The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 20, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 29, 1999
Gary M. Heiden, Shelton, CT (US);
Richard W. Heiden, Huntington, CT (US);
Chunhua Li, North Haven, CT (US);
Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, CT (US);
Abstract
A method for generating digital postage stamps wherein a data center receives a request from a PC for a selected number of digital postage stamps, concludes a payment transaction for the selected number of digital postage stamps, generates a digital book of postage stamps, which the PC downloads to its hard drive. The digital book of postage stamps includes a read-only software module that prints each digital postage stamp using stamp related information contained within the software module. The stamp related information includes stamp information, which is required for each postage stamp, user information, which identifies the requester and the PC, data center server information, which is unique to each digital postage stamp and a digital signature of at least some of the user, stamp and/or server information. Before printing a digital postage stamp, the software module on the PC verifies that the signature of the PC is identical to the PC signature that was stored in the software module when the software module was configured at the data center server. If verified, the software module generates the digital postage stamp using the stamp, user and server data associated with the digital postage stamp and then initiates the printing of the digital postage stamp on a printer coupled to the PC. The software module renders the stamp, user and server data associated with the digital postage stamp being printed unusable for subsequent generations of digital postage stamps.