Pitney Bowes Inc.

General Signal Corporation

Pitney Bowas Inc.

Thomas J Foth

Brian M Romansky

Andrei Obrea

Jeffrey D Pierce

Anand V Chhatpar

James A Euchner

Richard W Heiden

David W Riley

David B Chamberlin

Darryl T Rathbun

David L Rich

Christopher C Lang

Felix Bator

Robert A Cordery

Matthew John Campagna

Frederick W Ryan, Jr

David W Beckstrom

George M Macdonald

Ian A Siveyer

G Jonathan Wolfman

Kenneth G Miller

Luu T Pham

David K Asano

Amy E Harris

Stephen L Blumberg

Leon A Pintsov

Douglas B Quine

Bertrand Haas

Steven J Pauly

Michael Stephen Ryan

Theresa Biasi

Steven M Adams

Ronald Reichman

Feliks Bator

Michael P Swenson

Cindy Mangiameli

Cornelius S McNab

Kwan Cheung Wong

Kevin Lockwood

Cathy C Morrissey

Hillary Carey-Steckbauer

Jill Boncek

Jill M Lawrence

Lee J Royle

Donna L Gambino

Robert Bedard

Neil J Unger

John G Desmond

Jill Q Chen

Methods and systems that allow a sender of a mail piece to easily specify delivery instructions and/or services for a mail piece and that allows mail processing systems to identify and account for the specified delivery instructions and/or services without the need for any pre-sorting or input of information prior to processing the mail piece. The sender of a mail piece provides a marking on the mail piece representing instructions desired for delivering the mail piece. A mail processing system utilized to process the mail piece reads the marking provided on the mail piece, and based on the type/color of the marking, interprets the delivery instructions requested by the sender. The mail processing system processes the mail piece according to the instructions requested by the sender based on the marking provided on the mail piece by the sender.

Method and system for embedding mailer specified mailing instructions on a mail piece to automate mail processing

Systems and methods for providing a simultaneous voice and data user interface for secure catalog orders and in particular for providing a system and method for providing a distributed voice user interface for a remote device having a limited visual user interface simultaneously with a data stream for facilitating secure automated catalog orders for simultaneous electronic fulfillment applied to that device are described.

Simultaneous voice and data systems for secure catalog orders

A trusted closed loop payment system and method that reduces the liability imposed upon carriers for delivery of C.O.D. shipments is provided. A third party payment system is authorized by the buyer to make payments to a shipper (and, if applicable, a freight forwarder) on behalf of the buyer upon receipt of goods by the buyer. Since the payment for the shipment is being made by the third party payment system, and guaranteed by the third party payment system, the liability imposed on the carrier to ensure the payment is proper and will be honored is removed. In addition, the present invention provides several advantages for shippers and buyers as well, including receipt of payment by a shipper in a much shorter time frame, and multiple payment options for buyers for account reconciliation with the third party payment system for the C.O.D. shipments.

Method and system for closed loop collect on delivery (C.O.D.) payments

A business reply mail payment system and method is provided. A business reply mail payment system establishes a master account with the postal system for the payment of business reply mail. A plurality of mailers each establish a separate account with the payment system and transfer control of payment for business reply mail accepted under their respective permit imprints to the payment system. When the mailer will be receiving business reply mail, a request for payment of postage is made to the payment system, which processes the information related to the business reply mail. The post office acceptance site communicates with the payment system as the business reply mail is received and compares the received business reply mail with the information processed by the payment system to determine if it should be accepted or rejected. If the business reply mail is accepted, the master account is debited for payment.

System and method for payment for business reply mail

A roll of label stock includes a plurality of first regions suitable for being printed on by thermal printing. The first regions are blank. The label stock also includes a plurality of pre-printed color images, each associated with a respective one of the first regions. A stamp printer that prints postage indicia on the label stock refrains from printing an image thereon, but would print images on another type of label stock that does not include pre-printed images.

Apparatus and materials for two-stage printing of value indicia

A method of printing value indicia includes feeding a roll of printing stock into a value indicia printer. The roll of printing stock includes color images pre-printed on the roll of printing stock. The method further includes using the value indicia printer to print value indicia on the roll of printing stock. The printer may be a postage stamp printer which produces custom postage stamps which include pre-printed color images.

Two-stage printing of value indicia

A method of processing a check issued by a payor includes creating a check image at a payor location, obtaining positive pay data from the image at the payor location using OCR and transmitting the positive pay data to a payor bank of the payor. Alternatively, the positive pay data may be generated by the payor bank from the check image received from the payor. The positive pay data includes at least a name of a payee of the check and a payment dollar amount of the check, but may also include one or more of a date of the check, a serial number of the check, and an account number of the account on which the check is drawn. The positive pay data is stored by the payor bank and used to detect potential fraud when the check is later presented to the bank for payment.

Image based positive pay checking system

A system and method for instantly printing PC postage before establishing a postage meter account. The method includes the steps of a meter vendor obtaining a first meter license from the Post for a first meter; loaning the use of a first meter licensed in the customer's zip code to a customer; requesting a second meter license for the customer; initializing the first meter for use by the customer; and transferring the first meter to the Customer's meter license when the second meter license is received. Alternatively, when the second meter license is received a second meter is assigned to the customer and the first meter is reassigned to the meter vendor.

System and method for instant online postage metering

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by enabling a sender to easily and automatically track mail. The foregoing is accomplished by first requiring the sender to register the sender's acquisition and possession of a booklet of tracking labels. Sender may indicate to the system the nature of the automated tracking sender wishes (delivery only, failure only, mailing events forwarding, etc.) Sender may override the system for specific mail. Sender is in possession of the labels contained in the booklet which may be wrapped with tamper evidencing material, may register the labels by entering the booklet security code as well as the first sequential label tracking code in a system. The booklet security code is not obtained until the tampering evidencing material is opened.

Preregistered tracking labels

A method for detecting whether perforations are present on the edge of an image of a form, such as a check, includes obtaining a bitmap of the image, identifying a selected portion of the bitmap that corresponds to at least the edge and that includes a matrix of a plurality of rows and columns of brightness values, and selecting a particular one of the rows of brightness values. The method further includes performing a Fourier transform of the brightness values included in the particular selected row to generate a Fourier transform output, and determining whether a series of perforations is present based on the Fourier transform output. The method may also include steps wherein the brightness values are low pass filtered and wherein the values in the selected row are high pass filtered prior to the step of performing a Fourier transform.

Method for detecting perforations on the edge of an image of a form

A mail piece verification system for processing a mail piece having associated therewith mail piece data includes an incoming mail processing center, an outgoing mail processing center located downstream from the incoming mail processing center and a data center in operative communication with the incoming mail processing center and the outgoing mail processing center. The incoming mail processing center receives the mail piece, obtains the mail piece and uploads the mail piece data to the data center. The data center performs a verification check on the mail piece data and downloads instructions based upon the verification check to the outgoing mail processing center. The outgoing mail processing center uses the instructions to process the mail piece.

Mail piece verification system

A mail handling system for handling mail pieces in a mail handling area is presented. The system avoids breaching confidentiality of the mail pieces, and includes a view port device, for providing filtered visual access to a portion of the mail handling area while at least some information contained in the mail pieces is filtered out. The system also includes a manual access area, for allowing manual access to the mail handling area while unfiltered visual access to the mail handling area is obstructed.

System for preserving security while handling documents

A method includes inputting into the computer a digital content file of the merchant, the digital content file including a header with information related to purchasing a digital content product and the digital content product in encoded form. The computer reads the downloaded header and displays at least some of the information related to purchasing the digital content product while concurrently downloading the encoded digital content product into the computer.

Method for facilitating a transaction between a merchant and a buyer

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Trumbull, CT, United States of America

Thomas J Foth