Patent ID: 8157168

Claim:
A data collection system for implementation in an item delivery system wherein deliveries are made by delivery vehicles which travel along delivery routes that originate at a supplier facility, pass through one or more delivery locations and terminate at said supplier facility, said data collection system comprising: (a) a network disposed at said supplier facility, said network having an access point and an addressable printer in communication with said access point, said access point wirelessly transmitting a network identifier of said network; (b) a data collection device carried by said vehicle, said data collection device having an encoded information reading unit and incorporating a radio transceiver capable of communication with said access point; (c) a confirmation module included in said data collection device processing data to determine whether said data collection device is returning to said supplier facility; (d) wherein said data collection device is configured to automatically address a print command to said printer to automatically print data collected during execution of said route when receiving said network identifier from said network, provided that an output of said confirmation module indicates that said data collection device is returning to said supplier facility.