as various disk drives, tape drives, etc. The main memory typically includes dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and high-speed cache memory. In operation, the main memory stores at least portions of instructions for execution and data for processing, by the CPU  252 .  
      The mass storage may include one or more magnetic disk or tape drives or optical disk drives, for storing data and instructions for use by CPU  252 . At least one mass storage system  255 , preferably in the form of a disk drive or tape drive, stores a database for the tracking data regarding the articles processed for mail delivery. The same or another mass storage system also stores the files containing the electronic information corresponding the articles processed for mail delivery. The mass storage  255  may also include one or more drives for various portable media, such as a floppy disk, a DVD, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), or an integrated circuit non-volatile memory adapter (i.e. PCMCIA adapter) to input and output data and code to and from the computer system  251 .  
      The system  251  also includes one or more input/output interfaces for communications, shown by way of example as an interface  259  for data communications via the network  125 . The interface  259  may be a modem, an Ethernet card or any other appropriate data communications device. To offer the tracking data and associated electronic document information presentment to a large number of users, the interface  259  preferably provides a relatively high-speed link to the network  125 . The same or another interface provides communications between system computers, e.g. between the sever  251  and computers/processors of the host  101  and the mail processing systems  103  to  123 . The physical communication links may be optical, wired, or wireless (e.g., via satellite or cellular network). Alternatively, the computer system  251  may comprise a mainframe or other type of host computer system capable of web-based communications via the network  125 .  
      Although not shown, the system  251  may further include appropriate input/output ports for interconnection with a local display and a keyboard or the like serving as a local user interface for programming purposes. Alternatively, the server operations personnel may interact with the system  251  for control and programming of the system from remote terminal devices via the network  125  or some other data communication link.  
      The computer system  251  runs a variety of applications programs and stores relevant data, such as the software system  11 . In server applications, one or more such application programs enable transmission of web pages for delivery of tracking data and for electronic presentment of document information via the network  125 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that the computer system  251  may run other programs and/or host other web-based or e-mail based services. In some applications, the same equipment may offer regular electronic presentment and bill payment functions to customers that have established electronic billing and payment accounts. As noted above, the system  251  may be implemented as a single computer system or as a distributed system having multiple appearances at different nodes on the network  125 .  
       FIG. 2  also includes a functional block diagram type illustration of the hardware of a PC or workstation type implementation of a user terminal system  351 . The exemplary computer system  351  contains a central processing unit (CPU)  352 , memories  353  and an interconnect bus  354 . The CPU  352  may contain a single microprocessor, or may contain a plurality of microprocessors for configuring the computer system  352  as a multi-processor system. The memories  353  include a main memory, a read only memory, and mass storage devices such as various disk drives, tape drives, etc. The main memory typically includes dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and high-speed cache memory. In operation, the main memory stores at least portions of instructions for execution and data for processing, by the CPU  352 .  
      The mass storage may include one or more magnetic disk or tape drives or optical disk drives, for storing data and instructions for use by CPU  352 . For a home PC, for example, at least one mass storage system  355  in the form of a disk drive or tape drive, stores the operating system and application software code (browser etc.) for loading into main memory for execution as well as data including received messages and documents. The mass storage  355  within the computer system  351  may also include one or more drives for various portable media, such as a floppy disk, a DVD, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), or an integrated circuit non-volatile memory adapter (i.e. PCMCIA adapter) to input and output data and code to and from the computer system  351 .  
      The system  351  also includes one or more input/output interfaces for communications, shown by way of example as an interface  359  for data communications via the network  125 . The interface  359  may be a modem, an Ethernet card or any other appropriate data communications device. The physical communication links may be optical, wired, or wireless (e.g., via satellite or cellular network).  
      The computer system  351  may further include appropriate input/output ports  356  for interconnection with a display  357  and a keyboard  358  serving as the respective user interface. For example, the computer may include a graphics subsystem to drive the output display  357 . The output display  357  may include a cathode ray tube (CRT) display or liquid crystal display (LCD). Although not shown, the PC type system typically would include a port for connection to a printer.  
      The input control devices for such an implementation of the system  351  would include the keyboard  358  for inputting alphanumeric and other key information. The input control devices for the system may further include a cursor control device, such as a trackball, stylus, or cursor direction keys. In the illustrated example, the system includes a mouse  361  for cursor control and associated selection input. The mouse  361  connects via one of the I/O parts  356 . The links of the peripherals  357 ,  358  and  361  to the system  351  may be wired connections or use wireless communications. Each computer system  351  runs a variety of applications programs and stores data, enabling one or more interactions via the user interface, provided through elements such as  357 ,  358  and  361 , and/or over the network  125 , at least to implement the user interface for the electronic access to the tracking data and corresponding electronic document information. Typically, a PC will run a collection of other application programs.  
      The components contained in the computer systems  251  and  351  are those typically found in general purpose computer systems used as servers, workstations, personal computers, network terminals, and the like. In fact, these components are intended to represent a broad category of such computer components that are well known in the art.  
      Certain aspects of the invention relate to the software elements, such as the executable code of the software system  11  and the records and files containing the tracking data and the corresponding electronic information. At different times all or portions of the executable code, tracking data and soft-copy files may reside in physical media or be carried by electromagnetic media. The various software components may reside in or be transported via a variety of different media. Physical media include the memory of the computer processing systems  251 ,  251 , such as various semiconductor memories, tape drives, disc drives and the like of general-purpose computer systems. All or portions of the software may at times be communicated through the network  125  or various other telecommunication networks. Such communications, for example, may serve to load the software  11  from another computer (not shown), for example, into the server  351  or into any other computer system used in the document tracking and electronic presentment service. Thus, other types of media that may bear the software elements includes optical, electrical and electromagnetic waves, such as used across physical interfaces between local devices, as well as the wired and optical landline networks and various air-links that transport such carrier waves.  
      Terms relating to computer or machine “readable medium” as used herein refer to any medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution or for carrying data to or from a processor for storage or manipulation. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as in any of the storage devices in the systems of  FIG. 2 . Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as main memory. Transmission media include coaxial cables; copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a bus within a computer system. Transmission media can also take the form of electric or electromagnetic signals, or acoustic or light waves such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Various forms of computer or machine readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions or data to a processor for execution or processing.  
      The access methodology may link on-line presentment of electronic information to tracking data obtained from various systems that prepare items for mailing, handle the items during shipment through the actual mail stream or even handle corresponding return mail. The on-line service can present information and related hard-copy tracking data, for example, to a representative of a sender or mailer of the hard-copy items or to intended recipients and/or respondents.  
      The systems and software discussed above can offer a variety of procedures for accessing the linked tracking data and electronic presentment information. In the example of  FIG. 3 , the integrated access process begins with a request for tracking data regarding a selected item, received from the user. The system  11  may offer a number of options for a user to select a particular item. The user may be given options to search for a particular document for which to view tracking information. Search criteria can be account number, customer, processing date/time, processing facility, or any of the other known data points of interest to the particular enterprise and/or its customers.  
      In the example, a user requests tracking information (at S 1 ) and enters a unique customer ID (S 2 ). The system uses that ID to determine if there are any document records associated with that ID (S 3 ). If so, the system presents a list of the documents found, and the user selects a particular record of interest (S 4 ).  
       FIG. 4  is an exemplary first User View, in which the user receives a listing of all documents or other items that have been sent or are in process for sending to the particular recipient, e.g. the person corresponding to the identified account. In the flow chart of  FIG. 3 , the system presented a list of the documents found, and in step S 4  the user selects a particular record of interest. Based on the selection, the system  11  provides a web page display of delivery tracking details (S 5 ).  
      In a variant shown in  FIG. 4 , the initial User View  401  lists (at  403 ) all the statements for an identified customer account, and the list shows some tracking data for each listed statement, such as date/time of processing, number of pages, number of inserts, and facility. Identification information, such as segment name and envelope sequence number may also be included in the tracking data. In the example of  FIG. 4 , the last field to the right of the listing  403  indicates status, in this case, as processed or not processed. More or fewer data fields and/or fields of different types will be provided in different systems or different enterprise applications depending on the needs of the enterprise and/or the relevant tracking data that is available for processing.  
      Each mail-piece tracking record has a link to a statement image or to processed information from that image. In the example of  FIG. 4 , the user highlights a statement on the list  403  using a cursor control and selection input. A menu  405  provides several user options relating to the account and/or the selected statement. At least one menu option is link to on-line presentment regarding the selected document. In the example, the first link  407  in the menu  405  enables viewing of detailed account information, typically obtained by processing of the print file for the user-selected document. This or another link could lead to an actual file containing an image of the document in or convertible to an appropriate on-line viewing format. In this example, the menu  405  also offers other options, such as an option to view a payment history and an option to create a new payment (e.g. to pay the latest bill).  
      Upon presenting the requested tracking data to the user (S 5  in  FIG. 3 ), the user may select the link to the soft-copy information corresponding to the selected item. If the user does not select to view a statement image, then step S 6  causes a branch back to step S 2 , in which the system is expecting a user input of another customer ID. In response to a user activation of a link (e.g. link  407  in the view of  FIG. 4 ), which indicates a request to view an image of the statement identified in step S 5 , the branching at step S 6  leads to step S 7 . In step S 7 , the system enables the user to via at least some electronic information of the corresponding soft-copy statement.  
       FIG. 5  shows the User View  501  that is presented if the user selects the first link  407  from the menu  405  in the view  401  of  FIG. 4 . Essentially, activation of the first link  407  from the menu  405  causes the system to provide a display of the processed image data (in HTML or PDF format) derived from the document print file. In the flow-chart of  FIG. 3 , the system offers additional options (S 8 ). Hence, from the view shown in  FIG. 5 , the user can view only, print to a local printer, email, fax, apply payment, etc. The flow ( FIG. 3 ) concludes after step S 9  in which the system performs the selected additional function with regard to the statement image.  
      In the example of  FIG. 5 , the image presented is one derived from processing the data contained in the account statement. Alternatively, the system could provide an image that has substantially the same appearance as the print document. If the system includes a camera to take a picture of the finished envelope, the system would also offer the user the option to view that image.  
      In the process discussed above relative to  FIGS. 3-5 , the user viewed the tracking information and then linked to the electronic information. It should be noted that those steps of the processing could be reversed, e.g. so that the user searches for a particular on-line image or other type of electronic presentment information, and then the user clicks the link to view integrity tracking information regarding the associated physical article. This second approach is shown in the flow-chart of  FIG. 6 . In view of the detailed discussion of  FIGS. 3-5 , it is believed that the illustration of the modified processing shown in  FIG. 6  should be self-explanatory. Of course, there are other variants that may allow the user to access both the tracking data and the information from the corresponding soft copy file. Another approach is for the user to search for the account, and the account view would offer links to both services.  
      The drawings and the description above are given by way of example, as a detailed disclosure of presently envisioned embodiments of the integrated article tracking and electronic presentment service. While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the best mode and/or other preferred embodiments, it is understood that various modifications may be made therein and that the invention or inventions disclosed herein may be implemented in various forms and embodiments, and that they may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and all modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the present concepts.