Abstract: Managing rental items using hierarchical storage locations without putting away returned items. One method comprises receiving units of a rental item at a processing facility. Each of two or more local storage locations is associated with a different successively longer time period of subsequent processing for that storage location. The rental item is associated with a net average shipping quantity and a buffer inventory quantity for each time period. An excess number of the units is determined as the rental item units that are not needed for current orders. A first quantity of the excess units is placed in a first local storage location. The first quantity is based on the net average shipping quantity for the first location; in a second location, a second quantity of the excess units is placed. The second quantity is based on the buffer inventory quantity for the second location and a growth factor.

Abstract: An envelope for conveying an item from a sender to a recipient and back with a window and unique identifying indicia. The envelope comprises a base panel with a window, a sender address panel, and a recipient address panel. The sender address panel is affixed to the base panel by an adhesive region, which defines a pocket sized to accept an item. The adhesive region extends laterally on the base panel to ensure that a postal cancellation is not applied to an area overlying the item. The recipient address panel is joined to the base panel by a detachable joint. A fragile item may be conveyed from the sender to the recipient and back without damage to the item. The base panel includes indicia that uniquely identify the envelope among a plurality of envelopes. Reading the indicia assists in resolving inventory problems, for example, when unknown items are returned.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method of processing returned rental inventory items comprises receiving, at a rental item provider and from a set of first customers of the rental item provider, a set of returned rental items that the first customers have returned to the rental item provider after renting the items; predicting a subset of the returned rental items that the rental item provider will need to provide in the future to a set of second customers; creating and storing a record in a computer of the subset of the returned rental items; providing the subset of the returned rental items to the set of second customers without first returning the returned rental items to an inventory of rental items.

Abstract: An envelope for conveying an item from a sender to a recipient and back with a window and unique identifying indicia. The envelope comprises a base panel with a window, a sender address panel, and a recipient address panel. The sender address panel is affixed to the base panel by an adhesive region, which defines a pocket sized to accept an item. The adhesive region extends laterally on the base panel to ensure that a postal cancellation is not applied to an area overlying the item. The recipient address panel is joined to the base panel by a detachable joint. A fragile item may be conveyed from the sender to the recipient and back without damage to the item. The base panel includes indicia that uniquely identify the envelope among a plurality of envelopes. Reading the indicia assists in resolving inventory problems, for example, when unknown items are returned.

Abstract: Managing rental items using hierarchical storage locations without putting away returned items. One method comprises receiving units of a rental item at a processing facility. Each of two or more local storage locations is associated with a different successively longer time period of subsequent processing for that storage location. The rental item is associated with a net average shipping quantity and a buffer inventory quantity for each time period. An excess number of the units is determined as the rental item units that are not needed for current orders. A first quantity of the excess units is placed in a first local storage location. The first quantity is based on the net average shipping quantity for the first location; in a second location, a second quantity of the excess units is placed. The second quantity is based on the buffer inventory quantity for the second location and a growth factor.