physics

Multiline optical-character reader

Multiline optical-character reader is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Multiline optical-character reader rather than just read about it. In short: A multiline optical-character reader, or MLOCR, is a type of mail sorting machine that uses optical character recognition (OCR) technology to determine how to route mail through the postal system. MLOCRs work by capturing images of the front of letter-sized mailpieces, and extracting the entire address from each piece.

Key takeaways

Multiline optical-character reader belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Multiline optical-character reader to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Multiline optical-character reader from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A multiline optical-character reader, or MLOCR, is a type of mail sorting machine that uses optical character recognition (OCR) technology to determine how to route mail through the postal system. MLOCRs work by capturing images of the front of letter-sized mailpieces, and extracting the entire address from each piece. It looks up the postal code within each address in a master database, prints a barcode representing this information on the mailpiece, and performs an initial sort. All of this occurs in a fraction of a second as the mailpiece passes through the machine. After this point, mail is further sorted by barcode sorters that read this barcode to determine its destination throughout its journey all the way down to the walk sequence of the mail carrier. The United States Postal Service has used remote bar coding since 1992. In the United States, if the MLOCR is not able to decode the address, then the mailpiece is placed on "hold" by printing a unique fluorescent barcode on the back of the mailpiece, and the mailpiece is then set aside for further processing by the Remote Bar Coding System (formerly called Remote Video Encoding). An image of the mailpiece is sent to a Remote Encoding Center where a human data conversion operator manually inspects the image. The operator converts the information on the mailpiece into abbreviated codes and enters the data into the computer. This data is sent back to the MLOCR site where it is matched with the unique barcode on the back of the un-coded mailpiece, and a barcode is then printed on the mailpiece like the rest of the mail. All this effort is invested up front into deciphering the destination of each mailpiece and printing the correct barcode, so that the mailpiece will never need to be manually examined again until it reaches the hands of the letter carrier who will carry it to the final delivery point. A Delivery Bar Code Sorter is repeatedly used at each point in the USPS system to read the barcode and sort the mailpiece to a tray corresponding to the next leg of its journey towards its final destination. The United States Postal Service is the largest user of these machines; however, large volume mailers and mail consolidators also have their own MLOCR systems to barcode outgoing mail in order to receive significant postage discounts. An option called FASTforward can be added to an MLOCR that allows it to automatically forward mail to a new address. This additional computer hardware/software combination looks up decoded addresses in the National Change of Address database to see if the recipient has recently moved. If so, a POSTNET barcode representing the new address is sprayed on the mailpiece thus routing it to new address although the old address is still visible—a testament to the degree at which mail can be mechanically sorted. Generally, all OCR-equipped letter sorting machines ordered since the late 1980s have been equipped with OCR systems capable of reading multiple lines of address.

References

External links Mail Factory Migrates To Teterboro

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Multiline optical-character reader

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Multiline optical-character reader claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Multiline optical-character reader before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Multiline optical-character reader ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Multiline optical-character reader

In research: Multiline optical-character reader appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Multiline optical-character reader in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Multiline optical-character reader is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Mail sorting machinery, Optical character recognition, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Multiline optical-character reader outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Multiline optical-character reader in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Multiline optical-character reader means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Multiline optical-character reader out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Multiline optical-character reader in simple terms?

Why does Multiline optical-character reader matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Multiline optical-character reader?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Multiline optical-character reader.