Stamps Com Inc.

Auctane, Inc.

J P Leon

Keith David Bussell

Daniel David Farino

Richard Stables

Kenneth Thomas McBride

John Roland Clem

Geoffrey Charles Begen

Kyle Huebner

John Michael Boswell

Michael John Biswas

Mark Lea Tsuie

Systems and methods which utilize gravity feed for mail item movement in postage metering operations are shown. Embodiments provide for gravity drop feeding mail items into a portion of a postage metering system for metering operations, such as to activate or apply postage indicia thereto. Embodiments provide for gravity drop exit of mail items from a portion of a postage metering system after metering operations, such as activation or application of postage indicia thereto. Postage metering operations as performed by embodiments of the invention may comprise scanning and activation of preprinted tokens. Postage metering operations according to alternative embodiments of the invention may printing postage indicia. Embodiments provide processing in addition to or in the alternative to the aforementioned postage indicia activation or printing and mail item marking operations, such as weighing, sorting, etc.

Systems and methods utilizing gravity feed for postage metering

Systems and methods which provide known shipper information in association with unknown shipper indicia as disclosed. Embodiments operate to collect information regarding a shipper and associate the shipper information with unknown shipper indicia. Where shipper information satisfactory to a known shipper requirement has not otherwise been collected, embodiments operate to perform a transaction matrix analysis to determine a shipper identification risk level. Such transaction matrix analysis may operate to analyze multiple pieces of shipper information (e.g., collected from different sources) to provide a determination as to a level of risk that the shipper information correctly and/or uniquely identifies the shipper. A shipping service provider, when accepting an item for shipment and/or when processing the item during shipment, may use the unknown shipper indicia to access shipper information associated therewith in accordance to embodiments of the invention to provide an appropriate level of shipping services.

Systems and methods providing known shipper information for shipping indicia

Embodiments of the invention involve an integrated thermal printer with a scale that is connected to a computer. The computer is connected to a web server that is authorized by a government postal agency, e.g. the USPS, to issue postage.

Postage printer

A system and method for high-speed processing of mail pieces is disclosed. The high-speed system includes client server that forms and prints a shipping label comprising reduced Information-Based Indicia (RIBI) on each piece of mail. The client server provides funds to the system server and reports the RIBI usage to the system server. The system server issues tokens to the client server that allow the client server to the print a shipping label including RIBI indicia for a certain value of postage.

High speed printing

Various embodiments of the present invention would provide shape-customized, value-bearing item labels, such as, for example, shape-customized, postage-indicia-bearing labels and would further provide systems and methods for creating and providing shape-customized, value-bearing item labels, such as, for example, shape-customized, image-customized, postage-indicia-bearing labels. Various embodiments of the present invention would provide shape-customized labels adapted for receiving value-bearing item indicia, such as, for example, postage indicia and would provide systems and methods for creating and providing shape-customized labels, such as, for example, shape-customized, image-customized labels, adapted for receiving value-bearing item indicia, such as, for example, postage indicia.

Systems and methods for creating and providing shape-customized, computer-based, value-bearing items

Systems and methods which provide metering of postage value using accumulated postage information are shown. Embodiments implement an accumulated postage register in a postage security device which is incremented each time a postage indicium is generated and which is reset when a postage value settlement operation is performed. Accumulated postage may be paid for using various accounts, including pre-funded or pre-paid accounts, credit accounts, debit accounts, and billing accounts. Accordingly, embodiments may be used with respect to a post-paid metering model, a pre-paid metering model, and combinations thereof.

Postage metering with accumulated postage

Systems and methods which utilize gravity feed for mail item movement in postage metering operations are shown. Embodiments provide for gravity drop feeding mail items into a portion of a postage metering system for metering operations, such as to activate or apply postage indicia thereto. Embodiments provide for gravity drop exit of mail items from a portion of a postage metering system after metering operations, such as activation or application of postage indicia thereto. Postage metering operations as performed by embodiments of the invention may comprise scanning and activation of preprinted tokens. Postage metering operations according to alternative embodiments of the invention may comprise printing postage indicia. Embodiments provide processing in addition to or in the alternative to the aforementioned postage indicia activation or printing and mail item marking operations, such as weighing, sorting, etc.

The exemplary embodiment of the present invention will provide computer systems and methods for customizing computer-based value-bearing items, such as, for example, customizing a computer-based postage-indicia-bearing item such as exemplary image-customized computer-based postage labelin an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, depicted in FIG.. With reference to FIG., the exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill bear an imagethat would be provided by a corresponding user, namely by the user that orders the customized computer-based postage label. The exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill bear a human-readable indication of the countryfor which the postage is approved. The exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill also bear a human-readable indication of an amount of postage. The exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill also bear a human-readable identifierand a machine-readable set of information

Image-customization of computer-based value-bearing items

The exemplary embodiment of the present invention will provide computer systems and methods for protecting the security of processing for customization of computer-based value-bearing items, such as, for example, securing processing of exemplary image-customized computer-based postage labelin an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as depicted in FIG.. The exemplary embodiment of the present invention will further provide computer systems and methods for securing computer-based value-bearing items, such as, for example, securing image-customized computer-based postage labelas depicted in FIG.. With reference to FIG., the exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill bear an imagethat would be provided by a corresponding user, namely by the user that orders the customized computer-based postage label. The user may provide imagein an electronic form, such as by uploading a digital representation of image. In a variation of the exemplary embodiment, a user could alternatively provide a hardcopy image. The exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill bear a human-readable indication of the countryfor which the postage is approved. The exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill also bear a human-readable indication of an amount of postage. The exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill also bear a human-readable identifier (such as a serial number)that will uniquely identify the particular customized computer-based postage label. The exemplary customized computer-based postage labelwill also bear a machine-readable set of information

Computer-based value-bearing item customization security

A system and method for high-speed processing of mail pieces is disclosed. The high-speed system includes client server that forms and prints a reduced Information-Based Indicia (RIBI) on each piece of mail. The client server provides funds to the system server and reports the RIBI usage to the system server. The system server issues tokens to the client server that allow the client server to the print RIBI indicia for a certain value of postage.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

J P Leon