System and method for distributing postage over a public network, enabling efficient printing of postal indicia on items to be mailed and authenticating the printed indicia
First Claim
1. A postage metering system for generating and authenticating an indicium representative of a postage value comprising an element in an indicium value sequence defined by a selected maximum postage value, the system comprising a postage meter and an indicium authenticator,A. the postage meter being configured to generate the indicium, the indicium having an indicium value field for receiving the postage value and a random number field for receiving a random number, the postage meter being configured to generate the random number according to a predetermined methodology using random number generating information, the random number generating information including a seed value and another value, the seed value being a function of the selected maximum postage value and the other value, the predetermined methodology having the characteristics that (i) a random number sequence is generated, each random number in the random number sequence being associable with an element of the indicium value sequence, (ii) values of the random numbers in the random number sequence have values which are a function of the selected maximum postage value, (iii) the postage meter can readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with postage values which are less than the maximum postage value, and (iv) the postage meter cannot readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with values in the indicium value sequence which are more than the maximum postage value, the postage meter using as the random number for the random number field the random number value from the random number sequence associated with the postage value in the indicium value sequence, B. the indicium authenticator being configured to authenticate the indicium by determining whether the random number value in the random number field corresponds to a correct random number for the postage value in the indicium value field as determined by the predetermined methodology.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system is disclosed for distributing postage over a public network in a manner that is secure in the case of third party interception, indicia for which can be efficiently printed by a postal customer on items to be mailed, and that facilitates authentication of the printed indicia. When the postal customer purchases postage from the postal service, the postal service provides information which the postal customer uses to generate pseudo-random numbers associated with the respective units of postage. When the postal customer prints an indicium for a respective unit, it appends the associated pseudo-random number, which the postal service uses to authenticate the indicium. The pseudo-random numbers are generated using a methodology by which the postal customer can generate pseudo-random numbers for units which have been purchased, but not for units which have not yet been purchased. Each indicium represents an amount of information which can be printed using a one-dimensional barcode, instead of two-dimensional barcodes required in other systems.
36 Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A postage metering system for generating and authenticating an indicium representative of a postage value comprising an element in an indicium value sequence defined by a selected maximum postage value, the system comprising a postage meter and an indicium authenticator,
A. the postage meter being configured to generate the indicium, the indicium having an indicium value field for receiving the postage value and a random number field for receiving a random number, the postage meter being configured to generate the random number according to a predetermined methodology using random number generating information, the random number generating information including a seed value and another value, the seed value being a function of the selected maximum postage value and the other value, the predetermined methodology having the characteristics that (i) a random number sequence is generated, each random number in the random number sequence being associable with an element of the indicium value sequence, (ii) values of the random numbers in the random number sequence have values which are a function of the selected maximum postage value, (iii) the postage meter can readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with postage values which are less than the maximum postage value, and (iv) the postage meter cannot readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with values in the indicium value sequence which are more than the maximum postage value, the postage meter using as the random number for the random number field the random number value from the random number sequence associated with the postage value in the indicium value sequence, B. the indicium authenticator being configured to authenticate the indicium by determining whether the random number value in the random number field corresponds to a correct random number for the postage value in the indicium value field as determined by the predetermined methodology.
-
4. A postage meter for generating an indicium representative of a postage value comprising an element in an indicium value sequence defined by a selected maximum postage value, the postage meter being configured to generate the indicium, the indicium having an indicium value field for receiving the postage value and a random number field for receiving a random number, the postage meter being configured to generate the random number according to a predetermined methodology using random number generating information, the random number generating information including a seed value and another value, the seed value being a function of the selected maximum postage value and the other value, the predetermined methodology having the characteristics that
(i) a random number sequence is generated, each random number in the random number sequence being associable with an element of the indicium value sequence, (ii) values of the random numbers in the random number sequence have values which are a function of the selected maximum postage value, (iii) the postage meter can readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with values in the indicium value sequence which are less than the maximum postage value, and (iv) the postage meter cannot readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with values in the indicium value sequence which are more than the maximum indicium value, the postage meter using as the random number for the random number field the random number value from the random number sequence associated with the postage value in the indicium value sequence.
-
5. A method of generating and authenticating an indicium representative of a postage value comprising an element in an indicium value sequence defined by a selected maximum postage value, the method comprising the steps of
A. enabling a postage meter to generate the indicium, the indicium having an indicium value field for receiving the postage value and a random number field for receiving a random number, the postage meter being enabled to generate the random number according to a predetermined methodology using random number generating information, the random number generating information including a seed value and another value, the seed value being a function of the selected maximum postage value and the other value, the predetermined methodology having the characteristics that (i) a random number sequence is generated, each random number in the random number sequence being associable with an element of the indicium value sequence, (ii) values of the random numbers in the random number sequence have values which are a function of the selected maximum postage value, (iii) the postage meter can readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with values in the indicium value sequence which are less than the maximum postage value, and (iv) the postage meter cannot readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with values in the postage value sequence which are more than the maximum postage value, the postage meter using as the random number for the random number field, the random number value from the random number sequence associated with the indicium value in the indicium value sequence, and B. enabling an indicium authenticator to authenticate the indicium by determining whether the random number value in the random number field corresponds to a correct random number for the postage value in the indicium value field as determined by the predetermined methodology.
-
12. A method of enabling a postage meter to generate an indicium representative of a postage value comprising an element in an indicium value sequence defined by a selected maximum postage value, the postage meter including an indicium generator being configured to generate the indicium, the indicium having an indicium value field for receiving the postage value and a random number field for receiving a random number, the postage meter being configured to generate the random number according to a predetermined methodology using random number generating information, the random number generating information including a seed value and another value, the seed value being a function of the selected maximum postage value and the other value, the predetermined methodology having the characteristics that
(i) a random number sequence or selected portions thereof are generated, each random number in the random number sequence being associable with an element of the indicium value sequence, (ii) values of the random numbers in the random number sequence have values which are a function of the selected maximum value, (iii) the postage meter can readily generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with values in the indicium value sequence which are less than the maximum postage, and (iv) the postage meter cannot readibly generate values of the random numbers in the random number sequence associable with values in the indicium value sequence which are more than the maximum postage value, the postage meter using the random number value from the random number sequence associated with the indicium value in the indication value sequence as the random number for the random number field.
Specification