Patent ID: 7215794

Claim:
A method for reading addresses on mail items, comprising the steps of: recording images of mail item surfaces, the surfaces including the addresses thereon; storing and video coding the images with a plurality of video coding stations, whereto corresponding video coding orders are distributed by an order distributing device, and each member of the video coding personnel enters, at his video coding station, a personal identifier which in each case is signaled to the order distributing device; determining a current individual error rate for initial video coding processes for each member of the video coding personnel at defined intervals and stored in the order distributing device, and carrying out a second video coding process only for the video coded addresses which were not video coded successfully a first time by video coding personnel with highest current individual error rates, the error rates being defined in accordance with an overall coding error rate to be maintained by video coding personnel who are free at a particular time and have lowest current individual error rates, so that a number of images which are to be video coded a second time is reduced.