Patent ID: 7933844

Claim:
A method for parcel sorting and delivery, the method comprising: reading by a mailing computer, during a first sortation pass, all machine readable indicia and at least a portion of delivery address information on a parcel, the machine readable indicia having been applied to the parcel prior to mailing, the reading including capturing image data representing the machine readable indicia and the portion of the delivery address information; determining by a mailing computer if any combination of the machine readable indicia applied to the parcel and contained in the image data is unique in a first database and selecting a unique machine readable indicia combination, if present, and interpreting the image data corresponding to the unique machine readable indicia combination to generate a reference indicia, the reference indicia including identified data representing a combination of discrete machine readable indicia, and if not combination of machine readable indicia is unique in the first database, then selecting a non-unique combination of machine readable indicia and interpreting the image data corresponding to the non-unique combination of machine readable indicia to generate the reference indicia; creating an entry by a mailing computer, corresponding to the reference indicia, in the first database, the entry including a portion of the delivery address information for the parcel and a value corresponding to the reference indicia; determine by a mailing computer whether the delivery address information has a corresponding forwarding order by accessing a pre-existing second database, different from the first database, and, when a corresponding forwarding order exists, modifying the portion of the delivery address information stored in the entry of the first database, the modification being made in accordance with the forwarding order; forwarding by a mailing computer the entry to a third database, different from the first and second database, the third database associated with a destination sorting facility different from a sorting facility associated with the first database; reading by a mailing computer the machine readable indicia from the parcel during a second sortation pass, subsequent to the first, identifying the reference indicia and retrieving an entry corresponding to the reference indicia from the third database; storing by a mailing computer the parcel according to delivery address information contained in the entry retrieved from the third database; and delivering the parcel to a location corresponding to the delivery address information retrieved from the third database, wherein the delivering takes place without applying a forwarding address to the parcel when a forwarding order corresponding to the delivery address information on the parcel is in effect.