Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Reference is made to commonly assigned patent applications Ser. No. 10/238,874 filed herewith entitled “Method For Detecting And Redirecting Major Mailer&#39;s Special Service Mail” in the name of Ronald P. Sansone; Ser. No. 10/238,405 filed herewith entitled “Method For Processing And Delivering Registered Mail” in the name of Leon A. Pintsov; and Ser. No. 10/238,864 filed herewith entitled “Method For Maintaining The Integrity Of A Mailing Using Radio Frequency Identification Tags” in the names of Leon S. Pintsov, Kenneth G. Miller, Kwan Cheung Wong and John H. Winkelman. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates generally to the field of mailing systems and, more particularly, to systems for locating mail. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Governments have created Posts for collecting, sorting and distributing the mail. The Post typically charges mailers for delivering the mail. Mailers may pay the Post for its service by purchasing a stamp, i.e., a printed adhesive label, issued by the Post at specified prices that is affixed to all letters, parcels or other mail matter to show prepayment of postage. The placing of one or more stamps on a mail piece is a labor-intensive endeavor. Thus, only individuals, small or home offices, and small businesses, typically use stamps. 
   Businesses with large mail volumes often use alternate means of evidencing postage. One such means of payment accepted by the Post is mail that is metered by a postage meter. A postage meter is a mechanical or electromechanical device that maintains, through mechanical or “electronic registers” or “postal security devices,” an account of all postage printed, and the remaining balance of prepaid postage; and prints postage postmarks (indicia) or provides postage postmarks (indicia) information to a printer that are accepted by the postal service as evidence of the prepayment of postage. 
   The United States Postal Service “Post”) currently handles large volumes of such mail, i.e., first class mail, standard A mail, standard B mail, etc., hereinafter referred to as “normal mail”. However, when it comes to special service mail, i.e., priority mail, certified mail, registered mail, etc., the Post uses gummed service stickers and forms to indicate evidence of payment and to process the special service mail. The use of gummed service stickers and completion of forms by hand is time consuming and error prone and hence raises the expense for receiving these services. For example, some special service mail may become mixed with normal mail potentially causing failure for the Post to provide the purchased service. To better ensure that the service is rendered, some services, e.g., certified mail, require the mailer to physically deliver the mail piece to the Post. 
   Mail of both of the abovementioned types may be posted at the Post, deposited in a Post mail drop, a street mail drop or any other Post receptacle. Special services mail should be expeditiously handled by the Post and should only be transported with other special service mail. Unfortunately, since special service mail and normal mail may use the same induction points, special service mail may be co-mingled with regular mail as mentioned earlier. Thus, the Post has to extract special service mail from regular mail. If the special service mail is not properly identified, the special service mail will travel with regular mail and may be delivered with regular mail without the special service requested by the sender, that is, the party paying for the special service may not receive the special service. 
   A disadvantage of the prior art is that once a special service mail piece is accepted by the Post or other carrier and placed in a tray or bag, the Post or other carrier has limited means for determining the current location of the special service mail piece. 
   Another disadvantage of the prior art is that the carrier is not able to determine the location of misdirected mail until the mail is delivered to the delivery Post or delivery office. Rerouting the mail to the correct delivery Post or delivery office is time consuming and expensive. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by utilizing a system that enables special service mail to be detected automatically and separated from normal mail. The invention also enables carriers, e.g., United States Postal Service®, FedEx®, Emory®), Airborne®, DHL®, United Parcel Service®, etc., to determine the location of special service mail as it travels within their systems. 
   By the carrier knowing the location of the mail, the carrier is able to redirect misdirected mail. The foregoing saves the carrier time and money, since the carrier determines that the mail is misdirected earlier in the delivery cycle. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a drawing of a mail piece having a radio frequency identification tag; 
       FIG. 2  is a drawing showing how mail is processed in the entry office of a carrier; and 
       FIG. 3  is a drawing showing how mail is processed from the entry office of a carrier to the recipient. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , the reference character  11  represents a mail piece that has a sender address field  12 , a recipient address field  13 , a postal indicia  14 , a radio frequency identification tag  15 , and a bar code  16  that contains specified information. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tag  15  may be the Philips 4×6 RFID Smart Label manufactured by RAFEC USA of 999 Oakmont Plaza Drive, Suite 200, Westmont, Ill. 60559. The information contained in tag  15  is the sender address field  12 , recipient address field  13 , and type of special service to be performed by the carrier, i.e., priority mail, certified mail, registered mail, express mail, etc. The information contained in bar code  16  and the recipient&#39;s expected delivery time are also written into tag  15  by a radio frequency identification tag printer (not shown). The radio frequency identification tag printer may be the Zebra R140 printer manufactured by Zebra Technologies Corporation of 333 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills, Ill. 60061. Indicia  14  and tag  15  may be placed on a paper tape  17  that is adhered to mail piece  11 , or indicia  14  may be printed directly on mail piece  11 , and tag  15  is affixed to mail piece  11 . 
     FIG. 2  is a drawing showing how mail is processed in the entry office  18  of a carrier. Letter mail that is deposited in tray  19  by major mailer  20  contains a bar code  21  on the outside of tray  19 . Bar code  21  indicates the destination (postal code) of tray  19 . Tray  19  is delivered to bulk mail center  22  of office  18 . Optical character/bar code reader  23  reads the information contained in bar code  21 , and radio frequency identification reader  24  reads the information contained in tag  15  ( FIG. 1 ) of mail contained within the tray. Mail that contains a tag  15  will be placed in a tray  44  that has a bar code  45  for mail that is going to the same destination office as tray  44 . Tray  44  will pass through outbound exit  28  of entry office  18  as the delivery process of tray  44  proceeds. Outbound exit  28  contains optical readers  29  that read bar code  45  and radio frequency identification readers  30  that read any tag  15  that may be present. If mail containing a tag  15  is detected in a tray  44 , that mail is sent back to the input of RFID/Sorter  25 , provided it is not going to the same destination office as tray  44 . 
   Radio frequency identification (RFID) reader  24  may be the model SL EV900 reader manufactured by Philips Semiconductors of 1109 McKay Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95131. Some mail containing a tag  15  will go to RFID/Sorter  25  where the mail will be placed in a tray  26  that has a bar code  27  on the outside of tray  26 . Bar code  27  indicates the destination office of tray  26 . Only mail that has a tag  15  affixed thereto is contained in tray  26 . Tray  26  contains mail with tags  15  affixed thereto that will pass through outbound exit  28  of entry office  18  as the delivery process of tray  26  proceeds. Outbound exit  28  contains optical readers  29  that read bar code  27  and radio frequency identification readers  30  that read tags  15 . If mail containing a tag  15  does not go to the destination indicated by bar code  27 , that mail is sent back to the input of reader  99  so that it may be placed in a special service mail tray that is going to the correct destination office. 
   Collection letter mail may be metered letter mail that is produced at a mailer site  35  that is able to place postal indicia  14  on mail  11  ( FIG. 1 ) with a postage meter (not shown) and a tag  15  on the mail with a radio frequency identification label printer (not shown), or stamped mail or metered mail. Collection mail may also be mail that is received from a household  31 . Collection letter mail is sent to advanced facer canceller (hereinafter “AFCS”)  36 . AFCS  36  contains a radio frequency identification reader  37  that reads tags  15 . 
   AFCS  36  faces the letter mail and then AFCS  36  electronically identifies and separates prebarcoded mail, handwritten addresses and machine-imprinted address pieces for faster processing through automation. Letter mail that AFCS  36  determines is optical character readable is sent to OCR read and sort  38 . Read and sort  38  reads the entire address on the mail sprays a bar code on the mail, if needed; and then sorts the mail. The mail is then placed in a tray  39  that has a bar code  40  on the outside of tray  39 . Bar code  40  indicates the destination of tray  39  and other information about the contents of tray  39 . Only mail that does not have a tag  15  affixed thereto should be contained in tray  39 . Tray  39  will pass through outbound exit  28  of entry office  18  as the delivery process of tray  39  proceeds. Outbound exit  28  contains optical readers  29  that read bar code  40 , and radio frequency identification readers  30  that read any tag  15  that may be present. If mail containing a tag  15  not for the destination office is detected in tray  39 , that mail is sent back to the input of reader  99  so that it may be placed in a tray that is going to the correct destination office. Letter mail that AFCS  36  determines is not optical character readable is sent to manual look up scan and merge  41  where the mail is manually processed. Radio frequency identification reader  37  reads tags  15  and sends the mail containing a tag  15  to RFID/Sorter  25 . 
   Mail that is produced at household  31  and other mail may be brought directly to the carrier at lobby counter  42 . The mailer will pay the carrier the necessary amount to deliver the mail in accordance with the delivery service requested. Postage meter  43  and radio frequency identification printer  48  will print postal indicia on special service mail. Postage meter  43  will place postal indicia on normal mail, i.e., first class mail, standard A mail and standard B mail. Mail that just contains postal indicia will be sent to the input of optical character reader  99 . RFID tag printer  48  will print a tag  15  ( FIG. 1 ) on special service mail, i.e., priority mail, certified mail, registered mail, etc., and meter  43  will print a postal indicia  14  on special service mail. Printer  48  may be the Zebra model R140 manufactured by Zebra Technologies Corporation of 333 Corporate Woods Parkway Vernon Hills, Ill. 60061-3109. Special service mail will be sent to the input of RFID/Sorter  25 . 
     FIG. 3  is a drawing showing how mail is processed from entry office  18  of a carrier to the recipient. At outbound mail exit  28 , optical scanners  29  read the information contained in bar codes  27 ,  40  and  45  that are respectively affixed to trays  26 ,  39  and  44  and radio frequency identification readers  30  read any tag  15  that may be present in a tray or tub to which bar codes  27 ,  40  and  45  are affixed. 
   All mail in tray  26  that has a tag  15  and is going to the destination specified in bar code  27  will be sent to special transport distribution node  50 . Optical scanner  51  and RFID scanner  52 , respectively, will read barcode  27  that is affixed to tray  26  and tags  15  as they enter special distribution node  50 , and optical scanner  53  and RFID scanner  54 , respectively, will read code  27  and tags  15  as tray  26  exit distribution node  50 . Tray  26  containing mail having tags  15  affixed thereto will be delivered to destination carrier office  55 . 
   At this point, RFID Special Service sorter  56  will sort the mail contained in tray  26 . Then, the mail will be delivered to the recipient by being deposited in mail box  57 . The mail may also be delivered directly to the recipient or to a representative of the recipient based upon the special services requested by the sender. 
   Trays  39  and  44  will be delivered to standard transportation distribution node  60 . Then trays  39  and  44  will be delivered to destination carrier office  55 . Sorter  61  will sort the mail contained in trays  39  and  44 . Then, the mail will be delivered to the recipient by being deposited in mail box  57 . The mail may also be delivered directly to the recipient or to a representative of the recipient based upon the special services requested. 
   The above specification describes a new and improved method for detecting mail that is transported in trays or tubs. It is realized that the above description may indicate to those skilled in the art additional ways in which the principles of this invention may be used without departing from the spirit. Therefore, it is intended that this invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Category: g