AU2003220710B2

AU2003220710B2 - Distribution Quality Control System

Info

Publication number: AU2003220710B2
Application number: AU2003220710A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jason Ince
Original assignee: GRANGEGLEN Pty Ltd
Current assignee: GRANGEGLEN Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2002-07-24
Filing date: 2003-07-21
Publication date: 2007-11-29
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-22
Also published as: AU2003220710A1

Description

21.Jul. 2003 8I:46 Wallington-Dummer Sydney No.2128 P. 4 P/00/0011 Regulation 3..2

AUSTRALIA

Pamn Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for service in Australia: Invention Title: GrangeG]en Pty Ltd Jason Ince

WALLINGTON-DUMMER

GPO Box 3888, Sydney NSW 2001 (Suite 904, 37 Bligh Street, Sydney NSW 2000) Distribution Quality Control System The fillowing statemnent is a f] descriplion of thi inventio, incuding the best method of pfunnrming it known to us COMS ID No: SMBI-00348102 Received by IP Australia: Time 18:51 Date 2003-07-21 12. Sep. 2007 23:39 No. 1687 P. 4 2 0 e, DISTRIBUTION QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEM SThe present invention relates to systems for the monitoring of distribution conformance and, more particularly to the monitoring of mail distribution over a 0 designated area.

ci fT^ BACKGROUND O Despite the usefulness of electronic media for correspondence and advertising, a vital communication link between households and businesses remains that of distributed addressed and un-addressed mail.

The quality control of the means of delivery of both addressed and un-addressed mail is generally reliant on complaints of non-receipt in the case of addressed mail and spot checks for un-addressed mail.

In both cases failure of the delivery system leads to economic loss by the system operator and, particularly in the case of addressed mail, may have serious consequences for the sender and intended recipient.

In both cases it is difficult to ascertain with any degree of certainty that a designated area of mail delivery was properly and completely covered in an appropriate time frame by the responsible deliverer.

COMS ID No: ARCS-160739 Received by IP Australia: Time 23:44 Date 2007-09-12 Nov,. 2007 8:29 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No.2129 P. 4 3 0 0 It is an object of the present invention to address or O ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION SAccordingly, in a first broad form of the invention, there is S 5 provided a mail delivery quality control system including a base station and at least one portable electronic device, said Cl portable electronic device adapted to receive geographic position odata from GPS satellites and transmit said geographic position C'l data, time and identification data to said base station; said portable electronic device provided to a mail delivery person for delivery of mail by said delivery person in a designated mail delivery area; a batch of mail for said designated delivery area prepared at a central control facility for delivery to a local collection points within said designated mail delivery area; said local collection point comprising a secure mail storage facility accessible' for collection of said batch of mail by said delivery person for delivery in said designated mail delivery area.

Preferably, the transmission of said geographic position data, time and identification data is transmitted to said base station at predetermined intervals of time over the duration of a mail delivery period.

Preferably, the transmission of said geographic position data, time and identification data is transmitted to said base station on command from said base station.

COMS ID No: ARCS-167331 Received by IP Australia: Time 09:35 Date 2007-11-05 Nov. 2007 8:30 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No. 2129 P. 4 Cl The mail delivery quality control system of claim I wherein O said mail is addressed mail.

z Preferably, said mail is un-addressed mail.

Preferably, a said portable electronic device is carried by O 5 a said delivery person during said mail delivery period and the traversing of a designated delivery route within said 0 Cl designated mail delivery area.

SPreferably, a said portable electronic device is adapted to 0 Cl transmit geographic position data, time and delivery person identification data to said base at predetermined intervals.

Preferably, a said portable electronic device is adapted to transmit geographic position data, time and delivery person identification data to said base on command from said base station.

Preferably, said transmitted geographic position data is correlated with a map of a said designated mail delivery area.

In another broad form of the invention, there is provided a mail delivery quality control system including a base station and at least one portable electronic device, said portable electronic device adapted to receive geographic position data from GPS satellites and record said geographic position data, time and identification data at predetermined intervals of time over the duration of said mail delivery period; said portable electronic device provided to a delivery person for COMS ID No: ARCS-167331 Received by IP Australia: Time 09:35 Date 2007-11-05 Nov. 2007 8:30 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No. 2129 P. 6 I- 0 0- delivery of mail by said delivery person in a designated mail 0 delivery area; a batch of mail for said designated delivery area prepared at a central control facility for delivery to a 0 local collection points within said designated mail delivery area; said local collection point comprising a secure mail storage facility accessible for collection of said batch of Cl mail by said delivery person for delivery in said designated Smail delivery area.

Cl The mail delivery quality control system of claim 10 wherein said mail is addressed mail.

Preferably, said mail is un-addressed mail.

Preferably, a said portable electronic device is carried by a said delivery person during said mail delivery period and the traversing of a designated delivery route within said designated mail delivery area.

Preferably, said recorded geographic position data, time and identification data is downloaded to a personal computer at the conclusion of said mail delivery period and transmitted to said base station via the internet.

Preferably, said mail is sorted and prepared at a central control facility for distribution to said mail delivery personnel for delivery to a plurality of mail delivery areas.

Preferably, said local collection points are secure storage facilities accessible to authorized delivery personnel.

COMS ID No: ARCS-167331 Received by IP Australia: Time 09:35 Date 2007-11-05 12. Sep. 2007 23:40 No. 1687 P. 8 S 6 BRIEF DE9SCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1: Iliustrates diagrammatically a first 0 preferred embodiment enFigure 2: Illustrates digamtcly a scn 2iur Ilsrts diagrammatically seconrd preferred embodiment DETAILUD'DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED -EMBODIMNTS With reference to figure 1, a first preferred embodiment of a mail delivery quality assurance system according to the invention will now be described- A mail delivery area 18 is allocated a designated delivery route 21 as determined from a locality map' of the area. A given delivery time duration is associated with the delivery route 21 and data comprising the area 18, route 21 and associated delivery time duration are stored in a computer system maintained at base station 11. Preferably, the delivery route is digitized as a collection of geographical coordinates compatible with the GFS system and available for graphical display generated by the computer system.

COMS ID No: ARCS-i 60739 Received by P1 Australia: Time 23:44 Date 2007-09-12 12. Sep. 2007 23:40 No. 1687 P. 9 7 This data comprising the designated delivery route and

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C'O associated delivery time constitute the delivery task Ce criteria against which the quality assurance assessment is made. For compliance with the criteria, a delivery person 0 must completely traverse the designated route over the 0 delivery time duration.

C Delivery personnel 17 are provided with portable 0 electronic devices 12 comprising a GPS receiver/recorder and a transmitter. In this first embodiment, the GPS receiver/recorder monitors the current geographic position as triangulated from GPS satellites 23, of delivery personnel 17 at predetermined time intervals during a delivery period, and relays the geographic data and the identification code of the delivery person to the base station.

Alternatively, transmission 14 of the data could occur on demand by the base station 11 sending a signal to the transmitter 12 of the delivery person 17, for example on a random sampling basis. The transmission of data and command signals, by way of example, could utilize the mobile phone network or a dedicated radio link.

The received data is integrated by the base station computer system to correlate the current position of the delivery person relative to the delivery route in real COMS ID No: ARCS-160739 Received by IP Australia: Time 23:44 Date 2007-09-12 12, Sep. 2007 23:40 No. 1687 P.

S

0 time. In this embodiment the progress and adherence to both

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)the designated delivery route and the associated delivery Ce time duration may be progressively monitored by the base station. Clearly the base station may monitor a plurality of mail delivery areas and delivery personnel by these C-I means.

C In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the 0 delivery personnel are provided with a GPS receiver/recorder which records the time and geographical position of the delivery person at predetermined intervals.

The recorded data is subsequently downloaded to a remote personal computer as illustrated in figure 2, for transmission by way of the internet to the base station computer system where the received data is analyzed for compliance by the delivery person to the delivery task criteria.

Both the first and second preferred embodiments are adapted to both the delivery of addressed mail, unaddressed mail and parcels. Addressed and un-addressed mail may be delivered together in the one traverse of a designated delivery route or separately. The associated delivery time duration may be adjusted according to the type of delivery to be made.

COMS ID No: ARCS-160739 Received by IP Australia: Time 23:44 Date 2007-09-12 12. Sep. 2007 23:40 No. 1687 P, 11 S9 Where delivery personnel are contractors, further

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)adjustments to the associated delivery time duration may be made according to the method of transport (if any) nominated by the delivery personnel. Over time a performance profile for a given delivery area and delivery C< person can be inferred from the collected data as a further ci rn o aid in quality assurance assessment. Again in both first C-i and second preferred embodiments, mail for delivery in a delivery area is obtained from a bulk mail distribution center, either by the mail delivery person for a given delivery area or by delivery to a plurality of areas by personnel of the bulk mail distribution center.

In a third preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in figure 3, mail, both addressed and unaddressed, is prepared at a central control facility in batches for distribution to a plurality of mail delivery areas 18. In this embodiment each mail delivery area is provided with a local collection point 22 in the form of a secure mail storage facility accessible only to authorized personnel. Prepared batches of mail to be delivered are deposited in the storage facility for collection by the delivery person for the delivery area.

Once the prepared mail has been collected from the local collection point 22 by the delivery person, COMS ID No: ARCS-160739 Received by IP Australia: Time 23:44 Date 2007-09-12 12. Sep. 2007 23:40 No. 1637 P. 12

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Co, distribution and monitoring of the distribution process proceeds as described above in either the first or second preferred embodiments- COMS ID No: ARCS-160739 Received by IP Australia: Time 23:44 Date 2007-09-12

Claims

2. The mail delivery quality control system of claim 1 wherein, the transmission of said geographic position data, time and identification data is transmitted to said base station at predetermined intervals of time over the duration of a mail delivery period.
3. The mail delivery quality control system of claim 1 wherein, the transmission of said geographic position COMS ID No: ARCS-167331 Received by IP Australia: Time 09:35 Date 2007-11-05 Nov. 2007 8:30 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No. 2129 P. 8 12 Cl| data, time and identification data is transmitted to O said base station on command from said base station. z
4. The mail delivery quality control system of claim 1 wherein said mail is addressed mail.
5. The mail delivery quality control system of claim 1 wherein said mail'is un-addressed mail. Cl 6. The mail delivery quality control system of any Cq Sprevious claim wherein a said portable electronic (C device is carried by a said delivery person during said mail delivery period and the traversing of a designated delivery route within said designated mail delivery area.
7. The mail delivery quality control system of claim 6 wherein a said portable electronic device is adapted to transmit geographic position data, time and delivery person identification data to said base at predetermined intervals.
8. The mail delivery quality control system of claim 6 or claim 7 wherein a said portable electronic device is adapted to transmit geographic position data, time and delivery person identification data to said base on command from said base station.
9. The mail delivery quality control system of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein said transmitted geographic COMS ID No: ARCS-167331 Received by IP Australia: Time 09:35 Date 2007-11-05 Nov. 2007 8:31 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No. 2129 P. '9 13 0 position data is correlated with a map of a said O designated mail delivery area. A mail delivery quality control system including a base station and at least one portable electronic device, o 5 said portable electronic device adapted to receive o geographic position data from GPS satellites and record C- said geographic position data, time and identification o data at predetermined intervals of time over the (C N duration of said mail delivery period; said portable o0 electronic device provided to a delivery person for delivery of mail by said delivery person in a designated mail delivery area; a batch of mail for said designated delivery area prepared at a central control facility for delivery to a local collection points within said designated mail delivery area; said local collection point comprising a secure mail storage facility accessible for collection of said batch of mail by said delivery person for delivery in said designated mail delivery area.
11. The mail delivery quality control system of claim wherein said mail is addressed mail.
12. The mail delivery quality control system of claim wherein said mail is un-addressed mail. COMS ID No: ARCS-167331 Received by IP Australia: Time 09:35 Date 2007-11-05 Nov. 2007 8:31 WALLINGTON-DUMMER No. 2129 P. 14 0
13. The mail delivery quality control system of any one of O claims 10 to 12 wherein a said portable electronic V device is carried by a said delivery person during said mail delivery period and the traversing of a designated delivery route within said designated mail delivery o area. Cl
14. The mail delivery quality control system of claims o to 13 wherein said recorded geographic position data, C( time and identification data is downloaded to a ]0 personal computer at the conclusion of said mail delivery period and transmitted to said base station via the internet. The mail delivery quality control system of any of claims 1 to 14 wherein said mail is sorted and prepared at a central control facility for distribution to said mail delivery personnel for delivery to a plurality of mail delivery areas.
16. The mail delivery quality control system of any of claims 1 to 15 wherein said local collection points are secure storage facilities accessible to authorized delivery personnel. COMS ID No: ARCS-167331 Received by IP Australia: Time 09:35 Date 2007-11-05