METHOD OF DELIVERING A FRANKING SERVICE VIA A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20070067249A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neopost Technologies S.A. (Quadient SA)
• Original Assignee: Neopost Technologies S.A. (Quadient SA)
• Inventors: CHATTE, Fabien
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/410
• 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 2017/00064 Virtual meter, online stamp; PSD functions or indicia creation not at user's location
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0012 in a mobile phone system

Abstract

Method of delivering a franking service including the following operations:

• connection via a communications network of a user'"'"'s communications device (10, 12) with a server system (18) operated by a franking services provider,
• entry via the communications device of a unique identification number carried by a mail item (14) to be sent, selection by the user of a franking service from the various franking services offered by the server system and entry of postal information in relation to the selected service, determination by the server system on the basis of this information of the cost of the selected franking service and communication of this cost to the user, payment by the user for the selected franking service, and
• depositing of the mail item in a post box (16).

Claims

1. Method of delivering a franking service, wherein it includes the following operations:

connection via a communications network of a user'"'"'s communications device (10, 12) with a server system (18) operated by a franking services provider,

entry via the communications device of a unique identification number carried by a mail item (14) to be sent,

selection by the user of a franking service from the various franking services offered by the server system and entry of postal information in relation to the selected service,

determination by the server system on the basis of this information of the cost of the selected franking service and communication of this cost to the user,

payment by the user for the selected franking service, and

depositing of the mail item in a post box (16).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of connecting to the server system includes the transmission by a portable communications device (10) of a call to a voice server associated with the server system of the franking services provider.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of connecting to the server system includes the display by the communications device of a home page of the franking services provider.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of entering said unique identification number includes a manual entry via the keypad of the communications device of a string of alphanumeric characters printed on the mail item and forming this unique identification number.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of entering said unique identification number includes a digital capture (10A, 12A) by the communications device of a barcode printed on the mail item.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein said barcode is a two-dimensional code selected from the following codes:

Aztec code, Codablock, Code one, Code 16K, Code 49, data matrix, PDF 417, QR Code, Supercode.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of entering said unique identification number includes a reading/interrogation (10B, 12B) by the communications device of an RFID tag affixed to the mail item.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of entering postal information in relation to the selected service includes at least the communication of the geographical area of the destination of the mail item and the weight class of the mail item.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of paying for the franking service selected by the user includes a credit check of the user'"'"'s account at the server system of the franking services provider.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of paying for the franking service selected by the user includes a check of the user'"'"'s telephone credit at a server system (22) of the user'"'"'s telephone operator via the server system of the franking services provider.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of paying for the franking service selected by the user includes a secure payment by payment card.

12. Communications device (10, 12) intended to put into effect the method of delivering a franking service according to claim 1.

13. Device according to claim 12, further comprising one of the following devices:

a desktop computer, a portable computer, a mobile or portable telephone, a web-enabled personal digital assistant, a web-enabled portable computer.

14. Computer program including code instructions for performing the steps of the method of delivering a franking service according to claim 1, when it is executed on the communications device.