Stamps Com Inc.

Akbar A Thobhani

Craig Leonard Ogg

Kyle Huebner

Steve Spring

Daniel King Cowles

The present invention is directed to systems and methods which identify fraudulent situations during the transaction phase. In one embodiment, such detection is accomplished by monitoring for situations either outside the range of normal for the general population or outside the range of normal for this particular user. The normal range could be rule driven and, for example, could include size of a given purchase, frequency of purchases, identity the equipment being utilized for the current transaction, etc. The rule could be relaxed or tightened, at least in part, based on the length of time that the user has been a customer and the user's past payment history. In one embodiment, device ids are used to detect fraudulent users. These device (or software) ids could, for example, be a 'fingerprint' of the user's equipment, or a 'cookie' previously downloaded to the user that identifies the user to the fulfillment system. In situations where fraud is detected downloading the value to the user is interrupted.

System and method for identifying and preventing on-line fraud

The present invention is directed to systems and methods which identify fraudulent situations during the transaction phase. In one embodiment, such detection is accomplished by monitoring for situations either outside the range of normal for the general population or outside the range of normal for this particular user. The normal range could be rule driven and, for example, could include size of a given purchase, frequency of purchases, identity of use equipment being utilized for the current transaction, etc. The rule could be relaxed or tightened, at least in part, based on the length of time that the user has been a customer and the user's past payment history. In one embodiment, device ids are used to detect fraudulent users. These device (or software) ids could, for example, be a 'fingerprint' of the user's equipment, or a 'cookie' previously downloaded to the user that identifies the user to the fulfillment system. In situations where fraud is detected downloading the value to the user is interrupted.

The exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for handling printing errors in a computer-based postage system, the method comprising: assigning an identifier to a particular mail piece wherein said identifier uniquely identifies the particular mail piece during a particular period of time and wherein said unique mail piece identifier is related to a particular mailer; generating for printing a representation of a postage indicium for the particular mail piece and a representation of the unique mail piece identifier; and recognizing an indication that an error occurred in a printing of at least one of the postage indicium or the representation of the unique mail piece identifier.

Automated handling of computer-based postage system printing errors

The present invention provides special purpose label arrangement sets for use with computer-based postage systems to facilitate mailing tracking, sheets of such label arrangement sets, and methods for printing such label arrangement sets.

Computer postage and mailing tracking labels

The exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a way for low-volume mailers to track individual outbound mail pieces, including tracking of individual U.S. Postal Service FIRST-CLASS MAIL&#xae; letters. The exemplary embodiment of the present invention encodes a unique mail piece tracking identifier as a CONFIRM&#xae; service identifier in a graphic symbology. The unique mail piece tracking identifier of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention conforms with requirements of a CONFIRM&#xae; service identifier, while at the same time, provides, for a defined period of time, mail-piece-level uniqueness for first class and other mail class mail piece tracking.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Monica, CA, United States of America

Akbar A Thobhani