Recording graphical information on the face of a mail piece and placing information about the graphical information in an information-based indicia

• US 6,408,287 B1
• Filed: 12/02/1998
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Fischer, Meredith B., Sansone, Ronald P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US09/204,380
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 705/57, 705/58, 705/59, 705/410, 358/462, 380/200, 380/201, 380/202, 380/203, 380/204, 235/380
• 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 17/00508 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 2017/0058 Printing of code
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00604 Printing of advert or logo

Abstract

A method and system that permits artistic works that are accessed on the internet or from a data center to be down loaded pursuant to an agreement with a representative of the copyright owner to users of postal security devices to pay for their use of copyrighted artistic works. A scanner at the post would read the already existing Information-Based Indicia and other information on the mail piece and then extract a unique identifier contained in the Information-Based Indicia that is associated with the artistic or graphical information contracted to appear on the mail piece. The extracted unique identifier would be periodically uploaded to a data center. The data center would compare the unique identifier on the mail piece with information about artistic or graphical information that has previously been uploaded from sending postal security devices to determine if misuse has been committed in the production of the artistic or graphical information.

Claims

1. A method for placing information on a mail piece, said method comprising the steps of:

a) accepting information from owners of the information;

b) contracting with the owners of the information for the use of the information by licensees of representatives of the owners of the information;

c) storing the contracted information;

d) presenting the contracted information to potential licensees of the information;

e) sublicensing the contracted information to licensees by representatives of the owners of the information;

f) placing a unique identifier that identifies the contracted information in an Information-Based Indicia;

g) recording the contracted information and the Information-Based Indicia containing the unique identifier on a mail piece;

h) counting the number of times the contracted information was recorded on mail pieces, when the contracted information and Information-Based Indicia containing the unique identifier were placed on the mail piece;

i) reading the unique identifier contained in the Information-Based Indicia when the Information-Based Indicia is being scanned by the post; and

j) debiting the licensee for each contracted use of the information when the unique identifier was read by the post.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the information is graphical information.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the information is textual information.

4. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the information is graphical information and textual information.

5. The method claimed in claim 1, further including the steps of:

reporting to a data center the number of times the contracted information and the Information Based Indicia containing the unique identifier were recorded on a mail piece.

6. The method claimed in claim 5, further including the steps of:

reporting to a data center the number of times the unique identifier was read by the post.

7. The method claimed in claim 6, further including the steps of:

comparing the contracted use of the information with the number of times the unique identifier was read by the post.

8. The method claimed in claim 7, further including the step of:

analyzing the unique identifier to determine copyright infringement of the information.

9. The method claimed in claim 7, further including the step of:

analyzing the unique identifier to determine misuse of the information.

10. A system for placing information on a mail piece, said system comprising:

a) means for representatives of information accepting information from owners of information;

b) means for storing the information;

c) means for displaying the information to potential licensees of the information;

d) means for licensees to agree to use the information at certain specified rates;

e) means for placing a unique identifier that identifies the contracted information in a Information Based Indicia;

f) means for recording the contracted information that licensees agreed to use, the unique identifier and the Information Based Indicia on a mail piece;

g) means for counting the number of times the information was recorded on a mail piece, when the contracted information and Information Based Indicia was recorded on the mail piece; and

h) means for debiting the licensee for each licensed use of the contracted information.

11. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein the information is graphical information.

12. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein the information is text information.

13. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein the information is graphical information and textual information.

14. The system claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

means for reporting the number of times the contracted information and the Information Based Indicia was recorded on a mail piece to a data center.

15. The system claimed in claim 10, wherein the means for counting is a postal security device.

16. A method for monitoring the usage of information placed on a mail piece, said method comprising the steps of:

a) accepting information from owners of the information by representatives of the owners;

b) contracting with the owners of the information for the use of the information;

c) storing the contracted information;

d) presenting the contracted information to potential licensees of the information by representatives of the owners;

e) sublicensing the contracted information to licensees;

f) placing a unique identifier that identifies the contracted information in a Information Based Indicia;

g) recording the contracted information and the Information Based Indicia containing the unique identifier on a mail piece;

h) counting the number of times the contracted information and unique identifier was recorded on a mail piece, when the contracted information and unique identifier were read by the post; and

i) reporting the number of times the contracted information and unique identifier were read by the post.

17. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the information is graphical information.

18. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the information is text information.

19. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein the information is graphical information and textual information.

20. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein in step h, the contracted use of the information is compared with the counted use of the information to detect misuse of the contracted information.

21. The method claimed in claim 16, wherein in step h, the contracted use of the information is compared with the counted use of the information to detect copyright infringement of the contracted information.

22. A system for placing information on a mail piece, said system comprising:

a) means for accepting information from owners of information by representatives of the owners;

b) means for storing the information;

c) means for displaying the information to potential licensees of the information;

d) means for licensees to agree with representatives of the owners to use the information at certain specified rates;

e) means for placing a unique identifier that identifies the information in an Information-Based Indicia;

f) means for recording the information, the Information-Based Indicia and the unique identifier on a mail piece;

g) means for counting the number of times the information and unique identifier was recorded on a mail piece, when the contracted information and unique identifier were read by the post;

h) means for reporting the counted information to a data center; and

i) means for comparing the contracted use of the information with the counted use of the information.

23. The system claimed in claim 22, wherein the information is graphical information.

24. The system claimed in claim 22, wherein the information is text information.

25. The system claimed in claim 22, wherein the information is graphical information and textual information.

26. The system claimed in claim 22, further including:

means for comparing the contracted use of the information with the counted use of the information to detect misuse of the information.

27. The system claimed in claim 22, further including:

means for comparing the contracted use of the information with the counted use of the information to detect copyright infringement of the information.

28. The system claimed in claim 22, further including:

means for analyzing the unique identifier to determine misuse of the information.