METHOD OF IDENTIFYING AND SORTING RESPONSE SERVICES MAIL PIECES IN ORDER TO ENHANCE POSTAL SERVICE REVENUE PROTECTION

A method to reduce lost postal revenue by identifying and sorting a mail piece by determining whether algorithmically-resolved image data corresponding to the mail piece indicates that the mail piece is business reply mail. The method is facilitated in part by maintaining data related to each business reply customer account. The business reply customer data is consulted and compared to a predetermined set of criteria to ascertain if the possibly incomplete, incorrect, or ambiguous data discernable from the captured image of the mail piece is indicative of, at a minimum, that the mail piece is business reply for the purpose of sortation to an appropriate business reply collection point, and in addition, that a high-confidence match to a customer account can be obtained for the purpose of automated charge assessment. Machine-readable sortation signals are generated in accordance with the most refined level of sortation indicated by the consultation.