Postal shipping label

• US 7,458,612 B1
• Filed: 08/01/2002
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Iship Incorporated, Stamps.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Iship Incorporated, Stamps.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Bennett, David Allison
• Primary Examiner(s): Ross; Dana
• Application Number:
  US10/211,802
• Time in Patent Office: 2,315 Days
• Field of Search: 283/81, 283/101, 283/71, 283/74, 428/40.1, 428/42.1, 428/42.3, 402/990.1, 403/60, 406/25, 406/30, 406/38, 705/62, 705/401, 705/410, 705/408, 705/404, 235/494, 235/495, 382/101, 281/2
• US Class Current: 283/81
• 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 2017/00064 Virtual meter, online stamp; PSD functions or indicia creation not at user's location
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0062 Label
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0288 Labels or tickets consisting of more than one part, e.g. with address of sender or other reference on separate section to main label; Multi-copy labels

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods for the computerized generation and printing of a U.S. Postal Service Shipping Label over the Internet that provides postage, shipping address, delivery address, and shipment and delivery tracking indicia. According to the invention, human-readable postage payment indicia is formatted in such a way that the actual price of shipping postage is obscured; postage payment can only be translated from the postage payment indicia by someone who knows the format template. The present invention further provides a United States Postal Service shipping label comprising a representation of paid postage, said representation of paid postage comprising a human-readable character string, said character string comprising imbedded postage price information. The present invention further provides a United States Postal Service shipping label, comprising a machine-readable representation of paid postage and a ship to address.

Claims

1. An electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label, said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label comprising:

an electronic representation of machine-readable paid United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia, wherein said electronic representation of machine-readable paid United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia comprises an electronic representation of a digital signature and an electronic representation of a machine-readable information-based indicia of an amount of paid United States Postal Service postage;

an electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping service type selected from the group consisting of;

a United States Postal Service Express Mail identifier, a United States Postal Service Priority Mail identifier, a United States Postal Service Parcel Post identifier, a United States Postal Service Global Express Mail identifier, and a United States Postal Service Global Priority Mail identifier;

an electronic representation of a ship-to address; and

an electronic representation of a corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier, said corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier selected from a group consisting of;

a United States Postal Service Express Mail tracking identifier, a United States Postal Service Delivery Confirmation identifier, and a United States Postal Service postal routing identifier,

wherein said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label is formatted for printing via a remote client computer to a printer device associated with the remote client computer.

2. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 1, wherein said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping service type corresponds to an Express Mail service offered by the United States Postal Service, and wherein said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label further comprises:

an electronic representation of a machine-readable United States Postal Service Express Mail tracking code.

3. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 1, wherein said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label further comprises a printable United States Postal Service shipping label that is formatted for printing the electronic representation of machine-readable paid United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia, the representation of a United States Postal Service shipping service type, and the representation of a ship-to address on a single sheet of printing material.

4. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 1, wherein said electronic representation of a corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier is a United States Postal Service Delivery Confirmation identifier.

5. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 1, wherein the electronic representation of machine-readable paid United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia comprising an electronic representation of a machine-readable information-based indicia of an amount of paid United States Postal Service postage comprises the sole and exclusive representation in the electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label of the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage.

6. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 1, said electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label further comprising:

an electronic representation of a human-readable character string, said human-readable character string comprising a plurality of characters that do not correspond to postage amount information, said human-readable character string further comprising a plurality of characters that correspond to an undelimited postage amount that are imbedded within the plurality of characters that do not correspond to postage amount information.

7. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 6, wherein the electronic representation of a human-readable character string is formatted to obscure the undelimited postage amount.

8. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 1, wherein said electronic representation of a corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier is a United States Postal Service Express Mail tracking identifier.

9. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 1, wherein said electronic representation of a corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier is a United States Postal Service postal routing identifier.

10. A United States Postal Service shipping label, said shipping label comprising:

a first machine-readable barcode comprising;

a bar-coded representation of United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia representing an amount of paid United States Postal Service postage, and a bar-coded representation of a digital signature, wherein said first machine-readable barcode is disposed on said United States Postal Service shipping label;

a first human-readable character string comprising an indication of a delivery address;

a second human-readable character string comprising an indication of a ship-from address;

a second machine-readable barcode comprising a bar-coded representation of a particular shipping service offered by the United States Postal Service, wherein the bar-coded representation of a particular shipping service offered by the United States Postal Service is selected from a group consisting of;

a United States Postal Service Delivery Confirmation barcode, a United States Postal Service Express Mail tracking barcode, and a United States Postal Service postal routing barcode; and

a third human-readable character string comprising an undelimited set of human readable information representing an amount of postage imbedded in a plurality of human readable characters disposed on said United States Postal Service shipping label, said undelimited set of human readable information representing an amount of postage corresponding to the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage, wherein the first machine-readable barcode and the third human-readable character string provide an exclusive representation of the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage on the United States Postal Service shipping label.

11. The United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 10, wherein said third human-readable character string comprises a plurality of characters that do not correspond to postage amount information, said human-readable character string further comprising a plurality of characters that represent an undelimited postage amount.

12. The Unites States Postal Service shipping label of claim 10, wherein the third human-readable character string is formatted to obscure the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage.

13. An electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label, said electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label comprising:

an electronic representation of United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia representing an amount of paid United States Postal Service postage, said electronic representation of United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia comprising an electronic representation of a machine-readable bar-coded representation of the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage and further comprising an electronic representation of a machine-readable digital signature, wherein the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage is not represented in said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label except for said electronic representation of the machine-readable bar-coded representation of the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage; and

an electronic representation of a ship-to address.

14. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 13, said electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label further comprising:

an electronic representation of a payment indicator, said payment indicator representing Payment of personal computer Information Based Postage Indicia.

15. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 13, said electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label further comprising:

an electronic representation of a service indicator segment, said service indicator segment comprising shipping service information, said shipping service information corresponding to a United States Postal Service shipping service type, said United States Postal Shipping Service shipping service type selected from a group consisting of;

express mail service, priority mail service, parcel post service, global express mail service, or global priority mail service.

16. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 15, wherein said service indicator segment further comprises:

an electronic representation of a service icon; and

an electronic representation of a service name, wherein the service icon and the service name correspond to said United States Postal Service shipping service type.

17. The electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label of claim 16, wherein:

said service icon is selected from a group consisting of;

the letter ‘

E’

, the letter ‘

P’

, or a graphic representation of solid black square; and

said service name is selected from a group consisting of;

the service name “

USPS Express Mail”

, the service name “

USPS Priority Mail”

, or the service name “

USPS Parcel Post”

.