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:
Feb. 09, 2016
Filed:
Jul. 14, 2014
At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p., Atlanta, GA (US);
Thomas Killian, Brookside, NJ (US);
Cynthia Price Killian, Brookside, NJ (US);
AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P., Atlanta, GA (US);
Abstract
A system and method for postage payment utilizes passive RFID tags as postage 'stamps', with the amount of the postage automatically billed to a previously-established customer account. The tags are stored in a separate stamp database and are 'enabled' by linking the individual tag to a customer account. The use of the RFID stamps eliminates the need for the customer to know the proper postage beforehand. The existence of a customer account with a proper return address reduces the likelihood of a dead letter. Also, a special category of stamps may be used for automatic reply mail. By virtue of using an RFID tag, the mailed item's progress through the postal delivery system may be tracked from dispatch to delivery.