Method and apparatus for tracking mail items through a carrier distribution system

摘要

A carrier distribution system tracks a mail item having a unique sender generated identifier thereon. The carrier distribution system includes apparatus for reading the unique sender generated identifier from the mail item; structure for including a unique carrier generated identifier on the mail item; a data base that associates the unique sender generated identifier with the unique carrier generated identifier; at least one sensor that reads the unique carrier generated identifier from the mail item and provides location information to the data base that is associated with the unique carrier generated identifier so that at times when the carrier distribution system receives a location query from an entity about the mail item via submission of the unique sender generated identifier the location information is obtainable from the database without requiring submission of the unique carrier generated identifier by the entity.