The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 19, 2008
Filed:
May. 24, 2005
Emmanuel Miette, Saint-Gratien, FR;
François Gillet, Lyons, FR;
Emmanuel Miette, Saint-Gratien, FR;
François Gillet, Lyons, FR;
Solystic, Gentilly, FR;
Abstract
In the method of handling mail items, while a mail item is on its first pass through the machine, the method consists in forming a digital image of the surface of the mail item, in deriving, from the image, a digital fingerprint characterizing the mail item, and in recording said digital fingerprint in a memory in correspondence with the bar code printed on the mail item. While the mail item is on its second pass through the machine, the method consists in reading the printed bar code that is printed on the mail item, and, if it has not been possible to extract completely the information contained in the printed code read off the mail item, in using said correspondence in the memory between the printed code that is printed on the mail item and the digital fingerprint that characterizes the mail item to continue machine-sorting the mail item, thereby contributing to reducing the error rate. The printed bar code that is printed on the mail item may be a mail item identity code, a customer applied identifier, or a sorting code for outward and/or inward sorting.