Recording graphical and tracking information on the face of a mailpiece

• US 6,427,021 B1
• Filed: 12/02/1998
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• 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: Sansone, Ronald P., Fischer, Meredith B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOOBIN, BARRY
• Application Number:
  US09/203,463
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 382/101, 382/100, 209/900, 209/584, 705/408, 705/401
• US Class Current: 382/101
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00024 Physical or organizational aspects of franking systems
• 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 2017/0004 Determining the location of mailpieces outside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00161 from a central, non-user location, e.g. for updating rates or software, or for refilling funds
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• 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 indicia and other information on the mail piece and then extract a unique identifier contained on the mail piece that is associated with the artistic or graphical information contracted to appear on the mail piece. The scanner with also read tracking information that is contained in the unique identifier. 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 when the track mail piece arrived at a post office near the addressee.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a mailpiece, comprising:

means for scanning the mailpiece for the presence of an identifier uniquely identifying artistic or graphic material that is contracted to be printed on the mailpiece;

means for counting the number of times the unique identifier is read; and

means for reporting the number of times the identifier is read.

2. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the owner of the artistic or graphic material contracts with a party for the artistic or graphic material to be reproduced a specified number of times.

3. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique identifier contains tracking information that is used to track the location of the mailpiece.

4. The system claimed in claim 3, further including:

a data center that receives information from the means for reporting and receives information regarding the number of times the artistic or graphic material was contracted to be reproduced.

5. The system claimed in claim 4, wherein the data center compares the number of times the unique identifier was read with the number of times the artistic or graphic material was contracted to be reproduced to determine if misuse has been committed in the production of the artistic or graphic material.

6. The system claimed in claim 3, further including means for generating a report detailing the arrival times and location of the mailpiece.