Patent ID: 7962421

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for providing a classification of an address on a mailpiece, comprising: steps performed by a computer before the mailpiece is mailed, the steps comprising: determining a standardized postal code and a delivery point code for the address; searching for the standardized postal code in a postal code table; displaying a first indicator representing a first classification corresponding to the standard postal code in the postal code table for the address, when the standardized postal code is found within the postal code table; searching a delivery point code table for the delivery point code, when the standardized postal code is not found within the postal code table; displaying the first indicator representing the first classification corresponding to the delivery point code in the delivery point code table for the address, when the delivery point code is found within the delivery point code table; displaying a residential delivery indicator representing a second classification for the address, when the standardized postal code is not found within the postal code table and the delivery point code is not found within the delivery point code table; determining whether the mailpiece is subject to surcharges based on at least one of the first or the second classification; calculating, for a plurality of carriers, a delivery rate of the mailpiece based on at least one of the first or the second classification and the determined surcharges; and selecting a carrier from among the plurality of carriers based on the address, the first or the second classification, a time for delivery, and the delivery rate.