3 Technical Solution

3-1 Proof of Delivery Letter Facsimile Format

The Postal Service extracts mailpiece delivery data and associated signature and address images for participating mailers. The Postal Service produces letter facsimiles of delivery records, along with a Table of Contents file, and presents them to the mailer or the mailer’s approved third-party designee in Adobe PDF format. A new feature of the bulk proof of delivery program is that customers may elect to receive their proof of delivery letters combined into one PDF file (with a maximum of 1,000 records per PDF file) or as individual PDF files (one delivery record per PDF file).

1. The combined option has been available since the program began. When combined, the Signature Extract File mailers will receive at least two PDF files: one containing the letter facsimiles and one containing the Table of Contents. A mailer who has more than 1,000 return receipts will receive additional PDF files, with a maximum of 1,000 proof of delivery records per file. (For example, a mailer who has 2,632 records will receive three PDF files, the first two containing 1,000 records each and the third one containing 632 records, along with a Table of Contents file.) Customers using the CD-ROM mechanism with the combined method will receive two files only: one PDF file containing the proof of delivery records, and one PDF file containing the Table of Contents. There is no 1,000-record limit per PDF file for the CD-ROM mechanism.
2. The individual letters option is new as of October 2007. Signature Extract File mailers who elect the new individual letter option will receive one PDF file for each delivery record that is included in the run. For instance, if a customer has 500 records, it will receive 500 PDF files. No Table of Contents file is included with the individual letter option. For CD-ROM mailers, the individual letter option works the same as with the Signature Extract File mechanism. Note that for ease of transmission, the individual PDF files are compressed, with 1,000 PDF files per compressed file. The mailer launches records in Adobe Acrobat Reader by selecting the PDF file. (Mailers can download Adobe Acrobat Reader at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.)

The Postal Service indexes and provides records by the label ID, the delivery date, and the recipient’s name (when available). A mailer or third-party designee has easy access to any specific letter facsimile by index and search functions. The Postal Service protects all PDF files using 128-bit RC4 encryption techniques and provides a customer-specific key code to the mailer or the mailer’s approved third-party designee to access the data. A mailer must use its key code to access its encrypted PDF files. Exhibit 3-1 provides an example of a letter facsimile as viewed using Acrobat Reader.

If a mailer chooses to use a third-party designee to receive and manage its files, the third-party designee maintains the single key code to access all files. The Postal Service provides each third-party designee with one key code for all files for all of its customers, regardless of the number of customers. The third-party designee cannot give its universal key code to individual mailers. The third-party designee needs to determine the best method of providing access to individual mailers while maintaining the security of each individual mailer’s documents.

Exhibit 3-1 

Sample Letter Facsimile in PDF Format