Patent ID: 8016195

Claim:
A method for the verification of individually presented items of mail provided with machine-readable identification codes unique for the item of mail, the method comprising the steps of: reading the identification code of a presented item of mail, checking the identification code that has been read against machine-readable information about intended items of mail and their status, removing the current item of mail if the identification code is not present on the intended items of mail or is illegible, checking the status of the current item of mail against the machine-readable information about intended items of mail and their status in order to determine whether the current item of mail has previously been delivered; and i) if the current item of mail has previously been delivered, the current item of mail is removed ii) if the current item of mail has not previously been delivered, the information about the status of the current item is updated with information that the current item of mail has been delivered and the current item of mail is allowed to pass as a verified delivery, and an item of mail that has been approved for delivery is retained until a subsequent item of mail has been identified and approved for delivery.