Method And Apparatus For Managing Shipping And Advertisement Information In A Communications Environment
First Claim
1. A method for receiving a parcel to be shipped to a destination via at least one shipment provider, said method comprising:
- a) receiving from a sender shipping information associated with the shipment of the parcel to be shipped, said shipping information including;
i) destination information;
ii) payment information;
b) receiving at a drop-off unit the parcel to be shipped from the sender;
c) associating the shipping information received from the sender with the received parcel;
d) generating at the drop-off unit a signal to be transmitted to the at least one shipment provider, said signal being indicative that at least one parcel has been received at the drop-off unit.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for receiving a parcel to be shipped to a destination via at least one shipment provider. The method comprises receiving from a sender shipping information associated with the shipment of the parcel to be shipped, the shipping information including destination information and payment information. The method further comprises receiving at a drop-off unit the parcel to be shipped from the sender. The method further comprises associating the shipping information received from the sender with the received parcel. The method still further comprises generating at the drop-off unit a signal to be transmitted to the at least one shipment provider, the signal being indicative that at least one parcel has been received at the drop-off unit.
109 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for receiving a parcel to be shipped to a destination via at least one shipment provider, said method comprising:
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a) receiving from a sender shipping information associated with the shipment of the parcel to be shipped, said shipping information including; i) destination information; ii) payment information; b) receiving at a drop-off unit the parcel to be shipped from the sender; c) associating the shipping information received from the sender with the received parcel; d) generating at the drop-off unit a signal to be transmitted to the at least one shipment provider, said signal being indicative that at least one parcel has been received at the drop-off unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A drop-off unit for receiving a parcel to be shipped to a destination via at least one shipment provider, said drop-off unit comprising:
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a) an interface suitable for receiving from the sender shipping information associated with the shipment of the parcel, said shipping information including; i) destination information; ii) payment information; b) a receptacle suitable for receiving the parcel from a sender, the parcel being associated with the shipping information; c) a processing unit suitable for generating a signal to be transmitted to the at least one shipment provider, said signal being indicative that at least one parcel has been received at the drop-off unit. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A drop-off box for receiving a parcel to be shipped to a destination via at least one shipment provider, said drop-off unit comprising:
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a) a user interface suitable for receiving from the sender destination information associated with the shipment of the parcel; b) a cashless payment module comprising a debit/credit card reader for accepting as a payment mechanism a credit card or a debit card; c) a processing unit suitable for communicating wirelessly with at least one shipment provider for validating the payment information received at the cashless payment module.
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16. A method for receiving a parcel to be shipped to a destination via at least one shipment provider, said method comprising:
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a) receiving from a sender shipping information associated with the shipment of the parcel to be shipped, said shipping information including; i) destination information; ii) payment information; b) associating the shipping information received from the sender with a parcel to be received at a drop-off box; c) generating a signal to be transmitted to the at least one shipment provider, said signal being indicative that at least one parcel has been received at the drop-off unit.
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17. A payment kiosk for receiving from a user payment for a good or service, said payment kiosk comprising:
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a) a common display screen operative for; i) displaying to a user information about the good or service to be purchased; ii) displaying advertisement information; b) a user interface for enabling a user to enter payment information associated with a good or service to be purchased; c) a processing unit for generating a signal indicative that a good or service has been purchased by the user on the basis of received payment information; d) a transmitter suitable for transmitting said signal to a centralized control entity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for managing information in a network of payment kiosks, each kiosk in the network of kiosks being operative for:
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(1) displaying advertisement information; (2) enabling a user to enter payment information associated with a good or service to be purchased; said method comprising; a) receiving at a centralized control entity a signal from at least one kiosk in the network of kiosks indicative of usage information; b) transmitting from the centralized control entity to at least one payment kiosk advertisement information to be displayed at the at least one kiosk. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification