Return mail services

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10643113-B2
Application number	US-201715847787-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2017
Priority date	Dec 19, 2017
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

In an embodiment, an apparatus comprises one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause: receiving a digital image of undeliverable mail and storing the digital image in a first database; causing data to be extracted from the digital image using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or by processing encoded data; causing additional data to be requested from a second database based on the data extracted from the digital image; automatically generating one or more options for the undeliverable mail based on the data from the first database and the additional data from the second database; and causing the digital image, the data, the additional data, and the one or more options for the undeliverable mail to be displayed using a graphical user interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:
receiving and storing in a first database, a digital image of a mail item returned as undeliverable, wherein the mail item returned as undeliverable is a physical mail item for which delivery was attempted but could not be successfully completed;
causing data to be extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or by processing encoded data;
causing additional data to be obtained from a second database based on the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable;
automatically generating one or more user options for processing the mail item returned as undeliverable based upon both the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable and the additional data obtained from the second database; and
causing the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable, the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable, the additional data obtained from the second database, and the one or more user options for processing the mail item returned as undeliverable to be displayed using a graphical user interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or more memories further store additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:
generating a status for the mail item returned as undeliverable based on the data from the first database and the additional data from the second database; and
causing the status for the mail item returned as undeliverable to be displayed in association with an action queue using the graphical user interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to causing data to be extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable, identifying a sender of the mail item returned as undeliverable based on the data; and
automatically classifying the digital image into one or more action queues of a plurality of action queues based on the sender or a type of the mail item returned as undeliverable.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein at least two action queues of the plurality of action queues correspond to a distinct set of actions to be performed on the mail item returned as undeliverable.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more options for the mail item returned as undeliverable include one or more of a recipient address correction or replacement option.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable mail comprises an outer envelope image or an inner content image.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second database comprises an address correction database.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:
receiving and storing in a first database, a digital image of a mail item returned as undeliverable, wherein the mail item returned as undeliverable is a physical mail item for which delivery was attempted but could not be successfully completed;
causing data to be extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or by processing encoded data;
causing additional data to be obtained from a second database based on the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable;
automatically generating one or more user options for processing the mail item returned as undeliverable based upon both the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable and the additional data obtained from the second database; and
causing the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable, the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable, the additional data obtained from the second database, and the one or more user options for processing the mail item returned as undeliverable to be displayed using a graphical user interface.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:
generating a status for the mail item returned as undeliverable based on the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable and the additional data obtained from the second database; and
causing the status for the mail item returned as undeliverable to be displayed using the graphical user interface.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:
in response to causing data to be extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable, identifying a sender of the mail item returned as undeliverable based on the data; and
automatically classifying the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable into one or more action queues of a plurality of action queues based on the sender or a type of the mail item returned as undeliverable.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein at least two action queues of the plurality of action queues correspond to a distinct set of actions to be performed.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable comprises a recipient address, and wherein the additional data obtained from the second database comprises an updated recipient address.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable comprises an outer envelope image or an inner content image.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the second database comprises an address correction database.

15. A method comprising:
receiving and storing in a first database, a digital image of a mail item returned as undeliverable, wherein the mail item returned as undeliverable is a physical mail item for which delivery was attempted but could not be successfully completed;
causing data to be extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or by processing encoded data;
causing additional data to be obtained from a second database based on the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable;
automatically generating one or more user options for processing the mail item returned as undeliverable based upon both the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable and the additional data obtained from the second database; and
causing the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable, the data extracted from the digital image of the mail item returned as undeliverable, the additional data obtained from the second database, and the one or more user options for processing the mail item returned as undeliverable to be displayed using a graphical user interface.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
generating a status for the mail item returned as undeliverable based on the data extracted from the dig

Assignees

• Cousins Steve
• Blohm Nicole
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cousins Steve
• Blohm Nicole

Classifications

• G06F16/5846

  using extracted text · CPC title

• B07C3/14

  using light-responsive detecting means {(for information carriers G06K7/14)} · CPC title

• G06K9/00463

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K2209/01

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K2209/03

  Physics · mapped topic