Address information processing method and system therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for processing address information, and in particular to a method and system for processing address information that enables more accurate conversion of address information that requires conversion from a first language to a second language.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for processing address information, and more particularly to a method and system for processing address information that enables more accurate conversion of address information that requires conversion from a first language to a second language. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, there has been a remarkable advancement in the online infrastructure for ordering products and the logistics infrastructure for delivering ordered products, and as a result, the volume of logistics is increasing exponentially around the world. This includes a significant amount of international shipping, where goods are delivered from one country to another.

[0003] Meanwhile, in the case of international deliveries, address information is entered online or written by hand on shipping packages. In most cases, this information is written in the language of the recipient country or in English, the most widely spoken language in the world. In particular, when the recipient country's language is completely unknown, most address information is entered and written in English by convention. For example, when shipping parcels from the United States to South Korea, the address is entered or written in Hangul in English and sent. The courier delivering the parcel in South Korea uses the English address to reach the final destination. As another example, when shipping parcels from South Korea to Vietnam, the Vietnamese address would be entered or written in English, and the courier delivering the parcel in Vietnam would use the English address to reach the final destination.

[0004] When considering this international delivery process, the address information entered or filled in by the sender (sender) is essentially the only information that the courier company can refer to, and therefore, if the address information is written in an illegible manner from the beginning or if part of the address information is missing, the courier company will be unable to deliver the goods to the final destination, which will be a very difficult situation. Despite these circumstances, in actual international delivery situations, there are very frequent cases where individuals enter or write incorrect address information because they are completely unfamiliar with the language of other countries, completely unfamiliar with the address system of other countries, or are not accustomed to using English.

[0005] The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and relates to a process of using referenceable parts of the address information originally entered by the sender to find address information that matches the address system of the receiving location and delivery destination as much as possible, and further referring to other address information entered by the sender to finally find accurate address information. In addition to solving the above technical problems, the present invention has been devised to provide further technical elements that cannot be easily invented by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention relates to a method and system for processing address information, and in particular, has an object to process address information entered or written by a sender so that a delivery company can easily and accurately view the address information.

[0007] In particular, another object of the present invention is to significantly improve the efficiency of the address information processing process by maximizing the use of extractable digits in the process of converting address information entered or written in a first language into a second language to primarily obtain at least a portion of the correct address, and then utilizing the remaining extractable parts of the address information to secondary obtain even missing address parts.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to transmit a message to the recipient's contact information to confirm the address if an error in the address information is found during the process of converting the address information from a first language to a second language, and to receive the confirmed address information from the recipient so that it can be used for actual delivery.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention aims to display the address information obtained as the final result only in a standardized format, so that delivery companies who deliver goods can easily see the address at a glance by referring to the final address information, thereby improving the efficiency and speed of the entire delivery business.

[0010] On the other hand, the technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems described above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a method for processing address information by a computing device having a central processing unit and a memory may include the steps of: (a) loading a target address to be processed; (b) searching for an address corresponding to a postal code among numbers extracted from the target address; (c) comparing at least some of the numbers extracted from the target address with at least some of the numbers contained in the searched address; and (d) if the result of the comparison shows that the similarity is equal to or greater than a first set value, generating a primary converted standard address corresponding to the target address based on the characters and / or numbers extracted from the searched address or the target address.

[0012] Furthermore, the address information processing method may further include, after step (d), a step (e) of generating a secondary converted standard address corresponding to the target address based on numbers not compared or characters excluded from the comparison, or a combination thereof, during the comparison in step (c).

[0013] Furthermore, the address information processing method may further include, after step (a) and before step (b), a step of selecting numbers in a predefined postal code format from the target address, and a step of determining whether the selected numbers are a valid postal code.

[0014] Furthermore, in the address information processing method, step (e) may further include a step of comparing the omitted numbers or excluded characters from comparison, or a combination thereof, with a plurality of address information stored in an address database, and if, as a result of comparing with the plurality of address information, a plurality of address information is found whose similarity is equal to or greater than a second set value, setting the found address information as address information requiring confirmation, indicating that confirmation is required.

[0015] Meanwhile, in another embodiment of the present invention, a computing device for processing address information comprises a central processing unit and a memory, and the central processing unit executes commands for executing a method for processing address information stored in the memory. The method for processing address information may include: (a) loading a target address to be processed; (b) searching for an address corresponding to a postal code among the numbers extracted from the target address; (c) comparing at least some of the numbers extracted from the target address with at least some of the numbers included in the searched address; and (d) generating a primary address corresponding to the target address based on the searched address or characters and / or numbers extracted from the target address if the similarity is equal to or greater than a first set value as a result of the comparison. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, by converting the address information entered or written by the sender to match the address system of the receiving location or delivery destination, home delivery operations at the receiving location or delivery destination can be carried out more smoothly.

[0017] In particular, the present invention has the effect of converting address information created in a first language into a second language used at the receiving location or delivery destination, thereby significantly improving the efficiency of home delivery operations at the receiving location or delivery destination.

[0018] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the address information conversion process is carried out at extremely high speed, which has the effect of significantly improving the processing speed compared to conversion that relies on machine translation.

[0019] Furthermore, according to the present invention, accuracy is significantly higher than that of machine translation, which reduces the burden of incorrect delivery and has the effect of increasing the efficiency and speed of home delivery operations.

[0020] In addition, according to the present invention, if there is an error in the address information, a procedure is provided that allows the recipient to directly confirm whether the address is correct, thereby making it possible to obtain even more accurate address information.

[0021] On the other hand, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and other technical effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 conceptually illustrates exemplary embodiments that may be implemented by the methods and systems of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic view of a system for implementing the method according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method for processing address information according to the present invention. [Figure 4] This shows the process of searching for a base address based on the postal code extracted from the target address. [Figure 5] This shows the process of searching for a primary address by referring to other numbers extracted from the target address. [Figure 6] This shows the process of searching for a secondary address by referring to other parts (numbers or letters) extracted from the target address. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a further embodiment of the address information processing method according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 shows an example of an interface to assist the user in the verification process after the address information has been processed. [Figure 9] This is intended to explain how address information is processed based on US addresses. [Figure 10] This is to explain the process of address information processing based on Vietnamese addresses. [Figure 11]When a search for an address corresponding to a postal code fails, the postal code is estimated based on the target address, and the process of subsequently estimating address information is shown. [Figure 12] This shows an embodiment in which, if it is determined that the address searched for by postal code and the target address are different from each other, the address information is confirmed with the recipient's contact information. [Figure 13] This shows an embodiment in which, in the process of obtaining the final recipient's address from the target address, if it is determined that the accuracy of the address does not meet a standard value, the address information is confirmed with the recipient's contact information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The purpose, technical configuration, and accompanying effects of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description based on the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] The embodiments disclosed in this specification should not be construed or used to limit the scope of the present invention. It goes without saying that the description, including the embodiments of this specification, has various applications for those skilled in the art. Therefore, any embodiments described in the detailed description of the present invention are merely examples for more clearly explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the embodiments.

[0025] The functional blocks shown in the drawings and described below are merely possible examples. In other embodiments, other functional blocks may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the detailed description. Although one or more functional blocks of the present invention are shown as individual blocks, one or more of the functional blocks of the present invention may be a combination of various hardware and software components that perform the same function.

[0026] Additionally, the words "comprise," "have," "include," and "comprise," unless otherwise specified, are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to") and merely indicate the presence of such elements, and are not to be understood as excluding additional elements.

[0027] Furthermore, in this disclosure, when a component is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component is directly coupled or connected to the other component, or that there may be other components therebetween.

[0028] First, Fig. 1 illustrates a typical application example of the address information processing method and system according to the present invention. The present invention is characterized by converting address information entered online or handwritten by a sender into the address system of a receiving location or delivery destination (the recipient's address or residence, or other location where the recipient can receive a parcel). Referring to Fig. 1, the left side shows an example of address information entered online by a sender and an example of address information printed on the surface of a packaging box or envelope for a delivery item, and the right side of Fig. 1 shows how the address information on the left side is collectively processed and converted into address information in a standard format, particularly, how it is converted into address information in Hangul according to a standardized order and format.

[0029] Since the address systems of each country are not necessarily the same, it is not easy for senders to write the address of the recipient, especially when delivery is required between different countries. In particular, senders often face difficulties because they have no idea in what order they should fill in the address in the recipient's country, or what steps they should take to write the recipient's address in English correctly. In such cases, senders could surf the Internet to find out how to write the address in the recipient's country, or ask acquaintances, and fill in perfectly standardized address information, but in many cases senders end up filling in the address information as they please, completely ignoring all the rules.

[0030] Taking the Korean address system as an example, addresses in Korea are written in the following order, based on road name addresses: [city / do, city / gun / gu, eup / myeon, road name, building number, detailed address (block / floor / number), reference items (legal dong, apartment name)]. However, senders (British people) living abroad are unlikely to be familiar with this address system, and even if they were, they would be forced to write the information exactly as it is pronounced in Korean, which inevitably causes them great difficulty. For this reason, senders (foreigners) rely on their own judgment and write down the necessary information they deem essential in any order, but in such cases, it is difficult for the recipient or receiving location to understand the sender's intention in writing the address, which causes problems in the smooth delivery process. In particular, most courier workers are not only unfamiliar with how to read addresses written in English, but are also faced with the dilemma of having to put them back together in the correct order to infer the final destination, as they are written in a way that does not conform to the address system at all. In some cases, attempts are made to translate addresses written in a foreign language (Korean addresses) by inputting them into a translation machine, but this does not reflect the address system at all, and in situations where it is highly necessary to translate based on "pronunciation," the use of a regular translation machine can actually cause further confusion for courier workers.

[0031] The present invention has been devised to solve such conventional problems, and the address information processing method and system according to the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0032] 2 is a diagram illustrating an address information processing system according to the present invention. The address information processing system can be preferably realized by the illustrated service server 200. The service server 200 may be connected to a plurality of scanning terminals 100 via a network. In this case, each scanning terminal 100 can scan (or capture by other means) an address image or address text, and then transfer the captured data to the service server 200.

[0033] To give a simple example, the scanning terminal 100 may be used to scan the shipping label of a parcel or to photograph the address portion written on the surface of the packaging box (envelope) of the parcel, and the data obtained by scanning or photographing in this manner can be handed over to the service server 200.

[0034] At this time, the scanning terminal 100 can obtain delivery information, i.e., multiple pieces of information including the address information of the parcel, by scanning an identifier such as a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) attached to the surface of the parcel, and can transmit the address information (and other information) obtained in this way to the service server 200.

[0035] Alternatively, the scan terminal 100 can take a picture of the part where the address is written, generate image data, and then share the image data with the service server 200 side.

[0036] Alternatively, the scanning terminal 100 can acquire text data by photographing the part where the address is written and then recognizing the characters in the photographed area, and can also share the text data acquired in this way with the service server 200.

[0037] In this way, the service server 200 can receive data related to the address of a parcel, data of any form or format, from multiple scan terminals 100, and even if there is a separate computing device on the route along which the service server 200 receives the address-related data from the scan terminal 100, the service server 200 should still be considered to receive the address-related data from the scan terminal 100.

[0038] Meanwhile, the service server 200 processes the address data after receiving it. However, there may be a preemptive process, such as converting the address data into a processable form or generating new data in a new format based on the address data, so that the address information processing of the present invention can begin. In this detailed description, we assume that a "target address" is generated through such a process, and then discuss the subsequent address information processing process. That is, the target address can be defined as data that is the target of processing in the address information processing method of the present invention. In this case, the target address may preferably be in the form of text data. To give a simple example, the target address may be data containing address information within address text data received from the scanning terminal 100, or data containing text obtained by performing character recognition (e.g., OCR) on address image data received from the scanning terminal 100.

[0039] On the other hand, assuming that the target address exists, the service server 200 can execute a full-scale address information processing method, but this will be explained in detail in the explanation regarding Figure 3, so we will postpone the explanation here for the time being.

[0040] The service server 200 executes the address information processing method to ultimately generate a converted standard address corresponding to the target address, and the converted standard address thus generated can be shared with the deliveryman / deliveryman terminal 300 or the server 400 of the delivery service provider. In this case, the deliveryman / deliveryman terminal 300 may be the same as the scan terminal 100, depending on the case.

[0041] The system for realizing the address information processing method according to the present invention, more precisely the position and role of the service server 200 within the network, has been described above with reference to FIG.

[0042] For reference, from a hardware perspective, the scan terminal 100 or the delivery person / delivery person terminal 300 may preferably be a portable device, which may include portable terminals such as a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet PC, etc. When viewing such terminals from a device perspective, it is assumed that each terminal is equipped with a central processing unit (CPU) and memory. The central processing unit is also called a controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, microcomputer, etc. Furthermore, the central processing unit can be realized by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of these. When realized by hardware, it may be realized by application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), digital signal processors (DSP), digital signal processing devices (DSPD), programmable logic devices (PLD), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or the like. When realized by firmware or software, the firmware or software may be configured to include modules, procedures, or functions that perform the functions or operations described above.The memory may also be realized by read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), hard disk drive (HDD), solid state disk (SSD), etc.

[0043] For reference, the terminals mentioned in this detailed description are assumed to be smartphones or tablet PCs carried by delivery personnel. In this case, the terminals may have a display and a touch-sensitive surface, and may further be connected to one or more additional physical user input means, such as a physical keyboard, keypad, tracker, etc. That is, various applications running on the terminal may use at least one universal physical user input means, such as a touch-sensitive surface, and one or more functions of the touch-sensitive surface as well as the corresponding information displayed on the terminal may optionally be adjusted and / or changed from one application to the next and / or within individual applications. In this manner, the universal physical architecture of the terminal (such as a touch-sensitive surface) may optionally support various applications with a user interface that is intuitive and clear to the user. The terminals may also further include means for detecting and recording sound or voice.

[0044] On the other hand, the service server 200 is a component that provides a program, i.e., a set of commands, for actually implementing the address information processing method of the present invention, and further, receives, stores, and processes data from multiple terminals, or transmits the processing results to multiple terminals or servers.

[0045] The service server 200 may be in the form of at least one server computer managed by a specific operator, or may be in the form of a cloud server provided by another provider, i.e., a cloud server that can be used by an operator through membership registration. In particular, when the service server 200 is realized by a server PC, the service server 200 may include a central processing unit and a memory, which have been described in detail in the description of the terminal above and will not be described here.

[0046] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing address information according to the present invention. As mentioned above, the method for processing address information is generally executed by the service server 200, but it should be noted that this is not necessarily limited to this. In other words, the method for processing address information according to the present invention can be executed on any computing device, regardless of type, that has a central processing unit and memory, even if it is not the service server 200. For example, the method for processing address information according to the present invention can be executed on a smartphone, tablet PC, or other portable terminal device designed for delivery carried by a delivery person.

[0047] Referring to Figure 3, the address information processing method can begin with step S101 of loading a target address. The target address was previously described in the explanation section for Figure 2, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here. However, to reiterate its definition, the target address should be understood as the basic data that is the target of address information processing. For better understanding, the detailed explanation section will continue based on one actual target address, but the address shown in the upper part of Figure 4 will be used as the target address.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 4, the target address is [93, HANBORA 2-RO GIHEUNG-GU 306-202 YONGIN 17082]. This target address may be written on a shipping label attached to the surface of a certain delivery box, entered online, or handwritten by the sender on the surface of the delivery box, and may currently be converted (generated) into text data. Meanwhile, step S101 may not only involve loading the target address into a processable state into a computing device, but may also include converting the target address into a Hangul address. For example, if the target address in FIG. 4 is as shown above, the portion of the target address written in English, such as [Hanbora, Ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin], can be converted into Hangul and used to process address information in subsequent steps. For reference, conversion will be described in more detail in the description of FIG. 11 below. For the purposes of this discussion, we will simply consider that a target address written in a first language can be converted into a second language.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 3, step S101 may be followed by a step of extracting a postal code (S102). This step may essentially be performed by first extracting only numbers from the target address, followed by a step of determining whether any of the numbers have the format of a postal code and finally extracting the postal code. Extracting only numbers from text that combines a series of letters and numbers is a commercially available technology, so a detailed description will be omitted. Meanwhile, whether any of the extracted numbers have the format of a postal code can be determined by the service server 200 or a computing device by examining how well the extracted numbers match various conditions, such as the number of digits in the extracted numbers, the position of the extracted numbers within the target address, or the first digit of the extracted numbers, to a predetermined specific postal code format. For example, postal codes in South Korea are five digits long and are assigned in a serpentine fashion (from northwest to southeast) from Seoul to Jeju, with the first three digits identifying cities, counties, and districts, and the last two digits being assigned as consecutive numbers (area numbers). Therefore, in step S102, it should be determined first whether any of the numbers extracted from the target address contain five digits. If five digits exist, it is determined whether those numbers comply with the rules for postal codes used in South Korea, or, further, whether they are postal codes that exist in South Korea, by referring to a database already stored. The postal code is then extracted. If, upon examining the numbers, it is determined that there is no corresponding postal code, the address can be classified as an unrecognizable address, or the address can be no longer processed by number-based address processing methods and can be processed by other character-based address processing methods, such as seq2seq algorithms, fuzzy string searching algorithms, etc.

[0050] Based on the target address in Figure 4, the target address contains numbers such as 93, 2, 306, 202, and 17082. Among these, 17082 conforms to the format of a five-digit postal code defined in Korea, and 17082 is located at the end of the target address, making it highly likely to be a postal code. Furthermore, 17082 corresponds to one of the more than 30,000 postal codes defined in Korea, so the number 17082 can be extracted as a postal code from the target address. If the identified five-digit number is determined not to be a postal code, the service server 200 does not completely exclude the five-digit number from the target address identification process, but generates and temporarily stores combinations of the numbers that make up the five digits, i.e., postal codes that can be combined with the numbers of each digit, and can then use the generated postal codes in future target address identification. However, even in this case, only combinations that match the postal code system in Korea can be used, and the remaining combinations that do not match can be dropped.

[0051] After step S102, an address corresponding to the postal code can be searched for (S103). That is, the service server 200 or the computing device can search for an address corresponding to the postal code based on the extracted postal code. At this time, the service server 200 or the computing device can search for the address from a pre-generated postal code database, i.e., a database in which postal codes and their corresponding addresses are stored.

[0052] For reference, the postal code 17082 extracted from the target address can be associated with multiple addresses as shown in Figure 4, but it can be confirmed that these searched addresses commonly contain the address part up to "Hanbo-ra 1-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do" or "Hanbo-ra 2-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do."

[0053] After step S103, a step (S104) can be performed in which the numbers extracted from the target address are compared with the numbers in the searched address, and a primary address can be obtained (S105) based on the results of the comparison. While it was mentioned that multiple numbers can be extracted from the target address, in this step, these numbers can be compared with the numbers in the address searched in step S103 to determine which address the target address is most similar to. For reference, in this step, postal code numbers that have already been used to search for an address may not be referenced any further.

[0054] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment in which the digits 93, 2, 306, and 202 contained in a target address are compared with the digits in a searched address. Referring to this example, it can be determined that the digits 93 and 2 contained in the target address correspond to digits in one of the searched addresses (93, Hanbo-ra 2-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do), and therefore the corresponding address can be acquired as a primary address. For reference, the primary address can be acquired from either the target address or the searched address. For example, if a numerical comparison with the searched address reveals that there are overlapping digits at a predetermined rate or more, the target address is confirmed to be at least a valid address, and at least the portion of the address contained in the target address that corresponds to the searched address can be used as a primary address. Alternatively, if there are overlapping digits at a predetermined rate or more, the searched address should be an address that matches the target address, and therefore the searched address can be used as a primary address.

[0055] For reference, if the comparison in step S104 results in a match between all the numbers in the target address and all the numbers in the searched address, the primary address obtained in step S105 may ultimately become the standard conversion address.

[0056] For reference, if the comparison in step S104 finds that the number of duplicated digits is the same or that multiple addresses with duplicated digits exceed a preset ratio, the service server 200 or the computing device may notify the user that it is impossible to distinguish between the addresses, or may collect and provide only such addresses to the user, thereby allowing the user, i.e., as a human being, to distinguish between the addresses themselves.

[0057] Furthermore, for reference, due to the existence of step S104, even if the person who originally wrote the address is not very familiar with the address system or language of the delivery country and as a result the order of each address part is written in a mess, as long as the correct postal code is written, it is possible to search for the address based on this and to obtain the address based on the search results.This ultimately means that an address that has been written in a messy order can be loaded again in the correct order by the computing device, and therefore the use of the address information processing service of the present invention and the computing device therefor is expected to have a very significant economic effect.

[0058] Next, after step S105, a step (S106) can be performed to obtain a secondary address based on characters or numbers that were used for comparison in the above steps but were omitted because there was no comparison target, or characters that were excluded from the comparison from the beginning.

[0059] In other words, this step can be said to be a step of obtaining the final target secondary address by further utilizing the remaining parts of the target address excluding the parts that contributed to obtaining the primary address. For example, if the primary address includes the city, county, ward, dong, and building name but does not include the building number and / or floor number, the secondary address may include the building number and / or floor number.

[0060] This step can also be used to reconfirm the accuracy of the primary address that has already been obtained. For example, in this step, characters that could not be used in address search so far begin to be used, and by comparing the strings between the searched address and the results of converting these characters into Hangul consonants and vowels, it is possible to reconfirm how accurate the primary address has been searched.

[0061] For reference, FIG. 6 illustrates how the English letters and numbers (HANBORA, RO, GIHEUNG-GU, 306-202, YONGIN) contained in the target address are used to obtain a secondary address. The conversion of English letters into Hangul may be performed according to predefined rules, which may include rules established at the local or national level. Furthermore, numbers that have not been compared so far are likely to identify the destination room number, such as a building number or number of a condominium or apartment complex, and the service server 200 or the computing device may use these numbers to obtain a secondary address by referring to possible patterns in these numbers while performing step S106. For example, the building numbers and numbers of multi-family housing such as condominiums and apartments are generally written in a pattern such as 000-0000, 000-building 0000-number, or 000dong 0000ho, while the numbers of detached houses are often written in a pattern such as #000, 000-number, 000ho, or 000-room. When performing step S106, the service server 200 or the computing device can refer to the above pattern to determine whether the numbers indicate a building number and number, and can use this to obtain a secondary address, i.e., a standard converted address for the final destination.

[0062] On the other hand, the service server 200 or the computing device may further utilize a separate external database when performing step S106. For example, a service entity providing real estate information may have a database of at least apartment addresses, particularly apartment addresses including both building numbers and house numbers, and the service server 200 or the computing device may obtain a secondary address by referring to an external database storing such address information. While FIGS. 5 and 6 show that the Hanbo-ra Maulhwasong Park Dream Apartment can be primarily identified from the target address, the service server 200 or the computing device may use 306-202 in the target address to search an external database storing apartment address information to confirm whether or not the Hanbo-ra Maulhwasong Park Dream Apartment actually exists, and if so, may immediately use this to obtain a secondary address.

[0063] For reference, in step S106, at least one of a deep learning algorithm such as seq2seq, a fuzzy search algorithm, or a rule for converting English characters into Hangul can be utilized.

[0064] Meanwhile, if multiple addresses that are presumed to be secondary addresses are found while obtaining the secondary address based on the combination of character portions that are omitted from comparison or excluded from comparison in step S106, the service server 200 or the computing device can generate a separate list and provide it to the user. In other words, if it is determined that multiple addresses are likely to be found when obtaining the secondary standard conversion address, it is possible to prevent erroneous delivery by leaving it to a human to select and confirm.

[0065] The address information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to FIGS.

[0066] FIG. 7 illustrates an additional embodiment of the present invention, which lists subsequent steps assuming that the steps described above in FIG. 3 have been performed.

[0067] 7, the service server 200 or the computing device can configure a screen for confirming address information (S201) and allow the user to view it. An example of the screen configuration is shown in FIG. 8.

[0068] 8, it can be seen that the address information confirmation screen can display the original target address, the primary address or secondary address generated therefrom, and the postal code used to search for the address. The address information confirmation screen may also include an input interface (I) that can be used to receive input from a user.

[0069] It is worth noting that the confirmation screen in Figure 8 displays the target address, distinguishing between the confirmed digits (P) and the digits (Q) indicating that verification is required. Referring to Figure 8, it can be seen that the digits 93 and 2 in the target address are displayed in red because they are determined to be an exact match with the address searched from the postal code database, while 306-202 is displayed in blue because an exact match could not be found. In this case, the user only needs to check the parts displayed in blue, which significantly improves the speed and efficiency of work.

[0070] Another notable feature is that the confirmation screen has an input interface (I) arranged for user input, which may include input buttons for frequently used words such as floor, building, and number, which can be entered with a single click, an input button for transmitting a message that the detailed address needs to be confirmed, and an input button for notifying that the review of the address is complete.

[0071] For reference, it should be understood that the confirmation screen of FIG. 8 is arbitrarily implemented and is merely one embodiment, and that the screen configuration can be configured in any number of different ways.

[0072] On the other hand, the address information processing method of the present invention is not limited to Korea, but can be applied to various countries overseas as well, as long as certain rules (postal code rules, conversion of English characters into the language of each country) are set depending on the type of language.

[0073] FIG. 9 is intended for use in the United States, and the target address is 500 E 43 rd When the address contains the text Ave Eugene OR 97405 USA, it can be determined that the address is related to the city of Eugene, Oregon, by first referencing Zip Code 97405, which serves as a postal code in the United States. Next, it can be determined that the address contains the numbers 500 and 43 (500 East 43 rd Avenue, Eugene, OR) to obtain the secondary address, i.e., the final standard translation address.

[0074] Figure 10 illustrates a case in which the present invention is used in Vietnam. It should be noted that the target address in Figure 10 does not have any numbers to be associated with the postal code, but in this case, the character string indicating the widest administrative unit (Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh) can be extracted first, followed by a comparison of the numbers (34, 6, 3), and finally, an address search utilizing character strings that have not been compared or have been excluded from the comparison, thereby making it possible to obtain the final standard conversion address.

[0075] In the above explanation, we have mainly described an embodiment that assumes that the target address is generally correctly entered. However, in the actual logistics business, cases where the target address is incorrectly entered frequently occur. In the following, we will explain in more detail how address information is processed when the target address is incorrectly entered.

[0076] In one embodiment, a postal code may be included in a target address, but the postal code may be a typo that does not match the actual address listed as text in the target address. In this case, the address information may be processed as shown in FIG. 11.

[0077] 11, the process can start with loading a target address (S301), followed by extracting only the postal code (S302) and searching for an address corresponding to the postal code (S303). These steps can be performed substantially similarly to steps S101 to S103 described above in FIG. 3.

[0078] Next, a step (S304) can be performed in which the address corresponding to the extracted postal code is compared with the contents of the target address to determine whether they are identical. This step can also be understood as a step of confirming whether the (text) address written in the target address and the address searched (queried) by the postal code correspond to each other.

[0079] For example, in the address shown in Figure 4, 17082 is written as the postal code, but if the number 10484 is written instead of 17082 (i.e., if it is written as "93, HANBORA 2-RO GIHEUNG-GU 306-202 YONGIN 10484"), the calculation device will extract the number 10484 as the postal code and search for an address corresponding to the extracted postal code. In this case, the address corresponding to 10484 is "Haengshin-ro, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do" or "Hwasin-ro, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do." The calculation device compares the address thus searched with the address included in the target address (the address portion excluding the postal code) to determine whether these addresses are identical or similar. In the above example, the address corresponding to postal code 10484, "Haengsin-ro, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do" or "Hwasin-ro, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do," would be compared with the address included in the original target address, "93, HANBORA 2-RO GIHEUNG-GU 306-202 YONGIN," and a determination would be made as to whether the address corresponding to the postal code and the target address are identical / similar to each other, or whether they are completely different addresses.

[0080] For reference, step S304 may further include a process of converting an English address written in the target address into a Hangul address. For example, English characters such as [HANBORA, RO, GIHEUNG-GU, YONGIN] may be converted to [HANBORA, RO, GIHEUNG-GU, YONGIN] according to predetermined rules, including rules for converting consonants and vowels. The predetermined rules may refer to data that can be referenced when converting the language of the characters contained in the target address (first language) into a language used in a given country, i.e., the language used in the country where the actual delivery will be made (second language). The term "conversion" should be understood to include not only translation but also the conversion of characters written in the first language to match the pronunciation of the second language. The following is an example of some of the rules that can be referenced when converting when the first language is English and the second language is Korean. In Table 1 below, the two left columns show the rules for initial consonants, the two middle columns show the rules for medial consonants, and the last two columns show the rules for final consonants.

[0081] [Table 1]

[0082] On the other hand, if the comparison in step S304 determines that the address searched for based on the postal code and the target address are identical to each other or show a similarity equal to or greater than the pre-set condition (numerical value), the calculation device proceeds to steps S305 to S307. Steps S305 to S307 are substantially similar to steps S104 to S106 described above in FIG. 3, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. If the comparison in step S304 determines that the address searched for based on the postal code and the target address are different from each other, the calculation device no longer uses the postal code as a criterion for the correct address, and can perform calculations to estimate the correct postal code by considering the remaining text excluding the postal code as the correctly written address. In the above case, the computing device would determine that the address matching the extracted postal code, i.e., "Haengsin-ro, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do" or "Hwasin-ro, Deokyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do," and the "Yongin, Giheung-gu, Hanbo-ra, road" included in the target address are different from each other. Therefore, the computing device does not further search for addresses based on postal code 10484. Instead, the computing device performs a calculation to estimate a new and correct postal code by referring to "Yongin, Giheung-gu, Hanbo-ra, road" and additional digits (S308). The computing device calculates which postal code address in the address database most closely matches the portion of "Yongin, Giheung-gu, Hanbo-ra, road," and can thereby calculate at least one postal code as a result. In the above case, the computing device can at least find postal code 17082 and define it as the correct and new postal code.

[0083] For reference, whether the address searched for based on the postal code and the target address are similar or different as a result of the comparison in step S304 can be determined according to pre-defined conditions. For example, when comparing multiple address parts (e.g., Gyeonggi-do, Goyang-si, Deokyang-gu, Haengsin-ro, Yongin-si, Giheung-gu, and Hanbo-ra are examples of address parts) constituting the address searched for based on the postal code with multiple address parts constituting the target address, if three or more address parts are different, the condition may be defined to determine that the addresses are different. Alternatively, if the top two address parts (e.g., Gyeonggi-do, Goyang-si) of the multiple address parts are different, the condition may be defined to determine that the two addresses are different. Alternatively, if the individual characters constituting the addresses are compared and the individual characters between the searched address and the target address differ by 50% or more, the condition may be defined to determine that the addresses are different. In this way, whether the address searched for based on the postal code and the target address are similar to each other or different from each other can be determined based on various conditions.

[0084] After step S308, the computing device can obtain a secondary address, in other words, a more specific address, based on a combination of parts other than the postal code (S309). This step can be performed in a manner similar to step S106 in FIG. 3, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0085] Meanwhile, after step S309, the computing device can provide the user with a message informing them that the postal code is likely entered incorrectly and that the computing device has estimated a correct and new postal code. Since the comparison result in step S304 indicates that the searched address and the target address are different, this means that the target address was entered incorrectly by the original entrant, regardless of the circumstances and for whatever reason. Since the address intended by the original entrant cannot be clearly determined, initiating delivery based on that address essentially carries the risk of incorrect delivery. Thus, even if the computing device estimates a correct and new postal code and thereby calculates an accurate overall address (secondary address), the computing device can inform the user that the target address was created incorrectly from the beginning, thereby guiding the user to review and confirm the target address themselves.

[0086] However, the above step S309 is not necessarily an essential step, and the computing device can determine whether or not to perform step S310 according to predefined conditions.

[0087] As described above, the address information processing method of the present invention basically uses a method of inferring the correct address based on the numbers contained in the target address. Therefore, the matching rate between the [numbers contained in the target address] and these [numbers contained in the address referenced by the numbers] can be an indicator of how accurately the address processing method of the present invention finds the final address. Therefore, in the address information processing method of the present invention, by further setting a numerical value called a matching rate for each step of searching for the correct address based on the numbers, it is possible to see at a glance what kind of matching rate the final address has. Furthermore, if the matching rate at each step is below a set value, the method may stop proceeding to the next step and immediately notify the operator (administrator).

[0088] For example, in the process of referencing a postal code, if the numbers extracted from the target address completely match any one of Korea's postal codes, a numerical value of 100% is calculated. If the remaining numbers in the target address only partially match the numbers in the address referenced by the postal code, a numerical value based on the calculation is calculated. This allows the operator (manager) or delivery person to easily see how high the match rate is for the address information ultimately inferred from the target address by the service server 200 or calculation device. Furthermore, this matching rate value does not necessarily have to be displayed as a number alone. It can be displayed in different colors depending on the matching rate, allowing the viewer to intuitively see how accurately the inferred address information is. For example, the matching rate displayed in the above colors can be displayed on the operator (manager)'s computer display to easily identify addresses that require further confirmation. The above colors can also be displayed on the delivery person's terminal to help them decide whether to make a separate advance contact.

[0089] FIG. 12 shows a method for processing address information according to another embodiment of the present invention. When an attempt is made to search for the recipient's address from a target address, but the searched address is different from the target address and the correct address is unknown, the recipient can receive correct address information from the recipient by sending a message to the recipient's contact for address confirmation.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 12, this embodiment may include a step of loading a target address (S501), a step of extracting a postal code (S502), a step of searching for an address corresponding to the postal code (S503), and a step of comparing the searched address with the target address (S504). However, since these steps are all substantially similar to steps S301 to S304 in FIG. 11 described above, detailed explanations will be omitted here.

[0091] On the other hand, if an address is searched for using a postal code extracted from a target address, but the searched address is determined to be inconsistent with the target address as a result of comparison, the address information processing method according to the present invention may perform a step of loading the recipient's contact information (S505). Generally, when using a delivery service, the sender enters not only the recipient's name and address but also their contact information. It should be understood that step S505 presupposes that the sender knows the recipient's contact information. The recipient's contact information may include a phone number for wired or wireless phone calls, or an identifier (ID) for online chat or voice chat / voice calls. The sender can write the contact information on the surface of the delivery box (delivery package) when delivering the product, or the sender can transfer the information to an overseas delivery service provider and enter it into a computer. The recipient's contact information written on the delivery box or entered into a computer can be used by a delivery company in Korea corresponding to the recipient's address to perform step S505. For reference, step S505 may also be performed by querying the recipient's contact information already stored in the service server 200. For example, when the recipient's name for a particular product is queried, the service server 200 may search for and load the contact information corresponding to the recipient's name. This can be performed because the service server 200 stores history information when the recipient previously received products using a delivery service. For reference, please refer to the description of FIG. 11 for criteria for determining whether the searched address is different from the target address as a result of comparison with the target address.

[0092] Meanwhile, after step S505, an address confirmation message may be transmitted to the recipient's device (S506) using the loaded recipient's contact information. The address confirmation message refers to a message that allows the recipient to confirm or enter their own address. The address confirmation message may be delivered to the recipient's device in the form of a text message (SMS, MMS), a push message that can be sent by a separate chat application or a separate delivery service application if one is available, or other message format. The address confirmation message may also include a link to access a webpage where the recipient can confirm or change their address. The recipient can confirm or change their address by clicking the link to access the webpage. For reference, the address confirmation message may also include the recipient's previous addresses that have already been stored, or the recipient's previous addresses may be displayed on a webpage accessed via the link in the address confirmation message. In this case, if the past address has not changed up to the present time, the recipient can determine the address where he / she wishes to receive the parcel by simply selecting the provided or displayed past address, and if the current address is different from the past address, he / she can update the address by inputting the current changed address himself / herself.

[0093] Finally, the service server 200 may receive from the recipient's terminal a confirmation message that the address information is correct, or a reply message containing the newly entered address information.

[0094] Meanwhile, FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment in which, if it is determined that the accuracy of the address obtained during the process of obtaining the primary address and secondary address from the target address does not meet a standard value, an address confirmation message is sent to the recipient's contact information to confirm the address information.

[0095] In the embodiment section of Figure 12 above, an embodiment was described in which an address confirmation message is sent to the recipient's contact information when an address searched for based on a postal code and a target address are compared and determined to be different from each other. However, Figure 13 is characterized in that even after an address searched for based on a postal code and a target address are compared and determined to be identical / similar, an address confirmation message is sent to the recipient's contact information at any time if the accuracy in each subsequent step does not meet a reference value. In the address information processing method of this embodiment, steps S701 to S704 include substantially the same steps as steps S301 to S304 in Figure 11 above, and the steps after it is determined in step S704 that the address searched for based on a postal code and the target address are identical / similar to each other also include substantially the same steps as steps S305 to S307 in Figure 11. However, if the comparison result in step S705, in which the numbers between the target address and the searched address are compared, is lower than a predetermined standard value, in other words, if the number differences between the target address and the searched address account for a higher proportion, it is possible to immediately proceed to step S708 and send an address confirmation message to the recipient's contact information. Also, if the accuracy value calculated in the process of obtaining the primary address in step S706 or the process of obtaining the secondary address in step S707 does not meet the standard value, it is possible to immediately proceed to step S708.

[0096] In this way, the address information processing method of the present invention can transmit an address confirmation message that allows the recipient to confirm the address themselves by inquiring or identifying the recipient's contact information when it is difficult to find or estimate the correct address from the target address.

[0097] Although the address information processing method and system according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and applications described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood as being distinct from the technical ideas and perspectives of the present invention.

[0098] In particular, the components implementing the technical features of the present invention, which are included in the block diagrams and procedure diagrams shown in the drawings attached to this specification, indicate logical boundaries between the above-mentioned components. However, according to software or hardware embodiments, the illustrated components and their functions can be implemented as independent software modules, monolithic software structures, codes, services, or combinations thereof, and can be stored in a medium executable by a computer having a processor capable of executing stored program codes, commands, etc., and therefore, all such embodiments should also be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0099] Therefore, although the accompanying drawings and the related description explain the technical features of the present invention, they should not be inferred simply unless a specific software arrangement for realizing such technical features is clearly mentioned. In other words, various embodiments described above may exist, and since such embodiments may be partially modified while retaining the same technical features as the present invention, they should also be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0100] Furthermore, while procedural diagrams depict operations in the figures according to a particular order, this is merely shown to achieve the most preferred results and should not be construed as meaning that such operations must necessarily be performed in the particular order shown, or that all of the operations shown must necessarily be performed. In certain cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Additionally, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the program components and systems described may generally be incorporated together in a single software product or packaged in multiple software products.

[0101] As such, this specification does not intend to limit the present invention to the specific terms used. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above-described embodiments, those skilled in the art may make modifications, changes, and variations to the present embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims set forth below, rather than the above detailed description, and all modifications and variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. 1. A method for processing address information in a computing device having a central processing unit and a memory, comprising: (a) loading a target address written in a first language format; (b) extracting a postal code and a number other than the postal code from the numbers extracted from the target address; (c) using the extracted postal code to search a pre-constructed postal code database for a primary address written in a second language format corresponding to the postal code; (d) combining the retrieved primary address in the second language form with the digits other than the postal code extracted from the target address in step (b) to generate a converted standard address in the second language form; Including, The second language is a language used in the country where delivery is made. How address information is processed.

2. A computing device for processing address information, the computing device comprising a central processing unit and a memory; the central processing unit executes a command for executing a method for processing address information stored in the memory; The address information processing method includes: (a) loading a target address written in a first language format; (b) extracting a postal code and a number other than the postal code from the numbers extracted from the target address; (c) using the extracted postal code to search a pre-constructed postal code database for a primary address written in a second language format corresponding to the postal code; (d) combining the retrieved primary address in the second language form with the digits other than the postal code extracted from the target address in step (b) to generate a converted standard address in the second language form; Including, The second language is a language used in the country where delivery is made. Computing device.

Images