EP3165292B1 - Shipment tracking for shipments which cannot be processed by sorting installations - Google Patents

Description

Area

Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to shipment tracking for shipments, for example large-format letters, which cannot all be automatically processed in sorting systems and therefore cannot all be recorded using data technology.

background

In particular for shipments that are delivered by parcel services to their respective recipients, it is now common for the parcel services to offer a shipment tracking service that the sender and/or the recipient of a shipment can use to track the current delivery status of his shipment. The shipment tracking service can, for example, use an Internet portal as an interface to the user (sender or recipient), on which the user enters an identifier for the shipment and is then informed about the current status of the delivery of the shipment and, if necessary, an expected delivery date is displayed. Alternatively, a notification service can be used as an interface to the user, for example by informing the user via e-mail, SMS or similar message formats about the current delivery status of the shipment and/or about changes in this status. The shipment tracking service is based on the recording of the shipment data (e.g. by scanning data applied to the shipment), in particular the identifier of the shipment, at one or more stations in the delivery chain. The detected identifier can then be stored in a shipment tracking database, for example, together with a time stamp of the detection and the location of the detection. For example, there is a data record for each shipment to be tracked, which can be identified, for example, via the identifier and which is enriched with the respective location and time information each time it is recorded. The information about a shipment made available to a user via the interfaces already described is then based on the data record in the shipment tracking database that corresponds to this shipment.

There is currently no such tracking service for letters. This is not least due to the fact that, unlike parcels, data from letters is not recorded at all or at fewer stations in the delivery chain. In particular, the data of a letter is usually not recorded at the time of delivery to the recipient

The WO 2005/115644 A2 relates to processing of packets over a shipping network using an auxiliary label. The auxiliary label may include a sequence of sort locations that indicate the package's path through the shipping network.

In the WO 97/11790 A1 manual correction of OCR-recognized non-validated addresses of packages by a user is suggested.

The US 6,047,889 A describes a workstation to support manual sorting of packages via visual displays on sorting bins.

The WO 2004/079546 A2 discloses a projection of sorting information onto the surface of a shipment during sorting.

An Indian WO 03/098533 A1 The disclosed method includes scanning a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 50 on a package to generate scanned data and generating a handling instruction for the package based on the scanned data. The handling instruction may be executed to route the package to a top location within a hub facility, to route the package to the next location along its route, and/or to route the package to a vehicle for delivery to the package's final destination load. Corresponding systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed

Summary of some exemplary embodiments of the invention

It would be desirable to also be able to provide a shipment tracking service for letters, at least for large-format letters (so-called large letters), in which, for example, books are sent. It would also be desirable to be able to provide a tracking service that - without the need to record the details of the shipment in particular a letter or large letter) at the time the shipment is delivered - the delivery of the shipment (e.g. to the recipient, or to a recipient's PO box) as a shipment tracking event It would be desirable if there were no significant modifications to the processes used to process the shipments (in particular Letters and large letters) used sorting systems are required.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a method according to claim 1 is disclosed

In a first alternative of the invention, the method includes receiving the recorded data of the shipment and generating the shipment tracking event relating to the shipment. In a second alternative of the invention, the method includes detecting the data of the program and issuing the collected data (in particular to another device, eg to a shipment tracking unit) for generating the shipment tracking event.

According to another aspect of the invention, a system according to claim 14 is disclosed.

These aspects of the present invention have, inter alia, the characteristics described below, some of which are exemplary.

Data of a shipment is recorded or recorded data of a shipment are received. The shipment can be, for example, a postcard, a letter, a large letter (which is used, for example, to send books), a maxi letter (which is used, for example, to send books or goods), a small packet or a parcel, however other types of programs are also conceivable. A large letter has the following dimensions, for example: a length of 10 - 35.3 cm, a width of 7 - 25 cm, a height of up to 2 cm and a weight of up to 500g. A maxi letter has the following dimensions, for example: a length of 10 - 35.3 cm, a width of 7 - 25 cm, a height of up to 5 cm and a weight of up to 1000 g. A shipment can in particular be a letter with which books or goods are sent.

The mailing data are contained, for example, in a code printed on the mailing (for example on a label) or in a readable memory associated with the mailing (eg contained therein or attached thereto), to name just a few possibilities. For example, the data may follow a predefined format. In the case of a code printed on the mail item, it can be a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode, for example. Examples of a two-dimensional barcode are a QR code or a matrix code, such as a data matrix code. A data matrix code, for example, is currently being used by Deutsche Post AG for data processing clearance (DV franking) Private customers of Deutsche Post AG can use the DataMatrix code as part of the so-called "Internet brand".

The collection of the data includes, for example, the machine reading of the data, for example from the code (e.g. by means of optical collection) or the memory (e.g. by means of radio-based collection, e.g. using technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) or near field communication (NFC)). The data is recorded using means for recording the data, which are part of devices or the system according to the invention, for example. If the method according to the first aspect of the invention comprises obtaining recorded data of a shipment, the recorded data has been recorded, for example as described above.

The data of the shipment can in particular include a (particularly unique) identifier for the shipment, by means of which the shipment (for example in a shipment tracking database) can be distinguished from other shipments. For example, the identifier can be a numeric or alphanumeric string. The shipment data can additionally or alternatively contain the following, for example: a customer number of the sender, a product key (which, for example, identifies the type of shipment, e.g. "large letter"), possibly combined with an additional service/variant (e.g. an indication that a Proof of delivery must be provided), a posting date, customer-specific information (e.g. a unique identifier assigned by the customer for the respective shipment), etc.. The identifier for shipment tracking can also be included in the customer-specific information, for example. The sender (customer) can then always use this identifier to refer to its own systems and/or process identifiers.

The shipment whose data is recorded was classified as not being able to be processed by a sorting system. This classification can be carried out automatically, for example by ejection from the sorting system, or manually, for example as part of a pre-sorting. The classification is part of the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

Mail items can, for example, be classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system if they have protruding edges and/or an irregular surface contour and/or a thickness above a predefined threshold value. With automatic transport of such shipments in the sorting system, this can block or damage the sorting system or damage such shipments or others Lead shipments that are sorted together with such shipments in the sorting system.

The result of the classification does not have to be explicitly associated with the shipment or noted on it. For example, the classification only leads to the subsequent different handling of the shipment, for example automatically by the sorting system for shipments classified as being processable by the sorting system and manually by personnel for shipments classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system.

In this case, the shipment classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system (due to its classification) is not processed by the sorting system (or at least not completely processed by the sorting system, for example ejected in the course of processing). For example, the shipment classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system is not sent to the sorting system for processing, but is processed (e.g. sorted) separately (in particular manually).

The sorting system is set up to automatically record respective data from mailpieces processed by it and, if the processed mailpieces are each provided with at least one piece of information that characterizes the processed mailpieces as mailpieces to be tracked, in each case at least one of this at least one piece of information. The recorded data of a processed shipment include, for example, at least some of the same data as in the case of a shipment classified as unprocessable, in particular at least one identifier of the processed shipment that can be used for shipment tracking.

The processing by the sorting system includes not only the recording of the data from the mailings, but also the sorting of the mailings, for example using the delivery address of the mailing and/or the type of mailing.

The sorting system is located, for example, in a sorting center, for example a mail center, and is used for the automatic sorting of mail items, for example letters, large letters and oversized letters. A sorting center can be understood, for example, as a logistical facility for the at least regionally bundled processing of shipments. The concept of letter centers as an example for sorting centers divides Germany into 10 upper regions and designates them with digits from 0 to 9. Each upper region is divided into 10 regions, which in turn are designated from 0 to 9. This gives 99 possible Regions, each identified by a two-digit code. The code is the first two digits of the five-digit postal code. Each region has a center that provides two basic services: i) Outbound mail center (BZA): All letters posted in the region are collected in the mail center, sorted by letter type and routing number, and transported to the other mail centers provided; ii) Incoming letter center (BZE): All letters addressed to your own routing number are sorted for delivery to the recipient and forwarded to the delivery districts.

The automatic recording of the respective data of a processed mailing and, if available, at least one piece of information that the processed mailing is a mailing to be tracked, is therefore, for example, part of the sorting process in the sorting system. During the recording, for example, an identifier contained in the data of the processed mailing and at least one of the at least one piece of information with which the processed mailing is provided and which characterizes the processed mailing as a mailing to be tracked can be recorded. The at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the processed shipment as a shipment to be tracked can, for example, be contained together with the data of the processed shipment in a code (e.g. a 2D barcode) that is on an information carrier (e.g. a label or the Packaging / envelope of the shipment) is applied, the information carrier is either connected to the shipment or at least partially formed by the shipment itself.

For example, the mail items delivered to the sorting center are automatically recorded (for example scanned) in the sorting center, the so-called BZE scan. With the BZE scan, for example, information from the data matrix code can be recorded. For example, based on information from the data matrix code, in particular the postage/franking value and possibly the product code, and additional (in particular measured) information about the size and weight of the shipment, it is checked whether the shipment has been correctly franked. Information from the data matrix code can also be used to generate statistics on the parameters of the mail items processed.

As already explained, the data of the processed shipment, in particular an identifier of the shipment, and at least one of the at least one piece of information that the shipment is a shipment to be tracked, can also be accommodated in the data matrix code. In the case of mail items processed by the sorting system, this information can therefore be automatically recorded as part of the BZE scan together with the information required to check the correct franking and/or to generate statistics and for a Shipment tracking can be used. For example, the location and/or an identifier of the sorting center and/or a point in time of the BZE scan can be used to create or enhance an entry in the shipment tracking database relating to the processed shipment.

While data/information for shipment tracking can be collected for shipments processed by the sorting system as part of the processing by the sorting system, this is not possible for shipments that have been classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system. Consequently, the fact that there is a significant number of consignments that cannot be processed by the sorting facility constitutes an obstacle to the provision of a consignment tracking service for the consignments.

According to the invention, it is proposed, among other things, that the data of those mailpieces classified as unprocessable by the sorting system, which are provided with at least one piece of information identifying them as mailpieces to be tracked (mailpieces provided with such information are also referred to below as mailpieces to be tracked referred to), are recorded. It is thus possible overall to record the data of all shipments to be tracked—that is, regardless of whether the shipments are processed by the sorting system or not—and consequently to provide a shipment tracking service based on this recorded data. For a further shipment that was classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system, but which is not provided with at least one piece of information that characterizes the further shipment as a shipment to be tracked, the data of the further shipment is not recorded and a shipment tracking event is not generated, for example .

The data from those shipments to be tracked that are classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system can be recorded manually or automatically. However, while in the case of those mailpieces that are processed by the sorting system, the data for all mailpieces can be recorded, regardless of whether they are mailpieces to be tracked or not, for mailpieces classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system Detecting the data advantageously only takes place if these shipments are shipments to be tracked. In particular when the detection has to be triggered manually, this can enable a considerable reduction in effort and an associated increase in efficiency/cost reduction.

The shipments to be tracked are provided with at least one piece of information that identifies them as shipments to be tracked. This information can, for example, be associated with the shipment (e.g. printed on the shipment or on a label of the shipment) in the same way as the shipment data (to be recorded). For example, this information can be contained in a data record together with the data of the shipment, which obeys a predefined format, for example. The data set can, for example, be recorded by machine, for example optically (e.g. by scanning) or by radio transmission (e.g. by means of RFID or NFC transmission). The data set can, for example, be contained in a code, for example in a data matrix code or another 2D barcode (or also a 1D barcode). The information that characterizes a shipment as a shipment to be tracked can be contained, for example, in a field of the data matrix code. For example, this can be a field that contains information about a product key (and possibly also an additional service/variant) of the shipment.

According to the invention, a shipment to be tracked can be provided not only with information that characterizes a shipment as a shipment to be tracked, but with more than one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked. For example, a first piece of information that characterizes the program as a program to be tracked cannot be recognized by a person without tools (e.g. without a decoder) as information that characterizes the program as a program to be tracked, while a second piece of information that the program identified as a shipment to be tracked, can be recognized by a person without tools as information identifying the shipment as a shipment to be tracked. The first piece of information can, for example, be a code, for example a 1D or 2D barcode (e.g. the data matrix code). The code can be detected optically or by radio, for example. The second piece of information can be, for example, one or more predefined symbols, for example one or more letters (e.g. "H"), and/or one or more words (e.g. "tracking") on a label or the shipment itself are printed. The person can then, for example, as part of a manual sorting carried out by the person of mail items classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system, based on the presence of the second information, can decide whether it is necessary to record (e.g. scan) the data of the respective mail item (if the second piece of information) or not (in the absence of the second piece of information).

A shipment tracking event occurs (in particular automatically) at least based on the recorded data of the shipment to be tracked and classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system generated regarding this shipment in a shipment tracking database. Alternatively, the recorded data for generating a shipment tracking event relating to the shipment in a shipment tracking database is output at least based on the recorded data, in particular to a device that is different from a device that carries out the recording. In particular, based on the recorded data of a shipment to be tracked and processed by the sorting system (in particular automatically), a shipment tracking event relating to this processed shipment can be generated in the shipment tracking database. Accordingly, in an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method can also include the following: generation of a shipment tracking event relating to a shipment processed by the sorting system, the data of which and the at least one piece of information identifying the processed shipment as a shipment to be tracked were automatically recorded. For example, no shipment tracking events are generated for shipments processed by the sorting system that are not to be tracked, or at least shipment tracking events are not generated that are only generated at a point in time determined according to a predefined rule after the collection of their respective data (or after receipt of this collected data). .

In the following description, no distinction is therefore made with regard to the generation of the shipment tracking event as to whether it is a shipment that cannot be processed by the sorting system (or is classified as such) or a shipment that has been processed by the sorting system.

For example, the tracking database stores a variety of tracking events. A shipment tracking event includes, for example, information about the acquisition of data for a shipment, for example the location and/or the station at which the acquisition took place and/or the time of acquisition and/or the time at which the shipment tracking event was generated. A number of shipment tracking events relating to a shipment can, for example, be combined in a data record specific to the shipment. For example, each shipment tracking event is associated with a respective shipment about which it contains information. The shipment tracking event also contains, for example, an identifier of the shipment and/or is associated with such an identifier. This identifier, or an identifier that is associated or can be associated with this identifier, is also contained in the data of the shipment that are recorded in the named acquisitions. So if data of a shipment are recorded at a station (eg a scanning station, for example as part of the sorting system), at least based on the recorded data (including in particular the identifier of the shipment), a shipment tracking event relating to the shipment is generated, which indicates, for example, the location and/or the station of acquisition and/or the time of acquisition.

The shipment tracking database can also be designed as a database for proof of delivery. It can then contain, for example, only one shipment tracking event for each shipment, which relates to the delivery of the shipment (to the recipient, i.e. to his place of residence or business, or to a PO box of the recipient).

The shipment tracking event is generated automatically, for example, triggered in particular by the recording of the data or the receipt of the recorded data. However, the shipment tracking event need not occur immediately after the shipment's data is captured or the shipment's captured data is received, but may be delayed. For example, a predefined rule can be used to determine when a shipment tracking event is to be generated in the shipment tracking database after the data of a shipment has been recorded or after the data recorded for a shipment has been received. In particular according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the generated shipment tracking event can also indicate a different location and/or another station and/or a different time than the location, the station or the time of recording the data of the shipment.

For example, the predefined rule can specify that when data of a shipment is recorded in a sorting center, a shipment tracking event is only generated at a predetermined point in time on the following day. In particular, this can be based on the insight that if the data of a shipment has been recorded in a sorting center, it can be assumed with a probability bordering on certainty that the shipment will reach the recipient (or even a mailbox of the recipient) at a certain point in time the next day. was delivered. Data of a consignment recorded in the sorting center can therefore be used to generate a consignment tracking event regarding the delivery of the consignment (to the recipient or to a recipient's PO box) without a ( further) recording of the shipment data (e.g. by the deliverer) would be required. The generated shipment tracking event can then contain, for example, the delivery address as the recording location and the time at which the shipment tracking event was generated as the recording time.

For example, the invention makes it possible, among other things, to record data for a shipment to be tracked (in particular large letters and maxi letters) regardless of whether the shipment can be processed by a sorting system or not, and to generate a shipment tracking event relating to the shipment based on the data collected, which is generated in particular only at a point in time determined according to a predefined rule after the recording of the data of the shipment. This makes it possible to provide a shipment tracking service for shipments that cannot all be processed by a sorting system, without having to make major design changes to the sorting system (e.g. to ensure that all shipments can be processed by the sorting system) and without the data being recorded of shipments would be required at the time of delivery of the shipment.

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, the shipment tracking event is only generated at a second point in time, which is after a first point in time at which the data of the shipment is recorded or the recorded data are received, the second point in time according to a predetermined rule, in particular at least depending on the first point in time. There is a period of time between the recording of the shipment data and the generation of the shipment tracking event, which can be several hours or days, for example. Generating the shipment tracking event at a later (second) point in time than the (first) point in time at which the data of the shipment was recorded makes it possible, for example, to save on recording data on the shipment at a later (the second) point in time (in particular the time of delivery). The prerequisite for this is the expectation that an event in the delivery process (e.g. the delivery of the shipment to the recipient or to a mailbox of the recipient), which is to be represented by the generated shipment tracking event, will occur with a high degree of probability in the time interval between the first point in time and the second point in time and, if necessary, as will be explained further below, that specific deviations (e.g. undeliverability of an individual item, e.g. due to an incorrect address, or general delay in the delivery of items in a delivery district, etc.) are recognized and in these Cases the generation of the shipment tracking event can be suppressed or adapted to the deviations. The shipment tracking event generated can then include, for example, the point in time at which the shipment tracking event was generated as the time and/or the delivery address (or the address of a post office box if delivery is being made to a post office box) as the location.

The (delayed) shipment tracking event can be generated, for example, in such a way that the second point in time is determined at the first point in time according to the predetermined rule and an order for generating the delayed shipment tracking event is generated, which is assigned the second point in time as the execution point in time. If the second point in time is reached without an instruction being received in the meantime not to carry out the order or only at an even later point in time than the second point in time, the order is carried out and the shipment tracking event is generated.

In addition to the generation of the shipment tracking event relating to the shipment at the second point in time, a further shipment tracking event relating to the shipment can also be generated at the first point in time. The additional shipment tracking event can in particular designate the location and/or the station and/or the time at which the data was recorded or the recorded data was received. At least one shipment tracking event then exists for the shipment in the shipment tracking database from the first point in time (representing the actual acquisition of the data), and after the second point in time there is another shipment tracking event (representing a highly likely event that has meanwhile occurred, in particular the delivery of the shipment represented).

In exemplary embodiments of the invention, the shipment tracking event may be a delivery event that indicates delivery of the shipment (e.g., to the recipient, or to a recipient's PO box), and the second point in time is then determined taking into account a previously determined or estimated typical length of time between detection the data of the shipment or the receipt of the recorded data of the shipment and its delivery. The delivery event can, for example, only contain the information that the shipment has been delivered (for example to the recipient or to a mailbox of the recipient). Additionally or alternatively, the delivery event may contain the second point in time at which it was generated and/or an address of the recipient. The usual length of time can be determined, for example, by averaging the time periods measured in a large number of real delivery processes, from the acquisition of the data of a shipment to the actual delivery, with a predefined safety margin, for example one or more hours, being added to compensate for variances . The usual length of time can, for example, be location-dependent, ie it can be different for different sorting centers or different delivery districts. The usual length of time is then correspondingly calculated, for example, by averaging measured lengths of time from real delivery processes that take place via a sorting center run (for which a usual length of time is to be determined), or which take place in a delivery district (for which a usual length of time is to be determined). The usual length of time can also be determined or estimated in a more time-differentiated manner. For example, a usual time period can be measured or estimated for each delivery address of a shipment, for example taking into account the usual delivery routes.

In exemplary embodiments of the invention, if the shipment is successfully delivered, no further shipment tracking event relating to the successful delivery is generated in the shipment tracking database. In particular, the data of the shipment is not recorded at the time the shipment is delivered, for example by the deliverer.

• Erfassen von Daten einer weiteren Sendung oder Erhalten von erfassten Daten einer weiteren Sendung, wobei die weitere Sendung mit zumindest einer Information versehen wurde, die die weitere Sendung als zu verfolgende Sendung kennzeichnet, und die als von der Sortieranlage nicht verarbeitbar klassifiziert wurde, und
• Erhalten einer Information, aus der hervorgeht, dass eine Zustellung der weiteren Sendung an den Empfänger der Sendung fehlgeschlagen ist oder dass sich die Zustellung der weiteren Sendung an den Empfänger der weiteren Sendung verzögern wird, wobei aufgrund der erhaltenen Information entweder kein Sendungsverfolgungsereignis betreffend die weitere Sendung, das auf den erfassten Daten beruht, in der Sendungsverfolgungsdatenbank erzeugt wird oder lediglich unter Berücksichtigung der erhaltenen Information ein Sendungsverfolgungsereignis betreffend die weitere Sendung in der Sendungsverfolgungsdatenbank erzeugt wird.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises:

• Recording data from a further shipment or receiving recorded data from a further shipment, the further shipment having been provided with at least one piece of information which characterizes the further shipment as a shipment to be tracked and which has been classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system, and
• Receiving information stating that delivery of the further shipment to the recipient of the shipment failed or that delivery of the further shipment to the recipient of the further shipment will be delayed, based on the information received either no shipment tracking event regarding the further shipment , which is based on the recorded data, is generated in the shipment tracking database or a shipment tracking event relating to the further shipment is generated in the shipment tracking database merely taking into account the information received.

This exemplary embodiment relates to the case that before the generation of the shipment tracking event for the further shipment, which is also a shipment to be tracked that has been classified as not being processable by the sorting system, information is obtained that a delivery of the further shipment to the recipient of the shipment failed or that the delivery of the further shipment to the recipient of the further shipment will be delayed. This information reflects concrete deviations from the usual delivery process, to which the reaction is that either no shipment tracking event is generated or a shipment tracking event is only generated taking into account the information received. If this information is received, for example, within the period of time described above between the first point in time and the second point in time, an order that has already been created for generating the shipment tracking event for the further shipment can, for example, be deleted (e.g. if the delivery of the further shipment failed due to the incorrect address of the recipient) or its execution time can be continued be postponed in the future (e.g. in the case of temporary delays in the delivery of shipments in general, e.g. due to adverse weather conditions, strikes, processing backlogs in the sorting center, etc.). The information that delivery of the further shipment to the recipient of the shipment failed can come from a deliverer, for example, and can also be included in the shipment tracking database as a shipment tracking event, for example. The information that the delivery of the further shipment to the recipient of the further shipment will be delayed can also come from the deliverer entrusted with the delivery of the shipment. Alternatively, especially if several shipments are affected by the delay, this information can come, for example, from a control center or control room, for example a control center of the sorting center in which the sorting system is located, or a control center or control room of a station downstream in the delivery chain, for example a station in a delivery district.

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, the shipment was ejected from the sorting system during a sorting process and was therefore classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system. The sorting system can, for example, have an automatic entry control, in which mail items are classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system, for example on the basis of their thickness and/or surface properties.

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, the shipment was classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system as part of a manual pre-sorting. The pre-sorting can take place, for example, before mail items are fed to the sorting system, for example immediately after mail items have arrived in a sorting center. For example, before they are placed on a conveyor belt that leads to the sorting system, shipments are classified and sorted out as not being able to be processed by the sorting system, or first - with all other shipments - are placed on the conveyor belt and then removed again when they are considered to be from the sorting system not be classified as processable.

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, the data of the shipment are recorded optically and/or radio-based from an information carrier connected to the shipment or at least partially formed by it. In the case of optical detection, the information carrier is, for example, a label or packaging/cover of the shipment itself. In the case of radio-based detection, the information carrier is, for example, an electronic memory, for example a memory of an RFID transponder or NFC chip. The optical detection can be done with a scanner, for example. The scanner can, for example, be releasably attached to a person who processes (e.g. sorts) the mail items classified as unprocessable by the sorting system, or can be held or worn by this person (e.g. as glasses with a scanning function or as gloves with a scanning function). Alternatively, the scanner can also be attached to a device at a station where the mail items classified as unprocessable by the sorting system are processed, for example on a transport trolley on which containers with mail items to be processed can be transported, or on a linkage that Carrying containers that are used in the processing of the mail items that cannot be processed by the sorting system (e.g. containers into which these mail items are sorted). The radio-based detection can be done with a transponder reader or an NFC reader, for example.

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked is present on or in the information carrier together with the data of the shipment. As already explained, at least one of the at least one piece of information can be contained, for example, together with the data of the shipment in a data record with a predefined format, for example printed on a label or packaging/cover of the shipment, or stored in a storage element associated with the shipment. The information can then be recorded, for example, together with the data of the shipment, in particular by machine.

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, the data of the shipment and the at least one of the at least one piece of information in the form of a code, in particular a 1D or 2D barcode, on a label associated with the shipment or on the shipment itself (in particular its packaging or cover) printed. The 2D barcode can be the data matrix code, for example.

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, another of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked is not contained in the code, but is nevertheless on the information carrier or another information carrier that is connected to the shipment or at least partially is formed by this, printed. In this embodiment, therefore, two pieces of information are present which characterize the shipment as a shipment to be tracked. A first piece of this information can, for example, be primarily suitable for machine acquisition, for example as part of the sorting process carried out by the sorting system. A second piece of this information can, for example, be primarily suitable for being recorded by a person, for example in order to be able to recognize quickly and without tools whether the data for the respective consignment has to be recorded (second information available) or not (second information not available).

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked is present on or in an information carrier associated with the shipment. As already explained, the information carrier can be, for example, a label, the packaging/cover of the shipment or an electronic memory.

• Detektieren, dass die Sendung mit zumindest einer der zumindest einen Information versehen ist, die die Sendung als zu verfolgende Sendung kennzeichnet,

• wobei das Erfassen der Daten der Sendung in Reaktion auf das Detektieren, dass die Sendung mit der zumindest einen der zumindest einen Information versehen ist, die die Sendung als zu verfolgende Sendung kennzeichnet, erfolgt, und
• wobei für eine andere, als von der Sortieranlage nicht verarbeitbar klassifizierte Sendung, für die trotz Prüfung, ob sie mit zumindest einer Information versehen ist, die die andere Sendung als zu verfolgende Sendung kennzeichnet, nicht detektiert wurde, dass sie mit einer derartigen Information versehen ist, kein Erfassen der Daten der anderen Sendung stattfindet.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises:

• detecting that the shipment is provided with at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked,

• wherein the acquisition of the data of the shipment occurs in response to the detection that the shipment is provided with the at least one of the at least one information identifying the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, and
• for another mail item classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system, for which it was not detected that it is provided with such information despite checking whether it is provided with at least one piece of information that characterizes the other mail item as a mail item to be tracked , no recording of the data of the other program takes place.

In this embodiment, the acquisition of data for a shipment (classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system) is only carried out if the shipment is a shipment to be tracked (which, in the case of the presence of the at least one of the at least information is detected). The detection can be done by machine, for example. The mail items classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system can, for example, be guided past a detection device on a transport route (eg a conveyor belt), on which a corresponding detection device is arranged. The detection device can be coupled to a detection device (and also form a common unit, for example in the form of an optical scanner) in order to automatically trigger the detection of the data of the shipment when a shipment to be tracked is detected. After the mail items have run through the transport route, further, in particular manual, processing (for example sorting) of the mail items can follow. The detection device and the detection device can, for example, be designed and arranged in such a way that shipments can be analyzed with regard to the transport route both from above and from below, so that it is irrelevant whether the information carrier (e.g. labels with the data of the shipment and the at least one the at least one piece of information that it is a shipment to be tracked) of the shipments pointing up or down during transport on the transport route. Alternatively, the detection device and the detection device can also be designed and arranged in such a way that shipments can only be analyzed from above or only from below with regard to the transport route. However, an additional (e.g. manual) step is then required, in which the shipments are all arranged on the transport route in such a way that their information carriers point up or down. This can represent a partial step in bringing the shipments onto the transport route.

The at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked can be detected optically, for example. For example, this information can be in the form of information to be detected particularly quickly and/or robustly, for example simply as a symbol or a letter. The detection can then, for example, take place much more quickly than the detection/acquisition of a possibly additionally present piece of at least one piece of information which characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked and which, together with the data of the shipment, is in a predefined data format, in particular a code (in particular the DataMatrix code) is included.

According to an exemplary embodiment of all aspects of the invention, the recording of the data of the shipment is triggered by a person who has recognized that the shipment with at least one of the at least one piece of information that the shipment as a shipment to be tracked indicates is provided devices and the system according to the invention can have corresponding means for enabling the triggering of the acquisition of the data of the shipment. Due to the fact that the shipment is classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system, it may be necessary to sort the shipment manually, in which case a person involved in the sorting has to look at a label on the shipment anyway in order to determine the sorting parameters (in particular the address of the recipient ) capture. It is therefore advantageous to integrate the recording of data from shipments to be tracked into this sorting process. As a result, costs for the acquisition and maintenance of the transport route described in the previous exemplary embodiment with an integrated detection and recording device and additional work steps (in particular with regard to the shipments that are not to be tracked but still have to go through the transport route) can be saved.

The recording of the data of the consignment is triggered, for example, by a person approaching the consignment with a device with which the data of the consignment can be recorded, or the consignment is approaching such a device and/or a physical action (e.g. by means of a gesture , or by actuating an operating element), which can be detected by a device with which the data of the shipment can be recorded. The device can be a scanner, for example, which is active during the entire sorting process but only captures data on the shipment when a shipment or the label of the shipment approaches, for example because it only captures data from the shipment or the label from a predefined minimum distance can.

The at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked can, for example, be applied to the shipment as an optical identifier that can be perceived (and in particular evaluated) by a person with or without optical aids, so that the person is able to to decide whether the consignment is a consignment to be tracked or not. As the person during the sorting process must in any case visually perceive the address of the consignment from the consignment or a label of the consignment, it is advantageous to write on the consignment or on to place the at least one item of information, which characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, also in optical form on the label of the shipment. This is particularly advantageous if the information can be perceived and evaluated by the person without any aids, since then both the address of the recipient and the information about the person can be recorded in one process, in particular at a glance.

The method according to the first aspect of the invention can also include, for example, the following: outputting an indication perceptible by the person that the shipment is provided with at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, in order to prompt the person to trigger the recording of the data of the shipment, the indication being output only for shipments that are provided with at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the respective shipment as a shipment to be tracked. The indication can be output optically and/or acoustically, for example. The indication can be output, for example, in response to a detection that the shipment has at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked.

The indication can be, for example, an optical indication that is displayed to the person by a device worn by the person, in particular glasses or a glove.

In particular, the optical indication can lead to at least one part of the mailing, in particular at least one of the at least one piece of information that characterizes the mailing as a mailing to be tracked, being optically emphasized when viewed by the person, in particular by coloring and/or framing. The coloring and/or framing is then, for example, displayed in the user's field of vision or field of vision and superimposed on his normal perception This technology is known in other areas as Augmented Reality (AR) For example, a program to be tracked can then (e.g. by leaving out the address field, the the person must be able to read well, and possibly the information optically perceivable by the person that identifies the shipment as a shipment to be tracked) are then colored in a signal color, for example red, to make it clear to the person that the data of the shipment need to be recorded. In the case of shipments that cannot be tracked, for example, no optical highlighting can take place.

Both the outputting of the indication perceivable by the person and the recording of the data of the shipment can be carried out at least partially with the same device, in particular with glasses or a glove.

Further advantageous exemplary configurations of the invention can be found in the following detailed description of some exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in particular in connection with the figures. However, the figures accompanying the application are intended only for the purpose of clarification and are not intended to determine the scope of the invention. The accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale, and are intended only to give an example of the general concept of the present invention. In particular, features contained in the figures should by no means be considered as a necessary part of the present invention.

Brief description of the figures

Fig. 1:

eine schematische Darstellung einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform eines Systems gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung,

Fig. 2:

eine schematische Darstellung einer Sendung, die gemäß einer Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung mit Information versehen ist, die die Sendung als zu verfolgende Sendung kennzeichnet,

Fig. 3:

eine schematische Darstellung einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform einer Vorrichtung, die im Kontext der vorliegenden Erfindung eingesetzt werden kann,

Fig. 4:

ein Flussdiagramm einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform eines Verfahrens, das im Kontext der vorliegenden Erfindung beispielsweise von der Erfassungseinheit 210 des Systems der Fig. 1 ausgeführt werden kann;

Fig. 5:

ein Flussdiagramm einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform eines Verfahrens gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung, wie es beispielsweise von der Sendungsverfolgungssteuerung 32 des Systems der Fig. 1 ausgeführt wird;

Fig. 6:

ein Flussdiagramm einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform eines Verfahrens, das im Kontext der vorliegenden Erfindung beispielsweise von dem Sortierer 221 des Systems der Fig. 1 ausgeführt werden kann;

Fig. 7:

ein Flussdiagramm einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform eines Verfahrens gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung, wie es beispielsweise bei einer automatisierten Erfassung von Daten von Sendungen in der manuellen Sortierstation 22 des Systems der Fig. 1 ausgeführt wird; und

Fig. 8:

ein Flussdiagramm einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform eines Verfahrens gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung, wie es beispielsweise von der Erfassungseinheit 222 des Systems der Fig. 1 ausgeführt wird.

Show it:

Figure 1:

a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a system according to the present invention,

Figure 2:

a schematic representation of a shipment which, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is provided with information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked,

Figure 3:

a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a device that can be used in the context of the present invention,

Figure 4:

a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method, which in the context of the present invention, for example, by the detection unit 210 of the system of 1 can be executed;

Figure 5:

a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention, such as by the shipment tracking controller 32 of the system of FIG 1 is performed;

Figure 6:

a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method used in the context of the present invention, for example, by the sorter 221 of the system of FIG 1 can be executed;

Figure 7:

a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention, as for example in an automated acquisition of data from shipments in the manual sorting station 22 of the system 1 is performed; and

Figure 8:

a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention, such as by the detection unit 222 of the system of FIG 1 is performed.

Detailed description of some exemplary embodiments of the invention

1 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a system 1 in accordance with the present invention. The system 1 comprises a sorting center 2, a shipment tracking unit 3, a station 4 of a delivery district, a delivery person 5, a network 6, a computer 7 and a shipment 8 or 8'. The wide, solid arrows symbolize the flow of a large number of mail items through the delivery chain, which here, for example, only includes the sorting center 2 , the delivery district station 4 and the deliverer 5 . The dashed arrows symbolize the logical flow of information from different components to the shipment tracking unit 3.

The sorting center 2 , which can be a mail center, for example, initially includes a sorting system 21 , but several of these can also be provided in the sorting center 2 .

The sorting system 21 is set up for the automatic processing of mail items 8, in particular postcards, letters, large letters and oversized letters. Part of the processing is, in particular, the acquisition of data from the mailpieces 8 by the acquisition unit 210, but in particular also the sorting of the mailpieces 8, for example at least based on address information 82 (see 2 ). The shipments 8 can, for example, be sorted according to delivery districts and then sorted at delivery district stations 4, from which 1 only one is shown as an example, are transmitted (for example with vehicles).

Not all mail items 8 can be processed by the sorting system 21 . As already stated, this applies in particular to mail items 8 with an irregular surface structure and/or to mail items 8 whose thickness exceeds a specific threshold value. Therefore, in a classification station 20 of the sorting center 2, incoming mail items are first classified as “can be processed by the sorting system” and “cannot be processed by the sorting system”. The classification station 20 can also be present several times, for example a classification station 20 can be assigned to a sorting system 21 in each case. A classification station 20 can be formed, for example, by one or more people, the incoming shipments 8 after classify their suitability for processing by the sorting plant 21 (e.g. by visual inspection) and then feed them to either the sorting plant 21 or the manual sorting station 22 depending on the result of the classification. However, the mailings 8 can also be classified in the classification station 20 in an automated manner. In addition or as an alternative, however, mail items 8 can also already have been classified outside of the sorting center as not being able to be processed by the sorting system 21 and correspondingly be delivered to the sorting center 2 separately from other mail items 8 which were classified as being able to be processed by the sorting system 21 (e.g. in separate containers). It is also possible that at least some of the mail items that have been classified as being able to be processed by the sorting system 21 are rejected again by the sorting system 21 after the start of processing (e.g. sorting) because the sorting system 21 or an operator of the sorting system 21 has determined that these mailings 8 are not suitable for processing by the sorting system 21.

In the manual sorting station 22 of the sorting center, those mail items which are classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system 21 (or which have been rejected by it) are sorted manually by one or more sorters 221, in particular on the basis of address information 82 (see 2 ). Here, too, the goal can be to sort the mailpieces 8 according to delivery districts. A sorting support device 220 is provided for this purpose, for example. The sorting support device 220 can, for example, comprise a holder for a large number of containers, with each of the containers being assigned to a specific delivery district, for example. The sorter 221 can then use the address information 82 of the shipment 8 to allocate a shipment to the correct container and place it in it.

The mail items 8 sorted at the manual sorting station 22 then form the outgoing mail stream of the sorting center 2 with the mail items 8 sorted by the sorting system 21 and are delivered to the delivery district stations 4 .

In order to be able to offer a shipment tracking service for the shipments 8, in exemplary embodiments of the present invention the shipments are provided with at least one piece of information which characterizes the shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked.

For example, the shipment 8 can be provided with a first item of information that characterizes the shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked and cannot be recognized or evaluated by a person without aids. Such first information can be found, for example, in be housed in a barcode, for example in the in 2 illustrated 2D barcode 80, which was accepted here as an example as a data matrix code. Using this first information, for example, the detection unit 210 (or an additional detection unit) of the sorting system 21 can automatically detect during the sorting of mail items 8 whether a mail item processed by the sorting system 8 is a mail item to be tracked. Data of the shipment 8 (in particular further information from the 2D barcode 80, such as an identifier of the shipment 8) recorded by the acquisition unit 210 can then (in particular only then) possibly be combined with further data, such as a time of the acquisition of the data , an indication of the location of the collection of the data and / or an identifier of the sorting center 2, the sorting system 21 and / or the detection unit 210 are transmitted to the shipment tracking unit 3 and used to generate a shipment tracking event. An example of the functional sequence at the detection unit 210 is shown below with reference to the flow chart 400 of FIG 4 described in more detail.

However, as explained, not all mail items 8 can be processed by the sorting system 21, so that some of the mail items 8 have to be processed (in particular sorted) at the manual sorting station 22. Since in the present embodiment the first piece of information that characterizes a shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked cannot be evaluated by a person without tools, the sorter 221 at the manual sorting station 22 is not able to quickly decide whether the data is one of must be recorded for shipment tracking purposes or not. Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, the shipment 8 is additionally provided with a second piece of information, which characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked and can be perceived and/or evaluated by a person without any aids. In the example of 2 the second information is represented as a letter "H" printed on the mail. When sorting mail items 8 at the manual sorting station 22, the sorter 221 can then decide immediately whether he is dealing with a mail item to be tracked (imprint “H” present) or not (imprint “H” not present). This selection of the identification of mail items 8 to be tracked is particularly advantageous because the sorter 221 has at least the address information 82 (see 2 ) must inspect each shipment 8 anyway in order to be able to sort the shipment 8 . The sorter 221 can therefore recognize the address information 82 and the second information 81 essentially at the same time and can integrate the additional work step of triggering the recording of the data of a shipment 8 to be tracked into the sorting process. Since the recording of the data of a shipment takes a certain amount of time, advantageously only data from those shipments 8 are recorded that are considered to tracking shipments are marked 8, ie shipments 8, which have the second information "H". An example of the functional sequence executed by the sorter 221 is described below with reference to the flowchart 600 of FIG 6 described in more detail. The flow chart 800 of the 8 also explains how the sorter 221 can be supported by the detection unit 222 in this regard. The flow chart 700 of the 7 describes an alternative automatic acquisition of data from mail items 8 to be tracked, which can further relieve the sorter 221 .

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the sorter 221 triggers the detection of the data from mail items 8 to be tracked, for example by the sorter 221 reducing the distance between a mail item 8 and a detection station 222 provided at the manual sorting station 22 . For example, the sorter 221 approaches the mail item 8 to the recording unit 222 or the recording unit 222 approaches the mail item 8 in order to trigger the recording of the data of a mail item 8 . The detection unit 222 can, for example, be attached to the sorting support device 220 or worn by the sorter 221 at least temporarily on the body, for example as glasses or gloves.

The data of the shipment 8 recorded by the recording unit 222 can, for example, correspond to the data recorded by the recording unit 210 of the sorting system 21, or a subset thereof. For example, the data recorded by the recording unit 222 can include information from the 2D barcode 80, such as an identifier of the shipment 8. The data recorded by the recording unit 222 can then, if necessary with further data, such as a time of recording the data , an indication of the location of the collection of the data and / or an identifier of the sorting center 2, the sorting system 21 and / or the detection unit 210 are transmitted to the shipment tracking unit 3 and used to generate a shipment tracking event.

The shipment tracking unit 3 forms another part of the system 1 of 1 . As drawn, it can be located outside of the sorting center 2 , but it can also represent part of the sorting center 2 . Functionally, the shipment tracking unit 3 includes a shipment tracking database 31 in which shipment tracking events relating to different shipments are stored. A shipment tracking event is assigned to a shipment 8, for example, and includes information about the circumstances of the collection of data from the shipment 8, for example when and/or where and/or by whom the data from the shipment 8 was collected. In a simple embodiment, includes a tracking event only information at a point in time at which data of a shipment 8 was recorded, or only information that delivery of the shipment 8 has taken place. The identifier of a shipment 8 to which a shipment tracking event relates can be contained in the shipment tracking event or otherwise associated with the shipment tracking event in order to enable the shipment tracking event to be found using the identifier. Several shipment tracking events, which also relate to the same shipment 8, can be grouped in a data record, for example in chronological order.

The shipment tracking controller 32 of the shipment tracking unit 3 controls the generation of shipment tracking events in the shipment tracking database 31, based on recorded data from shipments 8, as received by the registration unit 210 and the registration unit 222, from information received from a control room 23 of the sorting center 2 or a Control room 41 of the delivery district station 4 are obtained and information obtained from a mobile device 50 of the deliverer 5 (for example a hand-held scanner or smartphone). The shipment tracking controller 32 can, in particular, use the shipment data recorded by the acquisition units 210 and 222 to generate scheduled orders (i.e. only to be executed at a specific point in time) for generating shipment tracking events, execute these orders at the right time and - if due to additional ones, in particular from the control rooms 23 and/or 41 and/or the mobile device of the deliverer 50 required - change or delete these orders. By this procedure, which is described below with reference to the flow chart 500 of FIG figure 5 As will be explained in more detail, it is possible, among other things, to generate shipment tracking events relating to the delivery of shipments 8 to the respective shipment recipient without data on the shipment 8 having to be recorded at the time of delivery of a shipment 8 to the respective shipment recipient (e.g. by the deliverer 5). The acquisition of the data of a shipment 8 at the time of delivery is replaced by the acquisition of the data of the shipment 8 in the sorting center 2 and the generation of the shipment tracking event relating to the delivery is delayed according to the measured or estimated usual delivery time of a shipment 8 after its data have been acquired in the sorting center 2. Deviations from this usual delivery time are explicitly communicated to the shipment tracking controller 32 (by the control rooms 23 and/or 41 and/or the mobile device 50 of the deliverer 5), so that it can adjust the generation of the shipment tracking events for the shipments 8 concerned accordingly.

Embodiments of the present invention therefore make it possible to shift both the decision as to whether data of a shipment 8 to be delivered and the triggering of the acquisition of the data of the shipment itself away from the deliverer 5 to the sorting center 2, where this is done for the sorting system 21 mailings that can be processed is carried out automatically and is made by sorters 221 for the remaining mailings that cannot be processed by the sorting system 21 . For the mail items 8 processed by the sorting system 21, manual processing is therefore completely eliminated, while for the fewer mail items 8 that cannot be processed by the sorting system 21, the decision and the triggering of the recording of the data are efficiently integrated into the manual sorting process that is required anyway the manual sorting station 22 can be integrated. The degree of manual processing effort associated with the tracking of the shipment is therefore compared to the obvious solution, tracking the shipment by recording the data of the shipment by the deliverer upon delivery (i.e. in particular when the shipment 8 is handed over to the shipment recipient or placed in his mailbox), significantly reduced. In contrast, the generation and transmission of the (rare) information about deviations from the normal delivery process from the control rooms 23 and/or 41 and/or the deliverer 5 to the shipment tracking controller 32 is negligible.

Shipment tracking makes it possible for a user to access the shipment tracking database 31 with his computer 7 via the network 6, which can be the Internet (or also an intranet), for example. Access to the shipment tracking database 31 is moderated, for example, by the shipment tracking controller 32, or by a separate unit (in 1 not shown). For example, a user of the shipment tracking service, for example the sender of one or more shipments 8 or the recipient of a shipment 8, can find out about the current delivery status of a shipment 8 by providing an identifier for the shipment by accessing the data of the shipment - for example via a website Shipment tracking database 31 accesses. For example, the most recent or all shipment tracking events relating to this shipment 8 are then displayed to him. Alternatively, the user can also be actively informed about shipment tracking events newly recorded in the shipment tracking database 31, for example by email or SMS notification, to name just a few examples. For example, the user can also receive information about several shipments. For example, a user, in particular a user who has posted a large number of mailpieces for delivery, and a target delivery date for these mailpieces, by which the mailpieces should have been delivered at the latest, can be specified has to be provided with a list of shipments that have exceeded the target delivery date. This can enable the user, who represents a retailer, for example, to inform the recipients of these shipments (buyers) about the delayed delivery (e.g. via their own shipment tracking portal, or by means of active notification by email, SMS, etc.).

In the exemplary embodiment described above, it was assumed, for example, that there is first and second information that characterizes a shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked. Alternatively, only information that identifies a shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked can also be used. Advantageously, this can be information that can be recognized quickly both by the detection unit 210 and by the sorter 221 . An example of such information is one or more symbols printed on the item (or a label on the item), e.g 2 symbol 81 shown as an example. A symbol (eg a letter or a number) can be quickly recognized both by machines and by people and thus allows a quick decision to be made as to whether a shipment 8 is a shipment to be tracked or not.

2 12 is a schematic representation of a mail item 8 which, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is provided with information 80, 81 identifying the mail item 8 as a mail item to be tracked. The shipment 8 also has address information 82 which can be used, for example, to sort the shipment in the sorting system 21 and/or the manual sorting station 22 . In the embodiment of 2 there are two items of information that characterize the shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked: once within the 2D barcode 80 (first information) and once in the form of a printed symbol 81 (second information), here "H" as an example. This information can be captured optically, for example with a scanner with functionality for barcode decoding (first information) and symbol recognition (optical character recognition, OCR) (second information). However, one or both of these pieces of information, in particular the first piece of information, can also be represented in other ways, for example in the form of information that can be detected by radio, for example as information stored on a memory, in particular an RFID or NFC chip.

the inside 2 The exemplary 2D barcode 80 shown can be a data matrix code, for example (alternative embodiments are, for example, a QR code or a one-dimensional barcode). An example of the content of such a DataMatrix code is given below , it is 42 bytes in hexadecimal representation (each byte is two hexadecimal symbols from the alphabet {0-F}):
Total ring: 44 45 41 12 20 01 2C B6 BO 4100 B9 6b 17 00 00 02 03 22 B8 00 A9 31 39 32 35 30 31 00 00 00 00 00 00 Meaning position in the string content String Postal company: DEA bytes f1-f3 44 45 41 Franking type: 18 = IT franking, version 1.3 byte f4 12 Version products/prices: 32 bytes f5 20 Customer number: 5045137473 bytes f6-f10 01 2C B6 B0 41 Postage value: 1.85 Bytes f11-f12 00B9 Submission date: 10/01/2015 Bytes f13-f14 6B 17 Product key: 148 = large letter; Additional service/option: proof of delivery Bytes f15-f16 00 94 Consecutive tracking number: 00000002 Bytes f17-f19 00 00 02 Participation number: 03 bytes f20 03 Payroll number: 8888 bytes f21-f22 22 B8 Announcement content data element: 0 bytes f23 00 Coding/length byte: 101 01001 bytes f24 A9 Customer specific information: Customer specific information in ASCII: 1199825001 Bytes f25-f42 31 31 39 39 38 32 35 30 30 31 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

The bytes f15-f16 designate the product key and the additional service/variant. In the present example, the bytes f15-f16 assume the value "00 94", which corresponds to the number 148 in decimal representation and is interpreted as the information "large letter with proof of delivery". The bytes f15-f16 with the value "00 94" thus represent an example of the first information identifying the shipment as a shipment to be tracked.

Bytes f25-f42 contain customer-specific information that is interpreted as ASCII characters and corresponds to the number sequence "1199825001" (the zeros in bytes f35-f42 were not taken into account). This sequence of digits is an example of an identifier for the shipment represents, which can be recorded, for example, when data of the shipment is recorded and used when generating a shipment tracking event for the shipment. For example, the identifier can be included in the shipment tracking event generated (for example, together with a time of acquisition of the data and/or information about the location of acquisition and/or the station of acquisition) or be associated with the shipment tracking event.

In the present exemplary embodiment, both the data to be recorded for shipments to be tracked (in particular the identifier of the shipment, bytes f25-f42) and the first piece of information that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked (bytes f15-f16) are in contain the same data record/code and can therefore be recorded together, namely by the recording unit 210 of the sorting station 21. It is therefore advantageous to provide the shipment tracking service, at least for the items 8 that can be processed by the sorting system 21, no additional recording device is required, since the in a conventional Sorting system 21 already existing detection device 210 used for this purpose and only the corresponding evaluation of the information in bytes f15-f16 and f25-f42 and - if necessary - their transmission to the shipment tracking unit 3 (possibly together with time stamp and location / station information) must be ensured.

3 FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 30 that can be used in the context of the present invention.

The device 30 can, for example, the detection unit 210 of the sorting system 21 of 1 represent (and then, for example, the method of flowchart 400 of the 4 execute), or the shipment tracking control 32 of 1 represent (and then, for example, the method of flowchart 500 of the figure 5 execute), or a device (e.g. the detection unit 222 of the manual sorting station 22 of 1 ) for the automatic acquisition of the data of shipments to be tracked that are classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system 21 represent (and then, for example, the method of the flowchart 700 of the 7 execute), or the detection unit 222 of the manual sorting station 22 of 1 represent (and then, for example, the method of flowchart 800 of the 8 carry out).

Device 30 includes a processor 300 with associated memory 301 and program memory 302. The processor 300 executes, for example, program instructions that are stored in the program memory 302.

The program memory 302 may be, for example, persistent memory such as read-only memory (ROM). The program memory 302 can be, for example, permanently connected to the processor 300, but alternatively can also be detachably connected to the processor 300, for example as a memory card, diskette or optical data carrier medium (e.g. a CD or DVD). Further information can also be stored in the program memory 302 or in a separate memory.

The main memory 301 is used, for example, to store temporary results while the program instructions are being processed; this is, for example, a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) memory.

The processor 300 is also operatively connected to a communication interface 303, which can be used, for example, to exchange information with other devices (see the dashed arrows in Fig 1 ).

Device 30 may also include other components. If device 30 represents the detection unit 210 or 222, there is in particular a detection means for detecting data of a shipment 8, which can be used, for example, for optical detection (e.g. in the form of a scanner (e.g. a barcode scanner)) or for radio-based detection (e.g. in the form of a radio receiver (e.g. an RFID or NFC reader)) of the data of the broadcast 8 and is operatively connected to the processor 300 .

If the device 30 represents the detection unit 222, there can be means operatively connected to the processor 300 for recognizing that the sorter 221 would like to trigger the detection of the data of a shipment 8. These means can be set up, for example, to recognize predefined actions of the sorter 221 with which the recording of the data of a mailpiece is to be triggered, for example the actuation of a button or the making of a gesture (for example a head or eye movement, or bringing a shipment close to the detection means). However, these means can also be part of the detection means.

If device 30 represents the detection unit 222, in exemplary embodiments of the invention (cf 7 or the 8 ), in which a shipment 8 to be tracked is provided with first information and second information that differs therefrom (as is the case, for example, in the embodiment of 2 is the case) that identify the shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked, in addition to the detection means, a detection means operatively connected to the processor 300 (e.g. an optical detector with symbol recognition, if the second information is optical information) for detection, that the shipment 8 is provided with at least the second piece of information may be present in the device 30 . Capturing means and detection means can, for example, use at least one component (for example an optical sensor if both the first information item and the second information item can be detected optically) together. Alternatively, the detection means and the detection means can be formed by a common module (e.g. an optical detector which can read barcodes and recognize symbols, for example).

If the device 30 represents the detection unit 222, in exemplary embodiments of the invention (cf 8 ) there may also be provided a display means configured to visually highlight information identifying a shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked and operatively connected to processor 300. The display means can be embodied, for example, as glasses with a display device located therein, for example in the form of augmented reality glasses. For example, the highlighting is then faded into a field of vision of the sorter 221 who wears the glasses and is at least partially superimposed on a mail item 8 that the sorter 221 has in front of him (in particular in his hand). The detection means and/or the detection means can also be integrated into such glasses, for example.

4 4 illustrates a flow chart 400 of an exemplary embodiment of a method that may be performed in the context of the present invention. The method is, for example, by the detection unit 210 of the sorting system 21 of 1 performed, for example, as the device 30 of 3 can be trained.

In a first step 401, data of a shipment 8 (which can be processed by the sorting system 21) and--if present--at least one piece of information (in particular the first piece of information), which identifies the shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked. As already described, the data of the shipment 8 and the information can be printed on the shipment in a common data set, in particular a 2D barcode.

In a step 402 it is then determined whether the information identifying the shipment as a shipment to be tracked is present. If this is the case, in step 403 at least some of the recorded data (or all of the recorded data) is transmitted to the shipment tracking unit 3, in particular in order to enable or cause a shipment tracking event to be generated there. Subsequently, or if the determination in step 402 turned out to be negative, it is checked in step 404 whether further mail items 8 are present. If so, flow chart 400 loops back to step 401. Otherwise, processing ends.

In the present exemplary embodiment, data is therefore recorded from all shipments, regardless of whether they are shipments to be tracked or not. However, data is only transmitted to the shipment tracking unit 3 for the shipments to be tracked.

6 6 illustrates a flow chart 600 of an exemplary embodiment of a method that may be performed by a sorter 221 at the manual sorting station 22 in the context of the present invention.

In step 601 the sorter 221 considers a shipment 8 which is a shipment classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system 21 . For example, the sorter 221 removes the mailpiece from a container in which such classified mailpieces were previously collected.

In step 602, the sorter 221 checks whether the shipment has been provided with information that identifies the shipment as a shipment to be tracked. Advantageously, this information is information that can be perceived and evaluated by the sorter without tools, such as a printed symbol 81, as shown in 2 is shown as an example.

If the sorter 221 establishes that such information is present, in step 603 it triggers the acquisition of the data of the shipment by the acquisition unit 222, for example by a predetermined action, for example by actuating an operating element or by approaching the mail item or a label of the mail item to the detection unit 222, in particular to a detection means of the detection unit 222. If it is determined that no such information is present, step 603 is skipped.

In step 604, the shipment 8 is then sorted, regardless of whether it is a shipment to be tracked or not.

In step 605 the sorter 221 checks whether further mail items 8 are present. If this is the case, in step 601 the next shipment 8 is processed. Otherwise, the sorter 221 stops operating.

8 Fig. 8 shows a flowchart 800 of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the first aspect of the invention, performed by the detection unit 222 of the manual sorting station 21, which can for example be the device 30 of Fig 3 can be trained. The detection unit 222 not only waits for the sorter 221 to trigger the detection, but also supports the sorter 221 in recognizing whether a shipment 8 is a shipment to be tracked or not.

For this purpose, in step 801 it is first checked whether a mail item 8 which the sorter 221 is currently holding in front of him (e.g. on a conveyor belt or in the hand of the sorter 221) is provided with at least one item of information which identifies the mail item as to be tracked shows the shipment. The information can be information that can be perceived and/or evaluated by the sorter 221 even without tools, or alternatively it can be information that cannot be perceived and/or evaluated by the sorter 221 without tools.

In step 802, the further procedure is determined depending on the result of the check. If the mail item 8 is provided with information which characterizes the mail item 8 as a mail item to be tracked, step 803 is carried out. Otherwise, processing jumps to step 807.

In step 803, the information identifying the shipment 8 as a shipment to be tracked, or at least part of the shipment 8, is highlighted. The information is highlighted, for example, if the information is information that can be optically perceived and evaluated by the sorter 221 without any aids (e.g. the first information 81 of the 2 ). At least part of the show will highlighted, for example, if the information is information that cannot be perceived and/or evaluated by the sorter 221 without aids.

The highlighting can be done optically, for example, by framing or coloring the information or at least part of the shipment. For example, the highlighting can be done using augmented reality by overlaying the highlights on a real scene that sorter 221 sees. The sorter 221 can view the real scene through a transparent or non-transparent device, for example. In the first case, the device is, for example, transparent glasses that project the highlights into the sorter's 221 field of view or field of view. In the latter case, the device comprises at least one monitor, by means of which the sorter 221 is shown both the real scene and the highlighting. The monitor(s) can be worn on the head like a helmet or glasses by Sorter 221.

In step 804 it is then checked whether an action of the sorter 221 (for example the actuation of an operating element, etc.) to trigger the detection of the data of the mailpiece 8 has taken place. If this is the case, the data of the shipment 8 is recorded in step 805 and at least some of this data is then transmitted to the shipment tracking unit 3 in step 806, in particular to enable or cause a shipment tracking certificate to be generated there. Otherwise, steps 805 and 806 are skipped.

According to step 807, the processing of the next mailing is started in step 801 if further mailings are present. Otherwise the procedure ends.

The present exemplary embodiment supports the sorter 221 in checking whether a shipment 8 is a shipment to be tracked (whose data must then be recorded) or not, by optically highlighting shipments to be tracked. This significantly reduces the probability that mail items to be tracked will not be recognized by the sorter 221 . For example, shipments that are only to be tracked can be optically highlighted, for example by being colored red. The sorter 221 then knows that, in addition to the sorting, he only has to trigger the acquisition of the data of the mailpiece in addition to the sorting in the case of mailpieces colored red.

The sorter 221 can be further relieved by the process of recognizing the shipments to be tracked and triggering the acquisition of the data from to be tracked shipments are automated. The sorter 221 is then, for example, only responsible for sorting the mail items arriving at the manual sorting station 22 .

The 7 a flow chart 700 of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the first aspect of the invention, carried out by the detection unit 222 of the manual sorting station 21, for example as the device 30 of FIG 3 can be trained. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 222 is arranged, for example, on a transport route on which the mail items 8 classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system 21 are transported. For example, these mail items 8 are placed by the sorter 221 from a container onto the transport route (for example with a specific orientation that enables or at least facilitates the recording of the data of the mail item, for example with the label facing up or down). The transport speed of the transport route can depend, for example, on whether the data of a shipment is being recorded or not.

In step 701 it is then checked for the mailpieces 8 whether the mailpiece is provided with at least one piece of information which characterizes the mailpiece as a mailpiece to be tracked. There can only be information here that characterizes the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, for example the same information that can also be automatically detected by the detection unit 210 of the sorting system 21 . This can, for example, be information in a barcode (e.g. a 2D barcode such as the DataMatrix code), but alternatively it can also be radio-readable information.

Depending on the result of the check, there are different branches in step 702 of flowchart 700: If the information is absent, a jump is made to step 705. If the information is available, the data of the shipment can be recorded in an optional step, in particular if the data has not already been recorded as part of the check of step 701 . If the information is contained in a data record/code, for example, together with the data of the shipment 8, this data of the shipment is usually already available after the check in step 701 and then does not have to be recorded again. Carrying out both steps 701 and 703 makes sense if the information that characterizes a shipment as a shipment to be tracked cannot be recorded together with the data of the shipment or if there is more information that identifies the shipment as a shipment to be tracked. In the latter case, the check is then carried out in step 701 preferably based on that information that is faster to detect and evaluate, since step 701, in contrast to Step 703 has to be carried out for all mail items that have been classified as not being able to be processed by the sorting system and is therefore particularly time-critical.

In step 704, at least part of the recorded data of the shipment is transmitted to the shipment tracking unit 3, in particular in order to enable or cause a shipment tracking certificate to be generated there.

According to step 705, the processing of the next shipment is started in step 701 if further shipments are present. Otherwise the procedure ends.

After step 701 or, if this is carried out, step 703, the respective shipment can then be fed to the manual sorting process. In contrast to the processing in the sorting system 21, the mail items 8 are not sorted automatically in the present embodiment.

Irrespective of whether the acquisition of data for a shipment 8 to be tracked was carried out by the acquisition unit 210 of the sorting system 21 or the acquisition unit 222 of the manual sorting station 22 , the acquired data are transmitted to the shipment tracking unit 3 . This transmission can take place wirelessly, at least in sections, but can also be based on wired transmission. From the point of view of the shipment tracking unit 3, for example, it makes no difference which recording unit the data was recorded by. However, it is possible that the information transmitted with the recorded data provides information about the station and/or by which recording unit the data was recorded.

figure 5 shows a flowchart 500 of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the first aspect of the invention, which is carried out by the shipment tracking controller 32 of the shipment tracking unit 3, which for example as the device 30 of FIG 3 can be trained.

In step 501 it is checked whether data of a shipment has been received. The data of the shipment can be, in particular, from a detection unit 210/222 1 collected data or at least a subset of it. The data of the shipment can contain at least one identifier of the shipment, for example. In addition (and in particular together) with the data of the shipment more (particularly supplied by the acquisition units) information regarding the acquisition of the data of the shipment from the Shipment tracking control 32 are obtained, for example, information about a time of recording the data and / or a place of recording the data.

If data of a program has been received, steps 502-503 are executed, otherwise step 504 is jumped to.

In step 502 a point in time is determined at which a shipment tracking event is to be generated in the shipment tracking database 31, in particular according to a predefined rule. This point in time can be determined, for example, based on information about the point in time at which the data was recorded and/or the location at which the data was recorded (for example, instead of a transmitted point in time at which the data was recorded, a point in time at which the data of the shipment was received by the recording units 210/222 be used). If, for example, the data of a shipment is received that was recorded at 10:05 p.m. at a detection unit 201/222 of the sorting center 2 or at 10:05 p.m. at the shipment tracking control, for example due to a known (e.g. regularly checked/measured) Given the usual delivery time remaining after a shipment has passed the registration unit, it can be assumed that this shipment will be delivered with a probability bordering on certainty by 6:00 p.m. on the following day. 6:00 p.m. of the following day is then determined as the point in time for the generation of the shipment tracking event relating to this shipment.

The place where the data is recorded can play a role in determining the point in time at which a shipment tracking event is to be generated, insofar as data received from shipments from sorting centers that are located at different positions in the delivery chain correspond to shipment tracking events with different delays should lead. For example, capturing data from a shipment at a sorting center at the beginning of the delivery chain would result in a more delayed shipment tracking event than capturing data from a shipment at a sorting center at the end of the delivery chain. If the shipment tracking controller 32 generates shipment tracking events for shipments 8, the data of which is recorded in a large number of sorting centers, each with different processing times for shipments, it is advantageous, when determining the point in time at which a shipment tracking event is to be generated, to take into account at which Sorting center or at least at what type of sorting center the data of a shipment was received. For the respective sorting centers or types of sorting centers (e.g. differentiated by sorting center sizes) For example, information can be stored on the shipment tracking control 32 about the remaining delivery time for the respective sorting center or the respective type of sorting center after the data of a shipment has been recorded. This information can then be used to determine the point in time in step 502 .

In step 503, a scheduled order for generating a shipment tracking event at the point in time determined in step 502 is determined. This order is therefore only executed when the point in time determined in step 502 is reached (and in the meantime no information opposing the execution of the order has been received from the shipment tracking controller 32, as will be explained in more detail below). For example, the order can already contain the information required to generate the shipment tracking event (e.g. an identifier for the shipment, the time determined in step 502 and/or a location to which the shipment tracking event is to relate, e.g. the delivery address or the address of a post office box).

In step 504 it is checked whether information about a non-deliverable shipment was received. Such information is generated, for example, by a mobile device 50 of a delivery person 5 at the request of the delivery person 5, who was unable to deliver a shipment 8', for example because the address of the shipment 8' is wrong (for example, because the recipient has moved away or died, or because the address contains so many errors that it cannot be assigned to any recipient). In this case, the deliverer uses the mobile device 50 to record data on the shipment (for example an identifier for the shipment). The recorded data are then, for example enriched with further information (for example about the reason why the shipment could not be delivered), transmitted to the shipment tracking controller 32 .

It should be noted that this transmission of information from the deliverer's mobile device 50 to the shipment tracking controller 32, as described in 1 is shown to be logical to understand and may in fact take a different route. For example, the information about the undeliverable shipment can first be transmitted from the deliverer's mobile device to another entity, for example the control room 41 of the delivery district station 4 of the deliverer, and from there to the shipment tracking controller 32 . In particular, the information about the undeliverable shipment can only be transmitted to the shipment tracking controller 32 if a check, for example by the entity or by another unit, has shown that the undeliverable shipment is is a shipment to be tracked. Otherwise, the information about the undeliverable shipment would be superfluous for shipment tracking control.

If information about an undeliverable shipment is received in step 504, the already existing, scheduled order generated in step 503 for generating a shipment tracking event for this undeliverable shipment is deleted in step 505, since a delivery with the usual delivery time is no longer expected can. Otherwise, the flowchart jumps to step 506.

In step 506 it is checked whether information on delivery delays has been received. This information can represent any information that can cause an extension of the usual remaining time from the collection of the data of a shipment in the sorting center until the delivery has taken place. These include, for example, processing backlogs in sorting centers or delivery districts, adverse weather conditions that prevent or slow down delivery by the delivery staff, strikes and much more by the respective responsible personnel. Alternatively, information on delivery delays may come from other sources.

If information on delivery delays has been received, in step 507 the mail items affected by the delivery delays are determined. For example, a processing backlog in one delivery district only affects shipments from that delivery district, while adverse weather conditions or strikes can affect shipments from multiple delivery districts. In the determination carried out in step 507, for example, only those mailpieces are taken into account which represent mailpieces to be tracked and/or for which there are still active scheduled orders for generating mailpiece tracking events.

In step 508, the scheduled orders for generating shipment tracking events for those shipments that were determined in step 507 are changed, in particular the time at which the respective orders are executed is shifted into the future in accordance with the expected delay. The amount of the delay may depend on the nature of the delivery delay and/or information provided to the tracking controller 32 about the expected amount of delay (eg, in days).

In step 509 it is checked whether the time for execution of the order has been reached for one of the scheduled orders generated in step 503 or changed in step 508 . If not, flowchart 500 jumps to step 512 . Otherwise, in step 510 a tracking event is created in tracking database 31 . From this point in time, the shipment tracking event can be retrieved, for example, by the computer 7 in the shipment tracking database 31 . The shipment tracking event generated includes, for example, the identifier of the shipment or is associated with it. The shipment tracking event generated may also include the time the shipment tracking event was generated. This point in time can, for example, be identified as the point in time of the shipment tracking event (ie as the point in time at which the shipment tracking supposedly took place, for example therefore as the point in time of the delivery event). The shipment tracking event generated can additionally or alternatively contain the delivery address (also in the form of the address of a post office box when delivering to a post office box). This address can, for example, be identified as the location of the shipment tracking event (i.e. as the location where the shipment tracking supposedly took place).

In an optional step 511, when the shipment tracking event is generated, a notification (e.g. by email, fax, SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, etc.) about the new shipment tracking event is also triggered, for example to computer 7 (or another device whose address is the Shipment tracking control is known, for example a (mobile) phone of a user of the shipment tracking service).

Finally, in step 512 it is checked whether the method of flow chart 500 should be aborted. If this is the case, the procedure is aborted. Otherwise, processing jumps back to step 501 and begins again. It should be noted that the queries of steps 501, 504, 506 and 509 and the actions 502-503, 505., 507-508 and 510-511 subordinate to them do not necessarily have to be processed sequentially, but are checked/checked simultaneously in parallel threads. can be processed.

The sequence of the procedural steps described in this specification in the individual flow charts is not mandatory, alternative sequences of the procedural steps are conceivable taking into account the sequence defined in the claims. The procedural steps can be implemented in different ways, so an implementation in software (by program instructions), hardware or a combination of both for the implementation of the procedural steps is conceivable. Terms used in the claims such as "comprise", "have", "include", "contain" and the like do not exclude further elements or steps. The phrase "at least partially" includes both the case "partly" and the case "completely". The phrase "and/or" should be understood to mean that both the alternative and the combination should be disclosed, i.e. "A and/or B" means "(A) or (B) or (A and B)". A plurality of entities, persons or the like in the context of this specification means multiple entities, persons or the like. The use of the indefinite article does not exclude a plural. A single device can perform the functions of several units or devices mentioned in the claims. Reference signs given in the patent claims are not to be regarded as limitations on the means and steps used.

Claims (14)

1. Method comprising:

   - classifying shipments at least comprising classifying a shipment as not processable by a sorting facility,

   - wherein the shipment classified as not processable by the sorting facility is not processed by the sorting facility or at least not completely processed by the sorting facility,

   - wherein a processing by the sorting facility comprises a sorting of shipments which have been classified as being processable by the sorting facility, and the sorting facility is configured to automatically acquire respective data of shipments processed by it and, if the processed shipments are each provided with at least one item of information which characterizes, respectively, the processed shipments as shipments to be tracked, respectively at least one of these at least one item of information,

   - acquiring data of the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility or obtaining acquired data of the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility, wherein the shipment is provided with at least one item of information characterizing the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, and

   - generating at least one shipment tracking event concerning the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility in a shipment tracking database, at least based on the acquired data, or outputting the acquired data for generating such a shipment tracking event,

   characterized

   - in that the classifying is upstream of the acquiring or obtaining, respectively, and

   - in that the acquiring or obtaining is triggered by a person during a manual sorting process of the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility.
2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the shipment tracking event is not generated before a second point in time, which is after a first point in time at which the data of the shipment is acquired or the acquired data is obtained, wherein the second point in time is determined according to a predetermined rule, in particular at least in dependence on the first point in time.
3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the shipment tracking event is a delivery event characterizing the delivery of the shipment, and wherein the second time is determined taking into account a previously determined or estimated usual time duration between the acquiring of the data of the shipment or the obtaining of the acquired data of the shipment and the delivery thereof.
4. Method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the shipment has been ejected from the sorting facility during a sorting process and thereby classified as not being processable by the sorting facility, or wherein the shipment has been classified as not being processable by the sorting facility in the course of a manual pre-sorting.
5. Method according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the data of the shipment is optically and/or radio-based acquired by an information carrier connected to or at least partially formed by the shipment.
6. Method according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising:

   - detecting that the shipment is provided with at least one of the at least one item of information characterizing the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, wherein acquiring the data of the shipment is done in response to detecting that the shipment is provided with the at least one of the at least one item of information characterizing the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, and wherein for another shipment, classified as not being processable by the sorting facility, for which it has not been detected that it is provided with such information despite checking whether it is provided with at least one item of information characterizing the other shipment as a shipment to be tracked, no acquisition of the data of the other shipment takes place.
7. Method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein acquiring the data of the shipment is triggered by a person who has detected that the shipment is provided with at least one of the at least one item of information characterizing the shipment as a shipment to be tracked.
8. Method according to claim 7, wherein acquiring the data of the shipment is triggered by a person approaching a device capable of acquiring the data of the shipment to the shipment or approaching the shipment to such a device and/or by performing a physical action detectable by a device capable of acquiring the data of the shipment.
9. Method according to any one of claims 7-8, wherein the at least one of the at least one item of information characterizing the shipment as a shipment to be tracked is applied to the shipment as an optical identifier perceptible by a person with or without optical aids, so that the person is able to decide whether the shipment is a shipment to be tracked or not.
10. Method according to any one of claims 7-9, further comprising:

    - issuing an indication perceptible by the person, that the shipment is provided with at least one of the at least one item of information characterizing the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, in order to cause the person to trigger the acquisition of the data of the shipment, wherein the indication is issued only for shipments provided with at least one of the at least one item of information characterizing the respective shipment as a shipment to be tracked.
11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the indication is an optical indication indicated to the person by a device worn by the person, in particular a pair of glasses or a glove.
12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the optical indication causes at least part of the shipment, in particular at least one of the at least one item of information characterizing the shipment as a shipment to be tracked, to be visually highlighted when viewed by the person, in particular by colouring and/or framing.
13. Method according to any one of claims 10-12, wherein both issuing of the indication perceptible by the person and acquiring the data of the shipment are carried out at least partially with the same device, in particular with a pair of glasses or a glove.
14. System comprising:

    - a means for executing and/or controlling the classifying of shipments, at least comprising the classifying of a shipment as not being processable by a sorting facility;

    - the sorting facility, wherein the sorting facility is configured for processing comprising acquiring data of shipments classified as processable by the sorting facility and sorting the shipments classified as processable by the sorting facility, wherein the sorting facility is configured for not processing or at least not completely processing the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility, and
    wherein the sorting facility is configured to automatically acquire respective data of shipments processed by it and, if the processed shipments are each provided with at least one item of information which characterizes, respectively, the processed shipments as shipments to be tracked, respectively at least one of these at least one item of information;

    - a means for executing and/or controlling an acquiring of data of the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility or an obtaining of acquired data of the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility, the shipment being provided with at least one item of information characterizing the shipment as a shipment to be tracked;

    - a means for executing and/or controlling a generation of at least one shipment tracking event concerning the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility in a shipment tracking database, at least based on the acquired data, or an outputting of the acquired data for generating such a shipment tracking event;

    - a means for recognizing that a person wishes to trigger the acquisition of data of the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility;

    characterized in that the system is configured is such a manner

    - that the classifying takes place before the acquiring or obtaining, respectively, and

    - that the acquiring or obtaining, respectively, is triggered during a manual sorting process of the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility by the recognizing that a person wishes to trigger the acquisition of data of the shipment classified as not being processable by the sorting facility.

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