EP1474250B1 - Verfahren zum Transport von Poststücken in Abhängigkeit von deren Form - Google Patents

Verfahren zum Transport von Poststücken in Abhängigkeit von deren Form Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1474250B1
EP1474250B1 EP03707489.5A EP03707489A EP1474250B1 EP 1474250 B1 EP1474250 B1 EP 1474250B1 EP 03707489 A EP03707489 A EP 03707489A EP 1474250 B1 EP1474250 B1 EP 1474250B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
mail
plant
mail items
shape
transportation
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP03707489.5A
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English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1474250A4 (de
EP1474250A1 (de
Inventor
Pranab Shah
Paul Vogel
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
US Postal Service (USPS)
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US Postal Service (USPS)
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Publication of EP1474250A1 publication Critical patent/EP1474250A1/de
Publication of EP1474250A4 publication Critical patent/EP1474250A4/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1474250B1 publication Critical patent/EP1474250B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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    • 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
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/04—Sorting according to size
    • 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
    • B07C1/00—Measures preceding sorting according to destination
    • B07C1/10—Sorting according to size or flexibility

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to systems and methods for the efficient transportation of objects from an origination point to a destination point including, more particularly and in one embodiment, an integrated system and method for transporting and distributing mail objects from an origination point to a destination point.
  • US-A-4,136,780 discloses a system for culling and singulating mixed mail pieces including flats comprising: at least one receiving station, an input conveyor for depositing said mail pieces in said receiving station, a delivery station disposed in contiguity with said receiving station, common transport means linking said receiving station to said delivery station, the portion of said transport means within said receiving station being so situated and having physical dimensions such that it captures a limited number of predetermined types of the mail pieces deposited within said receiving station, and conveys them to said delivery station, said receiving station including means for selectively precluding the capture of any mail pieces by said transport means, a chute disposed below said receiving station for catching those mail pieces not captured by said transport means, means coupling said chute to said input conveyor for continuously recirculating at least a portion of the uncaptured mail pieces to said receiving station, singulator means comprising an inclined slide coupled to said delivery station for receiving the mail pieces furnished to said delivery station by said transport means, said singulator means separating said last mentioned pieces from the other to effect a stream of
  • German Patent Application DE 44 29 469 Al relates to a routing control for the dynamic routing of mail items.
  • Mail items are diverted according to the kind of mail items and the structure of mail items, and then, suitable transportation capacities are reserved.
  • the route is the temporal and local order in which the respective nodes of the logistic network accept, process and pass certain amounts of mail items.
  • processing of the mail items is performed, whereby processing is performed according to the four basic shapes of mail items in Germany, which are "Standardbrief” (standard letter), “Kompaktbrief” (compact letter), "Großbrief” (large letter) and "Maxibrief” (maxi-letter).
  • German Patent DE 196 50 875 C1 discloses a method for sorting mail items. It is described that for different kinds of mail items having different sizes and weights, there exist different types of sorting machines, with each type of sorting machine being adapted to a specific type of mail items, like e.g. standard letter, oversize letter, etc.
  • US Patent 5,051,914 relates to a system and method for optimizing mail delivery of batch mail.
  • a network is established interconnecting plural batch mailers, a data center, and the postal service.
  • logistics planning, carrier selection and routing aspects are described.
  • the process of delivering the mail is a relatively complicated one. That process can be broken down into two components: (a) transportation and (b) distribution.
  • transportation as used herein is intended to refer to the nodes and routes, which define the flow of mail (or other objects) between plants/processing facilities (or other sorting points).
  • Transportation includes the inter-plant transportation network and the plant to delivery unit networks. (A delivery unit is a post office, station or branch that has mail delivery functions to the point of final delivery for a mail item.) It does not include activity within the plants themselves.
  • Distribution refers to the combination of equipment, processes and plants that sort mail (or other objects). Distribution generally takes place between the point at which originating mail is picked up from its point of origin and the point at which it reaches its point of final delivery.
  • the transportation of mail is assisted by the use of five and preferably nine digit zip codes, which refer to defined geographic areas.
  • the first three numbers in a zip code define zip code areas, and currently there are 932 different zip code areas within the U.S. mail system.
  • the zip code area defines a larger geographic area than a five digit zip code, and the five digit zip code defines a larger geographic area than the nine digit zip code.
  • the area that it defines will be within both the five digit and three digit codes that it contains.
  • the transportation of mail items has not been configured around three digit zip code areas.
  • references herein to zip codes and zip code areas are not intended to be limited to the current system employed by the United States Postal Service, but instead is meant to include the use of any geographic code system, according to which geographic areas are defined, and preferably at increasing levels of specificity, through the use of a code system.
  • mail items come in varying shapes. Examples of current mail shapes include flat-size, letter-size, parcels, and outsides. Currently, plants process more or less all shapes of mail. However, because mail-processing equipment is generally shape-specific; i.e., can only process one shape of mail item, it is inefficient to locate in each plant every type of processing equipment. Moreover, currently, transportation of mail is organized according to mail class, rather than according to mail shape.
  • the present invention satisfies these needs and provides other, related, advantages.
  • the present invention provides a method according to claim 1.
  • This invention is concerned with a system and method for the efficient transportation of objects from an origination point to a destination point.
  • the objects pass through an intermediate sorting point, and are there sorted so as to aid in the efficient transportation of the objects through the system.
  • the objects are mail pieces.
  • other, non-mail objects could also be transported from an origination point to a destination point using the system and method of the present invention.
  • the system and method of the present invention is intended to accommodate the transportation and, in one embodiment, the distribution, of extremely large numbers of objects.
  • the system and method may be used in the efficient transportation and distribution of extremely large numbers of mail items.
  • the system and method of the present invention in one embodiment, is intended to optimize the delivery of mail objects in such volumes as those experienced by the U.S. Postal Service in fiscal year 2000.
  • the system and method integrates the transportation and distribution aspects of object delivery to achieve improved efficiency -- and specifically an efficiency level greater than that provided if transportation and distribution are created in a non-integrated manner.
  • FIG. 1 an illustration of the full mail supply chain 10 is shown. It begins with mailing activities 20, which relates to the mailing of mail pieces from the point of origin. The next link in the chain is induction/collection 30, where mail enters the mailstream. The mail is then processed for transportation at outbound processing 40. The next step is transportation 50 in the direction of the point of final delivery. The mail is then subjected to inbound processing 60 and delivery 70. Finally, receiving activities 80 refers to those in connection with the receipt of the mail at its point of final delivery. Each step in the mail supply chain 10 is necessary in the accurate and efficient delivery of large volumes of mail items.
  • the system and method of the present invention utilizes three digit zip code areas to aid in efficient transportation and distribution of mail items.
  • the backbone of the mail transportation and distribution system is the plant/processing facility. It is in these facilities that mail distribution, i.e., sorting, takes place.
  • mail distribution i.e., sorting
  • the efficient transportation of mail to plants improves the efficiency of both the transportation and distribution systems. By ensuring that mail is routed to the optimally located plant, transportation costs are reduced and delays limited.
  • the distribution process as well proceeds in a more efficient manner.
  • each three digit zip code is preferably assigned to a single plant for origination processing (or for separation to a concentrator, discussed below).
  • Each three digit zip code is also assigned to one plant for destinating processing (or transportation to a disperser, discussed below).
  • plants are preferably receiving mail within one or more three digit zip code areas, with the particular zip code areas chosen being those most efficiently reached utilizing the transportation system. In most cases, the zip code areas will be those in the closest geographic proximity to the particular plant but, where transportation efficiencies require otherwise, these considerations will take precedence.
  • Optimal routing of mail to plants takes place at two points along the mail supply chain 10. It takes place first at outbound processing 40, where outgoing mail from three digit zip code areas using optimization criteria is preferably routed to the desired plant, based on the three digit zip code area of the sender. It takes place a second time at inbound processing 60, where inbound mail from three digit zip code areas using optimization criteria is preferably routed to the desired plant, based on the three digit zip code area of the recipient.
  • a mail item from three digit zip code area 123 that is travelling to three digit zip code area 456 may be routed to plant A for inbound processing 40 because zip code area 123 has been assigned to plant A, and to plant B for outbound processing, because zip code area 456 has been assigned to plant B. (That mail item may pass through intermediate processing facilities between the outbound and inbound plants, as discussed below.)
  • the shape of the items transported preferably also forms at least a component of process of optimally locating and assigning plants, in addition to or instead of the use of three digit zip code areas.
  • Mail items come in varying shapes. Examples of current mail shapes include: (a) flat-size mail - mail that is within the dimensions of 15 inches long, 12 inches high, and 3/4 of an inch thick; (b) letter-size mail - mail that is within the dimensions of 11 and 1/2 inches long, 6 and 1/8 inches high, and 1/4 inch thick; (c) parcels - mail items outside the dimensions of flats and letter-sized and fitting within a mail sack or container; and (d) outsides - mail that cannot be placed into a sack or container because of its size, weight, shape or contents. (Of course, it should be recognized that other shapes may be introduced in the future, or may be practiced in other mail systems or in integrated transportation/distribution systems of non-mail items.)
  • a component of the system and method of the present invention is that plants process only mail of one or more (though less than all) shapes. For example, one plant may only process parcels, another may only process flats, yet another may process flats and letters, and so on. (Because of the similarity of their shape, it will be preferred to treat letters and flats in like manner.) This differentiation allows advantage to be taken of economies of scale that may be achieved by having mail of similar shape be processed in dedicated plants. For less populous areas, it may be preferred to provide plants that process most or all mail shapes. However, preferably, more than a majority of plants in the system and method of the present invention process mail based on shape, with the plant processing fewer than all possible shapes.
  • the assignment of mail items to plants and plant location is preferably based both on the three digit zip code area and shape of mail items processed therein -- though it may be based on only one of these criteria.
  • Plant location and assignment according to three digit zip code areas and shape is preferably determined through a four step modelling approach.
  • Step 1 a preliminary network design is developed.
  • the optimal level of shape differentiation is determined, as well as three digit zip code assignments -- with cost driving the process.
  • mail may be transported to a processing concentrators 204 (facilities that receive originating mail from plants for processing), then to a transportation concentrator 206 (facilities that receive originating mail for the purpose of consolidating transportation), next to a transportation disperser 208 (facilities that receive destinating mail from multiple origination points for dispersement to local processing dispersers or plants), from there to a processing disperser 210 (facilities that receive destinating mail and perform destinating sorting for a set of plants), and then to a destinating P&DC 212.
  • the optimal number and location of concentrators 204 and 206 and dispersers 210 and 212, as well as their assignment to particular plants, is preferably determined as part of Step 1.
  • Step 2 the strategic direction is refined based on scenario analyses and feedback from management in the field. During this step, assumptions and results are validated, and overall strategic direction for the remainder of the modelling process is determined.
  • Step 3 implementation modelling occurs, with a finalized network being developed.
  • Step 4 is a simulation, in which the outputs of Steps 1-3 are tested using simulation modelling.
  • the modelling process yields a network having desired efficiency for an acceptable cost.
  • the modelling process should, preferably, be software-assisted, given the complexity of the problem and the large number of potential variables. It should also consider different "what if" scenarios that might impact on the network, including for example the unanticipated closing of a plant or other facility.
  • Another aspect of the system and method concerns the physical transportation of mail (or other objects) within the network.
  • mail items are currently differentiated, in addition to by originating zip code, destinating zip code, and shape -- by classification.
  • Mail classes presently include first-class mail, Priority Mail, Express Mail, Periodicals, Standard Mail (A) and Standard Mail (B), though of course these may change and/or other mail classes may be introduced to the system.
  • Different mail classes have different transportation needs. For example, Express Mail items need to be delivered faster than first-class mail items. (Because mail processing machines can efficiently process different classes of mail of a certain shape, plants should preferably not be limited by class unless efficiency will be promoted by such assignment in a particular situation.)
  • concentrators and dispersers are preferably used between plants to assist both with transportation and distribution. To provide for more efficient transportation, it is preferred to assign to each plant a concentrator and disperser for each mail item class, unless the plant handles that class itself.
  • system and method of the present invention may be utilized for the transportation and distribution of mail items, it should be understood that it could be used for the transportation and distribution of non-mail items as well.
  • certain substitutions to the elements of the method and system of the present invention will be made, as necessary, to permit use with non-mail items.
  • some other designation may be used to identify origination and/or destination of items -- including for example state or geographic region (e.g., city, county, country, multi-state region, etc.), store or other component in the network, or the like -- for purposes of assigning shipment items to plant locations.
  • processing may be differentiated by some other criteria concerning the non-mail item and/or its packaging that will allow economies of scale to be effectively utilized, such as weight, shelf-life, or the like.

Claims (2)

  1. Verfahren zum Transportieren und Verteilen einer großen Anzahl von Postobjekten von einem Ursprungspunkt zu einem Zielpunkt aufweisend die Schritte:
    Bereitstellen einer Mehrzahl von Postobjekten, die von einem Ursprungspunkt zu einem Zielpunkt geliefert werden sollen;
    wobei eine Teilmenge der Mehrzahl von Postobjekten eine erste Form hat;
    wobei eine Teilmenge der Mehrzahl von Postobjekten eine zweite Form hat;
    Bereitstellen eines Transport- und Verteilungssystems mit einer Mehrzahl von Anlagen, das eingerichtet ist,
    Postobjekte mit einer Form einer Mehrzahl von möglichen Formen dazwischen zu transportieren und wobei jede mögliche Form der Postobjekte mindestens einer der Anlagen innerhalb des Transport- und Verteilungssystems zugewiesen ist;
    Transportieren mindestens eines Teils der Mehrzahl von Postobjekten von einer ersten Anlage zu einer zweiten Anlage, wobei über eine Identität der zweiten Anlage zumindest teilweise basierend auf der Form des mindestens eines Teils der Mehrzahl von Postobjekten mit der zweiten Form entschieden wird; und
    Verteilen des mindestens eines Teils der Mehrzahl von Postobjekten mit der ersten Form innerhalb der ersten Anlage,
    wobei Anlagen nur Post mit einer oder mehreren aber nicht allen Formen verarbeiten
    ferner aufweisend die Schritte:
    Zuweisen zu im Wesentlichen allen der Mehrzahl von Postobjekten eines geographischen Ursprungscodes und eines geographischen Zielcodes; charakterisiert durch Ermitteln einer Identität der zweiten Anlage zumindest teilweise basierend auf dem geographischen Ursprungscode.
  2. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei die Mehrzahl von geographischen Codes eine Liste von Postleitzahlenbereichen mit drei Ziffern aufweist.
EP03707489.5A 2002-01-22 2003-01-22 Verfahren zum Transport von Poststücken in Abhängigkeit von deren Form Expired - Lifetime EP1474250B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US34937902P 2002-01-22 2002-01-22
US349379P 2002-01-22
PCT/US2003/001953 WO2003078081A1 (en) 2002-01-22 2003-01-22 Integrated network and method

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1474250A1 EP1474250A1 (de) 2004-11-10
EP1474250A4 EP1474250A4 (de) 2007-09-26
EP1474250B1 true EP1474250B1 (de) 2014-04-23

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP03707489.5A Expired - Lifetime EP1474250B1 (de) 2002-01-22 2003-01-22 Verfahren zum Transport von Poststücken in Abhängigkeit von deren Form

Country Status (5)

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EP (1) EP1474250B1 (de)
JP (1) JP2006505381A (de)
AU (1) AU2003209335B2 (de)
CA (1) CA2474276C (de)
WO (1) WO2003078081A1 (de)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7707038B2 (en) * 2003-03-10 2010-04-27 United States Postal Service Method and system for distributing and transporting large numbers of items

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4136780A (en) * 1977-12-27 1979-01-30 Burroughs Corporation Mail singulation and culling system
US5229932A (en) * 1988-08-23 1993-07-20 Pitney Bowes Inc. Method and apparatus for categorizing and certifying mail batches
US5050078A (en) * 1989-10-03 1991-09-17 Pitney Bowes Inc. Mail processing and accounting system with communication among processing units and data reformatting
US5051914A (en) * 1989-10-03 1991-09-24 Pitney Bowes Inc. Optimizing mail delivery systems by merging mailings
US5216620A (en) * 1991-09-23 1993-06-01 Pitney Bowes Inc. Requesting, reporting and verification system and method for mail carrier payment
US5703783A (en) * 1992-04-06 1997-12-30 Electrocom Automation, L.P. Apparatus for intercepting and forwarding incorrectly addressed postal mail
DE4429469A1 (de) * 1994-08-19 1996-02-22 Licentia Gmbh Verfahren zur Leitwegsteuerung
DE19650875C1 (de) * 1996-12-07 1997-10-16 Aeg Electrocom Gmbh Verfahren zur Sortierung von Sendungen
US6390275B1 (en) * 1999-12-21 2002-05-21 United Parcel Service Of America, Inc. High speed parcel sorter

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2003078081A1 (en) 2003-09-25
EP1474250A4 (de) 2007-09-26
JP2006505381A (ja) 2006-02-16
CA2474276C (en) 2014-07-08
AU2003209335B2 (en) 2008-07-10
EP1474250A1 (de) 2004-11-10
CA2474276A1 (en) 2003-09-25
AU2003209335A1 (en) 2003-09-29

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