Patent ID: 8036993

Claim:
A method for providing an item redirection service, comprising the stages of: receiving registration information for registering one or more recipients for the item redirection service, the registration information including delivery schedules associated with the recipients and specifying one or more periods during which the recipients desire to redirect items addressed to the recipients to alternate addresses associated with the recipients; receiving, at a first address plant, an item addressed to a recipient at a first address; determining, by a computing system, whether the recipient is registered for the item redirection service; and when it is determined that the recipient is registered for the item redirection service: holding the received item at the first address plant without delivering the item to the recipient at the first address; determining, by the computing system and based on a delivery schedule associated with the recipient, whether a present time corresponds to a period during which the recipient desires to redirect items to an alternate address associated with the recipient; and when it is determined that the present time corresponds to a time period during which the recipient desires to redirect items to the alternate address: readdressing the held item to the recipient at the alternate address; and sending the readdressed item to the alternate address; wherein the items are physical mail pieces, and the first address and the alternate address are physical addresses.