Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
  • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
  • B07C3/00—Sorting according to destination
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S209/00—Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
  • Y10S209/90—Sorting flat-type mail

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method according to the preamble of the main claim and can be used particularly advantageously in the distribution of shipments within companies (so-called in-house distribution).
• the distribution takes place according to the recipient addresses that are on the consignments.
• OCR automatic reading of addresses
• OCR systems for automatic reading of addresses
• the reliability of recognition varies greatly with the font and overall quality of the address information applied to the face of the letters.
• Automatic reading of the addresses is particularly difficult when sending within companies and institutions in special, reusable envelopes, since the addresses are handwritten in different places and the senders do not always adhere to agreed conventions.
• the shipment in question can be sorted according to any desired sorting order.
• OVS Onlme video coding systems
• a video image of the broadcast is presented to an operator for coding, instead of the physical broadcast at the manual coding stations.
• the video image is shown to the operator while the physical broadcast is held in delay lines.
• the program m movement is normally held for a period of time sufficient for the OVS operator to enter the necessary sorting information for the image in question.
• the usual delay lines allow a delay between 10 and 30 seconds. The longer the delay line, the greater the costs as well as the requirements for maintenance and the physical size of the system.
• the invention specified in claim 1 is therefore based on the object of creating a method for sorting mail items which does not automatically eliminate the need for automatic reading of the written addresses and thus also for manual sorting or coding at special video coding stations including the delay lines addresses that are clearly legible.
• each envelope is provided with a human-readable and machine-readable identification, an envelope number, ie the numbering is in Number form and coded form, e.g. as a barcode on the envelope.
• the sender who wants to send one or more consignments to one addressee, first looks for the addressee on his PC in the e-mail address file and, once he has found it, adds the envelope number (s).
• this envelope number (s) When this envelope number (s) is entered, the addressee and envelope numbers are transferred to the sorting machine, in whose control unit a scrambling plan is stored which assigns the addressee a specific distribution point.
• the transmitted envelope number is also temporarily assigned to the distribution point by the transmission, so that when the machine-readable envelope number is read in the form of a barcode by a barcode reader of the sorting machine, this shipment can be sorted without doubt to the distribution point concerned.
• Input into the e-mail system removes the assignment of the envelope to the addressee. This procedure enables error-free sorting, even if the envelope is difficult to read by hand.
• the envelope numbers are advantageously applied to both sides of the envelope.
• the sender receives an e-mail informing them that the item has been removed from the sorting machine.
• 1 schematically shows the sequence of the method for mail distribution in a company.
• a sorting machine 4 is used for the sorting process, which can process a wide range of mail items, with incoming mail, outgoing mail and in-house mail (mail that is to be distributed within the company) to be sorted. To do this, the addressees on the items in the address field must be read.
• Word recognition address interpretation solved this task. Particular difficulties arise here when reading the addresses on reusable envelopes 1 for dispatch within the company. There are 1 corresponding fields on the covers for addressing. If the envelope is reused, the previous recipient is crossed out and the next recipient / addressee is entered in the next free field.
• the envelopes 1 are provided with an identifying, human-readable and machine-readable number 2. This numbering is done on both sides, so that an orientation of the envelopes 1 before
• Sorting by the address page is not necessary.
• the PC 4 des Sender 3 opened the e-mail system and searched or entered the addressee in the window 5 for the address book, in this case Torsten Tanz.
• the corresponding envelope number 2 is entered and sent to the control of the sorting machine 4 with an OK.
• the addressee receives an e-mail that a mail item from the sender x is on the way. This message can also be sent with an optional delay.
• E-mail system is added to the name of envelope number 2 in file 6. If the envelope 1 has reached the sorting machine 4 in the course of the distribution process and is entered into it, the distribution information is read first, in this case the barcode as a machine-readable envelope number 2. This is easily readable by the reading device of the sorting machine 4 .
• the identified envelope number 2 is then sent to the control, where the file 6 for the sorting plan is used to determine which name and thus which distribution point is intended for this envelope 1 (distribution point 23) and by appropriately setting the switch, the envelope is in one or several sorting runs m transported a sorting bin assigned to this distribution point.
• the envelope number 2 is deleted both in the control of the sorting machine 4 and in the address file of the e-mail system, so that the envelope 1 is free again for a new use.
• the sender optionally receives an e-mail message that his shipment has left the sorting machine 4.

Landscapes

• Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
• Holo Graphy (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=7908404

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (6)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1999
  • 1999-05-18 DE DE19922788A patent/DE19922788C1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2000
  • 2000-04-03 US US09/979,083 patent/US6570115B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-04-03 WO PCT/DE2000/000995 patent/WO2000069574A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-04-03 DE DE50002193T patent/DE50002193D1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-04-03 AT AT00922465T patent/ATE240164T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-04-03 AU AU42854/00A patent/AU4285400A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-04-03 EP EP00922465A patent/EP1189708B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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