Patent ID: 7392198

Claim:
A method for tracking postal items during distribution processes, in which a shipping sequence of each postal item is stored in a data record configured to be interrogated, comprising: receiving a postal item at one of a plurality of distribution centers for shipment to a destination distribution center, said one of a plurality of distribution centers being an original distribution center for said postal item, wherein each distribution center comprises a computer configured to store data records associated with postal items posted at the respective distribution center; determining at the original distribution center a destination address of the postal item; providing the postal item at the original distribution center with an identification key which identifies the postal item uniquely; creating a data record configured to be changed and supplemented for each postal item, said data record containing a reference number and data that characterizes the postal item and a shipping sequence, at least for the duration of the shipping sequence and said data record being maintained at the postal item's original distribution center; transporting the postal item in accordance with the determined destination address from the original distribution center towards the destination distribution center; in advance of arrival of the postal item at a distribution center, said distribution center being one of a further distribution center and the destination distribution center, forwarding information about the transported postal item as advance information to said distribution center, wherein the advance information includes data that characterizes each postal item to be forwarded to said distribution center; in each distribution center to which the postal item has been transported, subjecting the postal item to a process for obtaining the identification key to determine the reference number of the postal item; wherein, if obtaining the identification key is successful, the obtained identification key is used to determine the postal item's reference number, and wherein the postal item is assigned to the advance information, associated with the reference number, and wherein, if obtaining the identification key is not successful, the postal item's reference number is determined through determining at least one characteristic of the postal item, using the at least one characteristic to search the advance information for a matching characteristic, which is associated with a reference number, and assigning the reference number associated with the matching characteristic to the postal item; electronically transmitting current data characterizing the shipping sequence of the postal item with the postal item's reference number from each of said further distribution center and the destination center in the course of the distribution process to the original distribution center; and changing the data record associated with the respective reference number and stored in the computer at the postal item's original distribution center.