Patent ID: 7233907

Claim:
A method of scheduling a delivery as an addition to a planned delivery route of a delivery vehicle, said planned delivery route including a plurality of regularly-scheduled stops and a predetermined path extending between said regularly-scheduled stops on a projected time schedule, said method comprising the steps of: (A) receiving, from a sender, an item and a request for delivery of said item at a selected level of service to a recipient; (B) scanning said item to retrieve delivery information; (C) determining whether said delivery requires departure from said planned delivery route; (D) determining, independent of parameters of said level of service, whether one or more cost-effective time windows exist in which a cost of delivery of said item to said recipient is equal to or below a predetermined cost threshold; (E) in response at least in part to determining (i) said delivery requires departure from said planned route and (ii) one or more of said cost-effective time windows exist, using said delivery information to automatically initiate the transmission of a message to said recipient via a communications system indicating that said recipient may schedule delivery of said item to said recipient within one of said one or more cost-effective time windows; (F) receiving a response from said recipient including a selection of one of said cost-effective time windows; and (G) scheduling said delivery to be made by said delivery vehicle within the selected one of said cost-effective time windows during said planned delivery route.