Code ZIP

A code ZIP is a zip code used with the the United States by the United States Postal Service (USPS). Word ZIP, always written in capital letters, is a Acronyme for Zoning Improvement Plan , or plane of improvement of cutting in zones . In addition, this word is supposed to suggest that thanks to system ZIP, the mail travels in an effective and fast way.

A basic code ZIP is composed of 5 decimal digits. There exists an extension, called ZIP+4 , which adds four additional digits to these five basic figures: it is thus possible to rather address mail to a precise site than with a zip code.

The English term ZIP Code was in the beginning a Registered trademark of the USPS, but this recording expired.

Code ZIP

The postal services reflect in place of the postal areas for the American big cities in 1943. For example, let us examine the two following addresses:

John Smith

3256 Epiphenomenal Avenue

Mineapolis 16 , Minnesota

Wikimedia Foundation Inc.

200 2nd Ave. South #358

St Petersburg 1 , Florida

The “16” from the first example and the “1” of the second represent the postal area inside the city.

At the beginning of the Years 1960, the need for a more general system was felt. Thus codes ZIP with five digits were introduced on July 1st 1963 for all the country. At the beginning, codes ZIP were optional. The concept of codes ZIP was conceived at the origin by Robert Moon, a postal worker. This last had the idea of a code with three digits (three first of system ZIP) to describe the area of the United States. In the majority of the cases, the last two figures correspond with the old number of postal area. Thus, the two addresses above are written in the following way with codes ZIP:

John Smith

3256 Epiphenomenal Avenue

Mineapolis, Minnesota 554 16

Wikimedia Foundation Inc.

200 2nd Ave. South #358

St Petersburg, Florida 337 01

In 1967, codes ZIP became obligatory for the companies which dispatch mail in mass, and the system spread quickly. The USPS introduced a character of cartoon, called Mr. ZIP, to promote code ZIP.

ZIP+4

In 1983, the USPS extended code ZIP in a system called ZIP+4 . For example, the following address contains a code ZIP+4:

Wikimedia Foundation Inc.

200 2nd Ave. South #358

St Petersburg, FL 33701 - 4313

A code ZIP+4 uses the five basic figures of code ZIP, plus four additional digits, in order to identify a geographical section inside the zone of service road of code ZIP: for example, a district, a group of apartments, a recipient of large volumes of mail, or any relevant entity for the improvement of the sorting and the distribution. Code ZIP+4 is not obligatory, except for certain pre-sorted sendings. In general, an optical reader determines automatically code ZIP+4 starting from the address, as well as possible a not of very specific distribution , and prints a Code-bars POSTNET. This technique largely improved the speed and the reliability of the distribution of the mail, while maintaining costs constant.

As regards the P.0. boxes, each box has its own code ZIP+4 in general. The four additional figures are often consisted of the last four digits of the number of the P.0. box (one supplements with zeros if necessary). However, there is no absolute rule.

The code 9998 is in general used to indicate the Receveur, the 9999 for the Postmaster address, and the other numbers raised for the pre-freed mail. Code 0001 is used when code ZIP designates a single recipient.

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