Generic value bearing item labels

• US 20030037008A1
• Filed: 07/16/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stamps.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Stamps.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Ogg, Craig L., Raju, Lawrence N., Hansen, Yvonne K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/60
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00024 Physical or organizational aspects of franking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/0008 Communication details outside or between apparatus coin-freed apparatus for franking per se G07F17/26
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00508 Printing or attaching on mailpieces printing mechanisms B41J; security printing B41M3/14; marking methods B41M5/00; inks C09D11/00; record carriers with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00032 Determining the location of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00056 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00064 Virtual meter, online stamp; PSD functions or indicia creation not at user's location
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00145 via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00201 Open franking system, i.e. the printer is not dedicated to franking only, e.g. PC (Personal Computer)
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00298 Visual, e.g. screens and their layouts
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0058 Printing of code
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0062 Label
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00637 Special printing techniques, e.g. interlacing
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00653 Special inks, e.g. fluorescent
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00822 including unique details

Abstract

The present invention provides an intuitively-based (WYSIWYG) user interface for generic value bearing item label custom specification of each label on a multi-part label set. According to the present invention, an interactive display such as is depicted in FIG. 13 would be provided on a display monitor of a plurality of independently interactive panels, wherein each panel corresponds to a particular label on a multi-part label set. As depicted in FIG. 13, the exemplary WYSIWYG generic custom VBI label specification interface of the present invention displays an interactive label display (1110) in which each separate label panel (e.g., 1120-11 through 1120-45) displays an independent postage rate class input field (e.g., 1125-11 with a postage rate class menu button, e.g., 1123-11). Once the user has selected the “Custom” option (1150), the user can set the price for each label by clicking on the individual rate input field (e.g., 1121-11) of the particular label panel (e.g., 1120-11), and inputting any amount, e.g., $0.37 (e.g., 1122-11); and then clicking on the corresponding postage rate class menu button (e.g., 1123-11) and selecting a postage rate class (e.g., 1125-11).

Claims

1. An interactive display of a plurality of labels on a display monitor, said interactive display comprising:

a display of a plurality of independently interactive panels wherein each panel corresponds to an individual label on a multi-part label set.

2. The interactive display of claim 1, said interactive display further comprising:

an independent rate input field associated with each interactive panel.

3. The interactive display of claim 1, said interactive display further comprising:

an independent mail class input field associated with each interactive panel.

4. The interactive display of claim 1, wherein each interactive panel corresponds to a value bearing item to be printed on a label on the multi-part label set.

5. The interactive display of claim 4, wherein the value bearing item is one or more of a ticket, a coupon, a currency, a voucher, a money order, and a check.

6. A computer system for custom user specification of generic value bearing items, said computer system comprising:

a set of computer instructions for receiving an interaction from a client computer wherein the interaction comprises a plurality of sets of user input value bearing item specifications wherein each set of user input specifications corresponds to a particular label on a multi-part label set.

7. The computer system of claim 6, said computer system further comprising:

a set of computer instructions for generating in response to each of said sets of user input specifications a separate set of value bearing item data corresponding to said set of user input specifications.

8. The computer system of claim 7, said computer system further comprising:

a set of computer instructions for positionally relating as a positional location each generated set of value bearing item data to a particular label on the multi-part label set.

9. The computer system of claim 8, said computer system further comprising:

a set of computer instructions for storing in a database the generated set of value bearing item data and the positional location of the data for the particular label on the multi-part label set.

10. A set of printable labels for use with a printer for printing generic value bearing item labels, each printable label comprising:

a height;

a width;

wherein the height is greater than the width.

11. The set of printable labels of claim 10, each label further comprising:

a bottom portion for receiving machine-readable value bearing item data.

12. The set of printable labels of claim 10, each label further comprising:

a top portion for receiving human-readable value bearing item data.

13. A method for generating a vertically-oriented generic value bearing item label, said method comprising:

generating a set of human-readable value bearing item data for printing in a top portion of a generic label; and

generating a set of machine-readable value bearing item data for printing in a bottom portion of the generic label.

14. A set of printable labels for use with a printer, each label comprising:

a height;

a width;

wherein the height is greater than the width.