System Scope

The tasks of the postal desk clerk include the following: selling stamps, determining the postage for letters and packages, filling money orders, selling postal boxes, selling packing materials and containers, handling complaints.

The TURBOMail system proposes to handle the first two items of the list, which are also presumably the most frequently-performed tasks. We now examine the possible subtasks associated with each of these.

Stamp Vending

The purchase of stamps is typically for their usage, and may be divided into two separate categories: immediate or delayed use. Stamp purchases for immediate use are only of the quantity required for package delivery (and this possibly requires a determination of the postage required for the package; see below). Stamp purchases for delayed use are in greater quantities -- usually in some regular amount based on some quantity of stamps (a dozen, for example) or a quantity of money (the number of thirty-two cent stamps one can purchase with a five-dollar bill). A particular case of delayed-use stamp purchasing is for philately (stamp collecting), but since this will depend on the type and quality of the stamps for sale, we will exclude this case from the system (we will not be able to guarantee the variety or condition of stamps from our system).

Postage evaluation

There are three factors which determine postal rates: size/weight, postage class, and destination. Since it would be very difficult to create an easily-locatable system which would have sufficient storage to actually act as a repository for mail, it was decided that package drop-off would be relegated to actual mailboxes. This constrains the size and weight considerations to the size of those items which can fit in a typical postal mailbox. Typical postage classes (first, third) are supported, although others, such as two-day, priority, or registered are excluded from design because of additional requirements that cannot be enforced by the system (additional envelopes which are required for delivery, signatures for item delivery, etc.). Finally, to avoid dealing with objects such as customs declarations, the system is limited to handling domestic items only.

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