Patent ID: 7778840

Claim:
A method for providing an electronic change of physical address service from an old physical address of a customer to a new physical address of the customer, comprising: providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of physical address information; receiving the change of physical address information at the change of address server via a network; creating a first change of address record at the change of address server representing the change of physical address information; validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server; electronically transferring the first change of address record to a service center when the identity is valid; creating a second change of address record at the service center by modifying the first change of address record received from the change of address server; forwarding the second change of address record electronically from the service center to a forwarding service unit corresponding to the old address of the customer; processing, by the forwarding service unit, the second change of address record received from the service center electronically to automatically redirect physical mail addressed to the old physical address of the customer to the new physical address of the customer; and providing a service for reestablishing contact with a second customer who has changed an address from a second old physical address to a second new physical address comprising: receiving a request from the customer having the second old physical address of the second customer to re-establish contact with the second customer; determining the second new physical address for the second customer based on a database storing archived change of address information including the second old physical address and the second new physical address; and providing the new physical address of the customer to the second customer at the second new physical address.