Importance

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Abstract

The invention provides a method of processing an information form such as a postal change of address form. Such a form includes various data elements, such as a name of a person submitting the form and the information on which action is to be taken. In the case of mail forwarding, these data elements would include, for example, the name of the person that wishes mail to be redirected, an old address to which mail for that person was previously sent, and a new address to which mail for that person should be sent. Such a method includes the steps of scanning a sheet having written information thereon reflecting the data elements to obtain an image, processing the image with character recognition logic to obtain text data corresponding to the written information, analyzing the text data with a computer to determine a scanning error probability therein, if the scanning error probability exceeds a predetermined limit, attempting to correct such error by editing of the text data by at least one of a computer using predetermined correction criteria and a human operator viewing the text data, checking one or more elements of the text data (such as a new address and an old address) against a first database of valid data elements (e.g., a postal address database), if the element is found in the first database, updating a second database such as a National Change of Address (NCOA) database to include at least new or revised text data, and rejecting the text data and aborting updating the second database for such text data that cannot be corrected. The invention further provides a system for processing a series of change of information forms such as COA forms, which system is capable of carrying out the foregoing process.

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First Claim