Granted Patent B2

US 7,792,683 · App. 10/290,029 · Granted Sep 7, 2010

Abstract

Claims (36)

1. A method for providing postal patron address change information to subscribers that utilize mailing lists comprising names and address of such patrons, wherein a national postal service maintains a master change of address database that is updated on an intermittent basis by the national postal service, comprising:

(a) receiving intermittent updates to the master change of address database and incorporating the updated change of address information into a computer-searchable, enhanced change of address database;

(b) receiving change of address data from sources other than the national postal service and other than from postal patrons who are submitting address change information;

(c) incorporating more recent change of address information received from such sources into the enhanced change of address database; and

(d) distributing information from the enhanced database to one or more of the subscribers in a form in which the subscribers can use addresses corrected by information from the enhanced database to prepare a mailing, wherein steps (b)-(d) are executed in an interim period between receiving of updates in step (a), such that the enhanced change of address database during such interim period contains change of address data more recent than corresponding entries in the master change of address database.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising making changes in a machine-readable mailing list used by the subscriber when the information from the enhanced database distributed in step (d) indicates a change of address has occurred.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising sending a mass mailing to customers of the subscriber using one or more addresses corrected by information from the enhanced database.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sources used in step (b) include at least one of commercially available mailing lists and lists provided by government entities other than the national postal service.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating the enhanced database with local change of address information forwarded to the enhanced database by the subscribers who receive information from the enhanced database.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising updating the enhanced database with local change of address information forwarded to the enhanced database by customers, which information is combined with the daily change of address data due for inclusion in the master database.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the master postal change of address database is updated on a weekly basis, further comprising updating the enhanced database with daily change of address data due for inclusion in the master database before the master database is updated to include such daily data.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating copies of the enhanced database on a plurality of subscriber servers.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) further comprises creating an address change lookup table, and providing subscribers access to the lookup table.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein step (d) further comprises:

receiving a mailing list from the subscriber;

preparing a revised version of the mailing list using data corresponding to addresses on the subscriber's mailing list from the enhanced database; and

sending the revised mailing list to the subscriber.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sources other than the master change of address database and postal patrons includes one or more of an address alias database, a name alias database, a temporary moves database, credit card company change of address records, theft of identity records, police hot lists, death records, real estate records, records of federal agencies other than the postal service, state government databases, electronic address lists on the Internet, and electronic telephone listings on the Internet.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) further comprises encrypting information to be distributed from the enhanced database to a subscriber, and decrypting the information upon receipt by the subscriber.

13. A system for providing postal patron address change information to subscribers that utilize mailing lists comprising names and address of such patrons, wherein a national postal service maintains a master change of address database that is updated on an intermittent basis by the national postal service, comprising:

means for electronically receiving intermittent updates to the master change of address database;

means for electronically receiving change of address data from sources other than the national postal service and other than from postal patrons who are submitting address change information;

a computer searchable, enhanced change of address database;

means for electronically incorporating more recent change of address information received from such sources into the enhanced change of address database, whereupon the distributed information contains change of address data more recent than corresponding entries in the master change of address database; and

means for distributing change of address information from the enhanced database to one or more of the subscribers in a form in which the subscribers can use addresses corrected by information from the enhanced database to prepare a mailing, wherein the distributed information contains change of address data more recent than corresponding entries in the master change of address database.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the means for distributing change of address information from the enhanced database comprises means for creating copies of the enhanced database on a plurality of subscriber servers.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the means for distributing change of address information from the enhanced database includes a data storage device containing a copy of the enhanced database thereon.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the data storage device is a CD or DVD.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the means for distributing change of address information from the enhanced database comprises means for creating an address change lookup table, and for providing subscribers access to the lookup table.

18. A method for providing postal patron address change information to subscribers that utilize mailing lists comprising names and address of such patrons, wherein a national postal service maintains a master change of address database that is updated on an weekly basis by the national postal service, comprising:

(a) receiving periodic updates to the master change of address database and incorporating the updated change of address information into a computer-searchable, enhanced change of address database;

(b) receiving change of address data from sources other than the national postal service and other than from postal patrons who are submitting address change information;

(c) incorporating change of address information received in step (b) into the enhanced change of address database in an interim period between receiving of updates in step (a) such that the enhanced change of address database during such interim period contains change of address data more recent than corresponding entries in the master change of address database.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising;

(d) providing access to the enhanced database to one or more of the subscribers in a form in which the subscribers can use addresses corrected by information from the enhanced database to prepare a mailing.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of validating changes to the enhanced database by checking change of address information received from sources other than the national postal service and other than from postal patrons who are submitting address change information against a national database of valid addresses.

Assignments (8)