United Parcel Service of America, Inc.

Mark R Hilbush

Sathiyan Parameswaran

Nicholas Costides

Bruce Besserer

Christopher T Schenken

Anthony G Creasy

Thomas Dorris

Robert Gephart

Steve Yeung

Jim Deveney

Diane Lynn T Rashbaum

Jane Sneeringer

Charles G Orf

Kurt L Stadele

Mark Trowbridge

David Michel

Phillip G Lawson

John Yanikov

Lawrence Wight

Diane Minahan

Diane Minahan Griffith

Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for initiating shipment of and payment for shipping a parcel. For example, in one embodiment, a customer/user can receive a message on a user device from a carrier that includes an authorization code for shipping a parcel. After the customer/user ships the parcel, the carrier can charge a variety of accounts for the shipping charges, including a wireless services provider associated with the user device. In another embodiment, the customer/user can interact with a kiosk to ship the parcel. In this embodiment, the carrier can also charge a variety of accounts for the shipping charges, including a wireless services provider.

Enhanced payments for shipping

According to various embodiments, a shipping label validation system is provided for determining whether a shipping label is valid or counterfeit. The system may be used, for example, by a shipping entity (e.g., a common carrier) to prevent counterfeiting by generating and embedding onto the shipping label a shipping label hash index based upon at least a portion of the data located on the shipping label. The shipping label data may include, for example, a sender's address, recipient's address, package weight, tracking number, routing code, service code, and/or MaxiCode. The system may also be used to detect existing counterfeit shipping labels by independently generating a confirmation hash index based upon the same portion of the data used to calculate the shipping label hash index. In various embodiments, the system identifies counterfeit shipping labels based upon any discrepancies revealed when comparing the shipping label hash index to the confirmation hash index.

Systems and methods for a secure shipping label

Systems and methods for shipping a package from a package sender to an intended recipient, utilizing Internet communications to place shipping orders, request on demand package pickup, maintain and utilize pre-stored profile information, view shipping history, track orders, etc. A package sender with an Internet-accessible computer accesses an Internet site and associated shipping system operated by a shipping service provider. The package sender enters information required for shipping the package, including shipping options and methods for payment, and the shipment transaction is validated. If the transaction is validated, printer indicia are communicated to the customer's computer, which is enabled to locally print a prepaid label containing special machine-readable as well as human-readable indicia. The shipping service provider acquires the package by drop-off, standard pickup or on call pickup, scans the machine readable indicia, verifies other indicia of authenticity, and processes the package in accordance with information encoded on the label.

Internet package shipping systems and methods

A system and methods for shipping a package () from a package sender () to an intended recipient (), utilizing Internet communications () to place shipping orders, request on demand package pickup, maintain and utilize prestored profile information, view shipping history, track orders, etc. A package sender () with an Internet-accessible computer () accesses an Internet site and associated shipping system () operated by a shipping service provider (). The package sender () enters information required for shipping the package (), including shipping options and methods for payment. The options and payment for the shipment transaction are validated. If the transaction is validated, printer indicia are communicated to the customer's computer (), which is enabled to locally print a prepaid label () containing special machine-readable () as well as human-readable indicia (). The shipping service provider () acquires the package by drop-off, standard pickup or on call pickup, scans the machine readable indicia, verifies other indicia of authenticity, and processes the package () in accordance with information encoded on the label.

Growing community of inventors

Baltimore, MD, United States of America

Mark R Hilbush