Robus digital token generation and verification system accommodating token verification where addressee information cannot be recreated automated mail processing

• US 6,175,827 B1
• Filed: 03/31/1998
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Cordery, Robert A., Pintsov, Leon A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US09/052,419
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 380/55, 705/401, 705/405, 705/408, 705/410, 705/60, 705/62
• US Class Current: 705/410
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00435 Details specific to central, non-customer apparatus, e.g. servers at post office or vendor
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00467 Transporting mailpieces postal sorting B07C
• 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 17/00733 Cryptography or similar special procedures in a franking system
• 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 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00475 Sorting mailpieces
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00588 Barcode
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00596 Printing of address
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00717 Reading barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00725 Reading symbols, e.g. OCR
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00758 Asymmetric, public-key algorithms, e.g. RSA, Elgamal
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0083 Postal data, e.g. postage, address, sender, machine ID, vendor
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00951 Error handling, e.g. EDC (Error Detection Codes)

Abstract

A method for generating evidencing information for a document includes generating an error correction code and generating a digital token employing the error correction code. A method for verifying authentication and integrity information printed on a mail piece includes obtaining an error correction code printed on the document and employing the obtained error correction code to verify the validity of the evidencing information. A method for verifying the evidencing information printed on a mail piece includes obtaining an error correction code printed on a mail piece and determining that the obtained error correction code is inaccurate. The information employed to generate the inaccurate error correction code is obtained and an error correction code is generated from the obtained information. The generated error correction code is employed to verify the validity of the evidencing information. The document may be a mail piece and the evidencing information postage evidencing information with the error correction code being for at least a portion of destination address information.

Claims

1. A method for generating postage evidencing information comprising the steps of:

generating an error correction code for at least a portion of a destination address; and

,

generating a digital token employing said error correction code.

2. A method for verifying postage evidence information printed on a mail piece, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an error correction code corresponding to at least a portion of a destination address printed on a mail piece; and

,

employing said obtained error correction code to verify the validity of said postage evidencing information.

3. A method for verifying postage evidencing information printed on a mail piece, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an error correction code printed on a mail piece;

determining that the obtained error correction code is inaccurate;

obtaining the information employed to generate said inaccurate error correction code;

generating an error correction code from said obtained information; and

,

employing said generated error correction code to verify the validity of said postage evidencing information.

4. A method for verifying postage evidencing information printed on a mail piece, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an error correction code printed on a mail piece for other information printed on a mail piece;

determining that the obtained error correction code is inaccurate;

obtaining said other information employed to generate said printed error correction code;

attempting to regenerate said error correction code from said obtained other information;

determining that the obtained other information is inaccurate;

employing said obtained error correction code and said obtained other information to regenerated a correct error correction code for said other information; and

,

employing said regenerated correct error correction code to verify the validity of said postage evidencing information.

5. A method for verifying postage evidencing information printed on a mail piece, comprising the steps of:

generating an error correction code from at least a portion of addressee information printed on said mail piece; and

,

employing said generated error correction code to verify the validity of said postage evidencing information.

6. A method of claim 5 further comprising the step of imprinting said address information on said mail piece.

7. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein said error correction code and said address information are imprinted on said mail piece in bar code format.

8. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein said address information includes at least one of:

the number of characters in a line, mail piece coordinates of the address block on the mail piece, font type, number of lines in the address and number of words in each line and total number of characters in the address block.

9. A method for verifying postage evidencing information printed on a mail piece, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an error correction code printed on a mail piece for other information printed on a mail piece;

determining that the obtained error correction code is inaccurate;

obtaining said other information employed to generate said printed error correction code;

regenerating said error correction code from said obtained other information; and

,

employing said regenerated correct error code to verify the validity of said postage evidencing information.

10. A method for generating postage evidencing information comprising the steps of:

generating an error correction code for at least a portion of destination address;

generating address structure information for said destination address;

imprinting said error correction code and address structure information on said mail piece; and

,

generating a digital token employing said error correction code and said address structure information.

11. A method of as defined in claim 10 further comprising the step of imprinting said destination address on said mail piece.

12. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein said error correction code and said address structure information are imprinted on said mail piece in bar code format.

13. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein said address structure information includes at least one of the number of:

characters in a line, coordinates of the address block on the mail piece, font type, number of lines in the address, number of words in each line and total number of characters in the address block.

14. A method for generating authentication and data integrity information comprising the steps of:

generating an error correction code for information in a document; and

,

generating a digital token employing said error correction code.

15. A method for verifying authentication and integrity information printed on a document, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an error correction code printed on said document; and

,

employing said obtained error correction code to verify the validity of said evidencing information.

16. A method for generating authentication and integrity information comprising the steps of:

generating an error correction code for information printed on a document;

generating document structure information for said information printed on said document;

imprinting said error correction code and document structure information on said document; and

,

generating a digital token employing said error correction code and said address structure information.

17. A method as defined in claim 16 wherein said document structure information, includes at least one of:

the number of characters in a line, font type, number of lines in said destination address, number of words in each line and total number of characters in the document.

18. A method for verifying postage evidencing information comprising the steps of:

generating a first error correction code for at least a portion of a destination address of a mail piece;

generating a first digital token including said first error correction code;

including the first digital token in a postal indicia on the mail piece scanning said mail piece at a mail piece processing location for information from the mail piece;

generating a second error correction code from the information;

computing a second digital token using said second error correction code;

determining mail piece validity by comparing said first digital token and said second digital token.

19. A method for verifying postage evidencing information comprising the steps of:

generating an error correction code for at least a portion of a mail piece destination address;

generating a first digital token including said error correction code;

scanning said mail piece at a mail piece processing location to obtain mail piece information;

obtaining said error correction code from said mail piece information and said destination address;

determining whether said obtained error correction code corresponds to said obtained destination address;

a) generating a second digital token using said obtained error correction code when said obtained error correction code corresponds to said obtained destination address;

b) determining mail piece validity based upon a comparison of first and second digital tokens;

or,

c) regenerating said error correction code when said obtained error correction code does not correspond with said obtained destination address;

d) generating the second digital token using said regenerated error correction code; and

e) determining mail piece validity based upon said computed digital token and said regenerated digital token.