Undeliverable mail organizer and method

Abstract

An undeliverable-mail organizer and method has a mail-organizer tray ( 1 ) with a plurality of mail slots ( 2 ) on a support ( 14, 16, 18 ) predeterminedly above a mail-delivery tray ( 3 ) for a mail-delivery vehicle. The plurality of mail slots is preferably equal to a standard plurality of classifications of undeliverable mail, which presently is five. Preferably also, the mail slots are color-coded and titled. The mail-organizer tray is preferably removable for being carried into a post office for handling its undeliverable mail without being re-sorted. The support can be extended tray sides ( 14 ) of the mail-organizer tray which rest on the mail-delivery tray, a strut ( 16 ) or universal-holder arm ( 18 ) extended from a floor ( 17 ), ceiling or wall of the mail-delivery vehicle or an extension of the mail-delivery tray. The undeliverable-mail organizer can include a base ( 15 ) with a removable tray of mail slots. The base can be movable and/or pivotal for adjustable access to the mail-delivery tray and to driver visibility laterally for driving. The mail slots can be predeterminedly linear or orthogonal to an axis of the delivery vehicle.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An undeliverable-mail organizer comprising: 
 a mail-organizer tray with a predetermined plurality of mail slots on a support predeterminedly above a mail-delivery tray for a mail-delivery vehicle;    the mail slots are identification-marked for predetermined classes of undeliverable mail;    the mail slots are in positions of predetermined accessibility to a mail carrier from a predetermined position of accessibility to the mail-delivery tray by the mail carrier.    
     
     
         2 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the support includes oppositely disposed sides of the mail-organizer tray which are extended downwardly to a position of rest on the mail-delivery tray.  
 
     
     
         3 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the support includes a base having a support strut extended from a structural portion of the mail-delivery vehicle.  
 
     
     
         4 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 3  wherein: 
 the mail-organizer tray is placed removably on the base.  
 
     
     
         5 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 3  wherein: 
 the base is placed removably on the support strut.  
 
     
     
         6 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 3  wherein: 
 the base is pivotal on the support strut.  
 
     
     
         7 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 3  wherein: 
 the base is at a predetermined distance above and sidewards from the mail-delivery tray on the support strut.  
 
     
     
         8 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 3  wherein: 
 the support includes a universal-holder arm intermediate the strut and the base.  
 
     
     
         9 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the support includes the universal-holder arm intermediate the mail-delivery vehicle and the base.  
 
     
     
         10 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the support includes the universal-holder arm intermediate the mail-delivery tray and the base.  
 
     
     
         11 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the mail slots are oriented linearly to an axis of the mail-delivery vehicle.  
 
     
     
         12 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the mail slots are oriented orthogonally to an axis of the mail-delivery vehicle.  
 
     
     
         13 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the mail slots are color-coded predeterminedly red for Central Forwarding System, yellow for Moved Not Forwardable, blue for Miscellaneous, green for Forwarding Order Expired, and black for Undeliverable in accordance with standard categories of the U.S. Postal Service.  
 
     
     
         14 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 13  wherein: 
 the mail slots are abbreviation-marked CFS for Central Forwarding System, MNF for Moved Not Forwardable, MISC for Miscellaneous, FOE for Forwarding Order Expired, and UBBM for Undeliverable in accordance with standard categories of the U.S. Postal Service.  
 
     
     
         15 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the mail slots are abbreviation-marked CFS for Central Forwarding System, MNF for Moved Not Forwardable, MISC for Miscellaneous, FOE for Forwarding Order Expired, and UBBM for Undeliverable in accordance with standard categories of the U.S. Postal Service.  
 
     
     
         16 . The undeliverable-mail organizer of  claim 1  and further comprising: 
 an overflow undeliverable-mail tray placed in the mail-delivery vehicle.  
 
     
     
         17 . A method for using an undeliverable-mail organizer which includes: 
 a mail-organizer tray with a predetermined plurality of mail slots on a support predeterminedly above a mail-delivery tray for a mail-delivery vehicle;    the mail slots are identification-marked for predetermined classes of undeliverable mail;    the mail slots are in positions of predetermined accessibility to a mail carrier from a predetermined position of accessibility to the mail-delivery tray by the mail carrier;    the method comprising the following steps: 
 placing the mail-organizer tray above the mail-delivery tray in the mail-delivery vehicle at a start of a mail-delivery route;  
 placing undeliverable pieces of mail in designated appropriate mail slots of the mail-organizer tray sequentially as the undeliverable pieces of mail are detected during mail delivery in the mail-delivery route;  
 removing the mail-organizer tray with the undeliverable mail in the mail slots at an appropriate portion of the mail-delivery route;  
 taking the mail-organizer tray with the undeliverable mail in the mail slots into an appropriate post office;  
 removing the undeliverable mail from the mail slots of the mail-organizer tray; and  
 placing the undeliverable mail in designated appropriate mail-handling facilities for handling the undeliverable mail in the post office.  
   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the undeliverable-mail organizer includes a base from which the mail-organizer tray is moveable to a desired position by the mail carrier for personal ease of use by the mail carrier and vision from the mail-carrier vehicle by the mail carrier and comprising the additional step of: 
 placing the mail-organizer tray in a desired position above the mail-delivery tray in the mail-delivery vehicle at the start of the mail-delivery route.  
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the undeliverable-mail organizer includes an overflow undeliverable-mail tray and comprising the additional steps of: 
 replacing the mail-organizer tray with the overflow undeliverable-mail tray as necessary;  
 placing undeliverable pieces of mail in designated appropriate mail slots of the overflow mail-organizer tray sequentially as the undeliverable pieces of mail are detected while continuing the mail delivery in the mail-delivery route;  
 removing the mail-organizer tray and the overflow mail-organizer tray with the undeliverable mail in the mail slots at an appropriate portion of the mail-delivery route;  
 taking the mail-organizer tray with the undeliverable mail in the mail slots into the appropriate post office;  
 removing the undeliverable mail from the mail slots of the mail-organizer tray and from the slots of the overflow undeliverable-mail tray; and  
 placing the undeliverable mail in designated appropriate mail-handling facilities for handling the undeliverable mail in the post office.  
 
     
     
         20 . A method comprising the following steps for handling undeliverable mail by a mail carrier: 
 providing an undeliverable-mail organizer having an mail-organizer tray with designated appropriate mail slots for receiving designated classifications of undeliverable mail;    the mail-organizer tray being placeable removably in a mail-delivery vehicle at a position for access by the mail carrier to the mail-organizer tray and for access by the mail carrier to a delivery-mail tray in the mail-delivery vehicle;    placing the mail-organizer tray in the position for access in the mail-delivery vehicle at a start of a mail-delivery route;    placing undeliverable pieces of mail in the designated appropriate mail slots of the mail-organizer tray sequentially as the undeliverable pieces of mail are detected during mail delivery in the mail-delivery route;    removing the mail-organizer tray with the undeliverable mail in the mail slots at an appropriate portion of the mail-delivery route;    taking the mail-organizer tray with the undeliverable mail in the mail slots into an appropriate post office;    removing the undeliverable mail from the mail slots of the mail-organizer tray; and    placing the undeliverable mail in designated appropriate mail-handling facilities for handling the undeliverable mail in the post office.