Patent ID: 8346675

Claim:
A method for tracking postal service performance using a computerized tracking system and tag mail pieces having machine readable indicia indicating an identification code for each tag mail piece, comprising: assigning delivery destinations to each tag mail piece using the computerized tracking system by querying a server with the identification code, wherein each tag mail piece is not marked with a delivery destination; at an originating postal facility, sorting the tag mail pieces on postal mail sorting machines according to a sort scheme whereby the tag mail pieces are each grouped with mail addressed to the delivery destinations assigned to the grouped tag mail pieces; transporting the groups of mail grouped with tag mail pieces to a destinating postal facility; scanning each tag mail piece to determine date and time of arrival of each tag mail piece at a series of locations, which scanning is carried out at multiple locations to determine transit times between locations for each tag mail piece, wherein the multiple locations include the originating postal facility, the destinating postal facility, and the delivery destinations, wherein the tag mail pieces are scanned at the delivery destinations without being delivered to the delivery destinations; returning the tag mail pieces from the delivery destinations to a postal facility which may be the same or different from the originating postal facility in the assigning step; re-assigning the returned tag mail pieces to different delivery destinations to determine transit times between different locations; and analyzing tag arrival data from the scanning step using the computerized tracking system programmed to identify tag arrival data associated with postal performance problems.