EP1784771B1 - Method for verifying postage when moving postal articles over an electronic parcel mailbox system, and electronic parcel mailbox system for performing this method - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for checking charges during the transport of consignments (for example parcel consignments, goods consignments or other mail items) via an electronic parcel compartment system.

The invention further relates to a parcel compartment system which is particularly developed for carrying out this method and which has a device for issuing charge marks.

In addition to the use of lockers for the storage of, for example, luggage or bank documents, the use of specifically designed facilities for the delivery and collection of goods or mail is known. Such electronic parcel compartment systems make it possible to deposit shipments by a deliverer in a lockable compartment of the system, whereupon the recipient of the shipment is usually informed of the posting. The recipient can then pick up the shipment at any time from the plant, including, for example, an individual access code is transmitted to him.

Electronic parcel compartment systems and associated methods have the advantage that a customer for the delivery of a shipment does not have to be present at his home address as usual, but a shipment can be deposited directly or after a futile delivery attempt in a parcel compartment system. The receiver Thus, in the case of a futile attempt to deliver, no notification is left with which he must pick up the consignment at fixed opening hours of a post office, but his flexibility is considerably increased by the parcel deposit box facility.

Another advantage of electronic parcel compartment systems is that the systems can also be used for the delivery and dispatch of shipments by a customer. The shipments may be, for example, return shipments, which are to be returned by the recipient via a transport service provider. Also possible is the first shipment of items that a customer sets in a parcel box system and which are picked up by a service provider and delivered to a recipient.

In order to implement a shipping function in an electronic parcel compartment system, it is above all necessary to ensure a correct payment or verification for the respective consignment. For this purpose, it is known, for example, similar to conventional locker systems to use parcel deposit facilities funds for payment such as cash or card reader. Also advantageous is the use of tokens such as stamps or other brands with a stored charge details, with which customers provide shipments and thus can frank. Such tokens are directly available to the customer, for example in post offices, over the Internet or at a parcel deposit box facility and are attached by customers on a parcel delivery. If this shipment is not delivered in a post office for shipping, but set for pickup in a parcel compartment system, there is a need for an effective paycheck, since at a parcel compartment system no manual check can take place.

From the Scriptures WO 2004/019290 a method for conveying a mail item via an electronic parcel compartment system is known, in which the mailpiece is associated with an identification code. If the mail item is delivered to a compartment of the parcel compartment system, the identification code is detected, checked and stored in the parcel compartment system and / or a central database.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a method for checking charges during the transport of mail via a parcel compartment system.

The object of the invention is also to provide a parcel compartment system for carrying out the method.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method having the features of the independent claim 1 and a parcel compartment system having the features of the independent claim 3. Further advantageous embodiments of the method and the parcel compartment system emerge from the dependent claims 2, 4 and 5.

The method according to the invention for checking the charges during the transport of mailpieces via an electronic parcel compartment system provides that a plurality of unique identification codes are stored in a storage means in connection with a device for issuing payment tokens. An identity code from the storage means is allocated and the identity code is assigned to a device of the manufacturer in a processing means. The device issues a charge stamp which has at least the assigned identity code. In addition, the fee stamp may have the address of the sender and / or a recipient address. The device for creating and selling paid tags may be a parcel deposit box machine or a standalone vending machine. In the illustrated particularly preferred embodiment, the device is integrated into a parcel compartment system 10, so that at the plant charge brands can be bought, the can be used directly or with a time delay for setting shipments in the system.

According to the invention, the identification code in the storage means is characterized by at least two status displays 1 and 2, of which the first status display 1 indicates that a payment stamp has been printed with this identity code and the second status display 2 indicates that no payment stamp has been printed with this identity code. The status display of an identity code in the memory means is expediently set to 2 at the start of the method. The status display of an identity code is set to 1 after the device has issued a charge mark with the assigned ID code. The status display of an identity code is reset to 2 if the identity code of a charge stamp at a parcel compartment system is detected and the associated mail item is set in the parcel compartment system.

If a customer desires the dispatch of a mail item via a parcel compartment system, the identity code of a payment stamp on the mail item at the parcel compartment system is detected and compared with the ident codes and the associated status displays in the storage means. In this case, a detected identity code which is not stored in the memory means or whose status indicator 2 is a signal. The signal activates a function of the parcel compartment system, by which, for example, the refusal to accept the mail item with the detected identity code is initiated. The signal may also control a function of the parcel compartment system, which causes the storage of the customer data of the customer who wants to set the mail item.

The device for issuing payment tags is preferably also an electronic parcel compartment system. However, it can also be an independent vending machine for issue act of charge stamps, which is in connection with the storage means, which in turn is connected to one or more parcel compartment facilities.

The invention further comprises a parcel compartment system for carrying out the method. For this purpose, the parcel compartment system has, in conjunction with the device, a storage means for storing identification codes and associated status displays. It also comprises detection means for detecting the identification code of a charge stamp on a mail item and processing means for changing the status display of an identification code when the identity code of a charge stamp at a parcel compartment system is detected and the associated mail item is set in the parcel compartment system (setting the status display from 1 to 2), or the identity code is output (setting the status display from 2 to 1). The device has processing means for carrying out a comparison of an identity code recorded on a parcel deposit box with stored identity codes in the memory means and means for generating a signal in the event that the detected identity code is not stored in the memory means or the status code of the identity code is set to 2.

The storage means may be located within the device or remote from the device, permanently or temporarily communicating with the device.

The inventive method and the associated parcel compartment system have various advantages. A significant advantage is that an effective paycheck can be made, which allows the detection of various fraud cases. On the one hand, the case can be recognized that charge stamps are used with incorrect identity codes, which are not generated for the creation of fee stamps. The security can be increased by the fact that no continuous identity code circles are stored in the storage means for award, but for example, several groups or broken rows. This reduces the probability of a random hit enough.

On the other hand, the fraud case can be recognized that a charge stamp with an identity code is used multiple times for a shipment, since the status display of such a code is set to 2 and in this case preferably an acceptance of the shipment is denied. Thus, only charge stamps with ID codes are assumed, the status indicator of which is 1, since these are only sold but not yet used charge stamps.

Standard pay review procedures are limited to the subsequent verification of a charge after a mailing has already been included in the transit process. The inventive method has in connection with a parcel compartment system the advantage that the review of a charge can be made before the acceptance of the mail, so that there is the possibility to prevent the adoption, for example. The same procedure may also be used to simplify manual fee verification when the verification of the validity of the mark by an employee is carried out, for example, by means of a hand-held scanner.

Other advantages, features and expedient developments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to Fig. 1 ,

In Fig. 1 a particularly preferred embodiment of a parcel compartment system 10 for carrying out the method according to the invention is shown. The parcel compartment system preferably has a plurality of compartments for setting consignments by a customer and / or a delivery agent and includes a control unit. The control unit comprises, for example, means for detecting a customer identification, wherein customer cards are read in, a customer inputs identification information on a keyboard or a touchscreen or identifies himself via other identification methods (eg biometric methods, identification via mobile phones or other digital communication devices). Also expedient are display means such as a screen, via which a menu dialogue with the customer can be performed. Successful identification of the customer provides access to various menu functions, which may include the setting of a shipment for shipment.

In connection with the control unit is a storage means 30, in which at least the identification codes 20 to be issued for the issue of charge stamps 40 are stored. In this case, the storage means may be located within the parcel compartment system or locally remote from it. Since it has proven to be expedient to use a plurality of parcel compartment systems in an overall system and to centrally manage them, the storage device is preferably located remotely from the parcel compartment system in a central data processing unit. However, it may also be advantageous to equip each parcel compartment system, each with a storage means for storing ident codes, so that the invention includes both embodiments.

The identity codes have at least two status indicators 1 and 2, of which the first status indicator 1 indicates that a charge stamp has been printed with this identity code and the second status indicator 2 indicates that no charge stamp has been printed with this identity code. At the start of the procedure, the status displays of all identity codes are preferably set to 2, since no fee stamp has yet been created and sold. The status display of an identity code is set to 1 after the device has issued a charge stamp with the assigned identity code. If the identity code of a charge stamp is detected at a parcel compartment system and the associated mail piece 60 is set in the parcel compartment system, the status display of an identity code is reset to 2 and the identity code can be assigned again, whereby this can be done immediately or after an arbitrarily defined temporal latency interval.

The parcel compartment system further has a processing means 50, in which the identity codes are assigned to payment stamps, which are printed out and sold via the system. The processing means also serves to compare an identity code detected at the facility with the stored identity codes. For detecting an identity code, detection means 70 are provided, which may be, for example, a bar code scanner. If a customer desires the setting of a parcel shipment in the parcel deposit box for shipping, the identity code 20 of the associated charge stamp 40 is scanned in and a comparison is made in the processing means 50. When a consignment is dispatched to a post office counter or other manned feeding station, the identity code is also scanned in via a preferably mobile detecting means 70 and in a processing means or a separate display means indicated that the detected identity code is invalid. In this case, the acceptance of the shipment can also be denied.

On the one hand, it is checked in the comparison in the processing means whether the detected identity code belongs to the identity codes assigned by the storage means. If this is not the case, it is a false Identcode, which stands for a fraud case. On the other hand, if the identity code is assigned, but the status display is set to 2, this is also recognized as a fraud case, since there is no unused toll charge in circulation with this identification code. In both cases, the processing means 50 triggers a signal.

The signal triggered by the processing means 50 can trigger a function of the parcel deposit box facility, which preferably causes the refusal to accept the parcel shipment. This may include, for example, a message on a display that a shipment can not be accepted. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the customer data of the customer, which were recorded and assigned to his identification at the parcel compartment system, stored.

Since it is preferable for paid-for brands to acquire them via branches, the Internet, vending machines or directly to electronic parcel deposit boxes, it is advantageous to ensure a pay check for all sales channels. If all assigned ID codes of the entire system are stored in the storage means 30, all sold payment stamps can be checked when a parcel shipment is set in a parcel deposit box system. In a further embodiment of the invention, the circle of ID codes to be tested is restricted and only charge brands of particular distribution channels checked. For example, it can be provided that a comparison takes place exclusively with identity codes which were created and sold via an electronic parcel compartment system. As a result, the effort with regard to the maintenance of databases and the procedures for checking at the parcel deposit box facility can be considerably reduced.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

Parcel compartment system

11

Device for the issue of fee stamps

20

identcode

30

storage means

40

payment brand

50

processing means

60

mailing

70

detection means

Claims (5)

1. Process for postage verification during the transport of postal consignments by means of an electronic parcel compartment facility (10), in which multiple unique identification codes (20) are stored in a storage means (30), whereby a device (11) for the issuance of postage stamps (40) is integrated into the electronic parcel compartment facility,
   characterized by the following features:

   - the identification codes (20) are stored in the storage medium (30) that is connected to the device (11) for the issuance of postage stamps (40);

   - an identification code (20) from the storage means (30) is issued;

   - the identification code is assigned to a postage stamp (40) in a processing means (50) of the device and the device issues said postage stamp (40) which comprises at least the issued identification code (20);

   - the identification code (20) on the postage stamp (40) belongs to an identification code cycle that is assigned to the distribution channel of the sale of the postage stamp (40) by means of an electronic parcel compartment facility;

   - the identification code (20) is indicated in the storage means (30) through at least two status indicators 1 and 2 of which the first status indicator 1 indicates that a postage stamp (40) with said identification code (20) has been printed and the second status indicator 2 indicates that no postage stamp (40) with said identification code (20) has been printed;

   - the status indicator of the identification code (20) in the storage medium (30) is set to 2 at the start of the process;

   - the status indicator of the issued identification code (20) is set to 1 after the device (11) issued a postage stamp (40) with the issued identification code (20);

   - the status indicator of the issued identification code (20) is set to 2, when the identification code (20) of the postage stamp (40) is detected at a parcel compartment facility (10) and the corresponding postal consignment (60) is placed in the parcel compartment facility (10);

   - detection of customer data during a customer identification of a customer in a means of a control unit of the parcel compartment facility (10) and assignment of the customer data to the customer identification;

   - an identification code (20) of a postage stamp on a postal consignment (60) is detected at the parcel compartment facility (10) and compared exclusively to identification codes (20), which have been generated and sold by means of an electronic parcel compartment facility, and to the corresponding status indicators in the storage means (30), whereby an identification code (20) thus detected that is not stored in the storage means (30) or whose status indicator is 2, initiates a signal and

   - the signal triggers at least one function of the parcel compartment facility (10) that initiates saving of the customer data of the customer aiming to place the postal consignment (60).
2. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal triggers a function of the parcel compartment facility (10) by means of which the rejection of the postal consignment (60) with the detected identification code (20) is initiated.
3. Parcel compartment facility (10) that is specially developed for implementation of a process according to any one or both of the claims 1 and 2 and comprises a device (11) for the issuance of postage stamps (40), characterized in that the parcel compartment facility (10) comprises at least the following features:

   - Storage means (30) connected to the parcel compartment facility (10) for storing identification codes (20) and associated status indications, whereby the identification codes (20) belong to an identification code cycle that is assigned to the distribution channel of the sale of a postage stamp by means of an electronic parcel compartment facility, whereby an identification code is characterized by at least two status indicators 1 and 2 of which the first status indicator (1) indicates that a postage stamp with said identification code has been printed and the second status indicator 2 indicates that no postage stamp with said identification code has been printed, and whereby the status indication of the identification code is set to 2 at the start of the process;

   - control unit with means for detection of customer data upon the posting of a postal consignment (60) in the parcel compartment facility (10);

   - detection means (70) for detection of the identification code (20) of a postage stamp (40) on a postal consignment (60);

   - processing means (50) for setting the status indication of the identification code to 1 after the device for the issuance of postage stamps issued a postage stamp with the identification code, and for setting the status indication of the issued identification code to 2, if the issued identification code (20) is detected at a parcel compartment facility and the corresponding postal consignment (60) is placed in the parcel compartment facility;

   - processing means (50) for implementing a comparison of an identification code (20) detected at a parcel compartment facility exclusively with stored identification codes in the storage means (30), which were generated and sold by means of an electronic parcel compartment facility;

   - means for generating a signal to provide for the case of the detected identification code (20) not being stored in the storage means (30) or the status indication of the detected identification code being 2; and

   - means for storing detected customer data.
4. Parcel compartment facility according to claim 3, characterized in that the storage means (30) is situated inside the parcel compartment facility (10).
5. Parcel compartment facility according to claim 3, characterized in that the storage means (30) is situated spatially separate from the parcel compartment facility (10) and is permanently or temporarily connected to the facility.

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