zip code

A ZIP Code (an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan) is a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service (USPS). The term ZIP was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently and quickly (zipping along) when senders use the code in the postal address. The Philippine Postal Corporation also uses this terminology for the postal code system in the Philippines.
Introduced on July 1, 1963, the basic format comprised five digits. In 1983, an extended code was introduced named ZIP+4; it included the five digits of the ZIP Code, followed by a hyphen and four digits that designated a more specific location.
ZIP Code and ZIP+4 are registered trademarks of the United States Postal Service, which also registered ZIP Code as a service mark until 1997.

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