Systems and methods for value bearing indicia balance reservation

• US 8,027,935 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auctane LLC (Stamps.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Stamps.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Begen, Geoffrey Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Rutao
• Application Number:
  US11/970,933
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/401
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2203/07 Integrating an electronic processing unit with a micromechanical structure
• CPC Class Codes: F16S 5/00 Other constructional members not restricted to an application fully provided for in a single class
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00362 Calculation or computing within apparatus, e.g. calculation of postage value
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0037 Calculation of postage value
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00427 Special accounting procedures, e.g. storing special information

Abstract

Systems and methods which operate to reserve an amount of value associated with a value bearing indicia (VBI) request or requests are shown. Embodiments facilitate completion of a multiple VBI session without failing due to insufficient value balance once the session has begun. Additionally or alternatively, embodiments facilitate later or subsequent (e.g., scheduled) completion of a VBI session, whether a session for a single VBI or multiple VBI, without failing due to insufficient value balance. Value reservations may be made automatically and/or manually. Embodiments provide various reservation priority levels, such as to individual users, user groups, user systems, sessions, types of sessions, jobs, etc., in order to facilitate completion of various desired operations without failure due to insufficient value. Value reservation techniques according to embodiments do not introduce additional transactions into a normal VBI session flow.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining if sufficient value is available in an account to complete a value bearing indicia processing session;

if said sufficient value is available, reserving a predetermined amount of value with respect to said account to facilitate completing said value bearing indicia processing session, wherein said reserving said predetermined amount of value prevents said predetermined amount of value from being utilized with respect to any other value bearing indicia processing session until the value reservation is released, wherein said reserving said

predetermined amount of value comprises;

associating said predetermined amount of value with said account as a value reservation,

assigning a value reservation identification to said value reservation, and preventing transactions with respect to said account not bearing said value reservation identification from debiting said account below a balance corresponding to said value reservation;

requesting an amount of value for a value bearing indicia from said account, said request including said value reservation identification, wherein said request further includes a revised predetermined amount of value with respect to said account;

updating said value reservation using said revised predetermined amount of value; and

if said sufficient value is not available, providing insufficient value processing with respect to said value bearing indicia processing session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said value bearing indicia processing session comprises a postage indicia generation session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said value bearing indicia processing session generates a plurality of value bearing indicia.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining if sufficient value is available comprises:

determining a balance with respect to said account;

determining a total amount of reserved value with respect to said account; and

comparing an amount of value for completing said value bearing indicia to the difference of the account balance and the total amount of reserved value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deducting said amount of value for said value bearing indicia from said value reservation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said reserving said predetermined amount of value comprises:

assigning a timeout time period to the value reservation; and

releasing said value reservation if a delay between transactions of said value bearing indicia processing session exceeds said timeout time period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said insufficient value processing comprises:

preventing value bearing indicia processing with respect to said value bearing indicia processing session.

8. A method comprising:

determining if sufficient value is available in an account to complete a value bearing indicia processing session;

if said sufficient value is available, reserving a predetermined amount of value with respect to said account to facilitate completing said value bearing indicia processing session, wherein said reserving said predetermined amount of value prevents said predetermined amount of value from being utilized with respect to any other value bearing indicia processing session until the value reservation is released; and

if said sufficient value is not available, providing insufficient value processing with respect to said value bearing indicia processing session, wherein said insufficient value processing comprises;

allowing partial operation with respect to said value bearing indicia processing so as to provide value bearing indicia processing not to exceed said value available in said account; and

reserving an amount of value corresponding to said partial operation to facilitate completing said partial operation with respect to said value bearing indicia processing.

9. A method comprising:

establishing hierarchical priority levels for use with respect to value bearing indicia processing sessions;

determining if sufficient value is available in an account to complete a value bearing indicia processing session;

if said sufficient value is available, reserving a predetermined amount of value with respect to said account to facilitate completing said value bearing indicia processing session, wherein said reserving said predetermined amount of value prevents said predetermined amount of value from being utilized with respect to any other value bearing indicia processing session until the value reservation is released;

prior to said reserving said predetermined amount of value, determining if a priority level associated with said value bearing indicia processing session allows said reserving said predetermined amount of value in light of current value reservations made with respect to said account; and

if said sufficient value is not available, providing insufficient value processing with respect to said value bearing indicia processing session.

10. A method comprising:

establishing a value reservation with respect to a multi-user postage metering system account balance, an amount of said value reservation corresponding to a total amount of postage for a postage generation session;

assigning value reservation identification to said value reservation;

providing said value reservation identification to a system controlling said postage generation session;

preventing transactions with respect to said account not associated with said postage generation session from debiting said account balance below a balance corresponding to said value reservation while said value reservation is active; and

monitoring transactions with respect to said account for association with said value reservation identification, wherein said preventing said transactions from debiting said account is performed as a function of said monitoring, wherein transactions associated with said postage generation session include an updated amount for said value reservation included therein.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said value reservation identification is included in a cookie included in a communication of an appropriate one of said transactions.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prior to establishing said value reservation, determining if sufficient value is available with respect to said account balance to complete said postage generation session.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said determining if sufficient value is available comprises:

determining a total amount of reserved value with respect to said account balance; and

comparing an amount of value for completing said postage generation session to the difference of said account balance and said total amount of reserved value.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

establishing a timeout timer with respect to said value reservation, wherein said value reservation is released if said timeout timer expires.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

resetting said timeout timer when a transaction of said postage generation session is processed, wherein said timeout timer expires if a delay between transactions of said postage generation session exceeds a time period of said timeout timer.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said establishing a value reservation is accomplished without introducing additional transactions into a normal value based indicia acquisition session flow.

17. A system comprising:

a multi-user value bearing indicia metering system, wherein at least one account balance is controlled by said value bearing indicia metering system, said value bearing indicia metering system including a computer readable medium storing computer executable code thereon, said computer executable code including code for establishing a value reservation with respect to said account balance, said value reservation operable to reserve a predetermined amount of value with respect to said account to facilitate completing a value bearing indicia processing session, wherein said computer executable code further includes code for allowing partial operation with respect to said value bearing indicia processing session so as to provide value bearing indicia processing not to exceed said value available in said account and for reserving an amount of value corresponding to said partial operation to facilitate completing said partial operation with respect to said value bearing indicia processing session.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said value bearing indicia metering system comprises:

a network based postage metering server.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein multiple postal clients are operable to access said at least one account substantially simultaneously, said computer executable code further including code for determining a postal client of said multiple postal clients associated with said value reservation and allowing said postal client to deduct value from said at least one account balance.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein said computer executable code further includes:

code for preventing said predetermined amount of value from being utilized with respect to any other value bearing indicia processing session until said value reservation is released.

21. A method comprising:

establishing a value reservation with respect to a multi-user postage metering system account balance, an amount of said value reservation corresponding to a total amount of postage for a postage generation session;

preventing transactions with respect to said account not associated with said postage generation session from debiting said account balance below a balance corresponding to said value reservation while said value reservation is active, wherein said preventing transactions with respect to said account not associated with said postage generation session from debiting said account balance below a balance corresponding to said value reservation while said value reservation is active comprises;

allowing partial operation with respect to said postage generation session so as to provide value bearing indicia processing not to exceed a value available in said account; and

reserving an amount of value corresponding to said partial operation to facilitate completing said partial operation with respect to said postage generation session.

22. A method comprising:

establishing hierarchical priority levels for use with respect to postage generation sessions;

establishing a value reservation with respect to a multi-user postage metering system account balance, an amount of said value reservation corresponding to a total amount of postage for a postage generation session;

prior to said establishing said value reservation, determining if a priority level associated said postage generation session allows said reserving said amount in light of current value reservations made with respect to said account; and

preventing transactions with respect to said account not associated with said postage generation session from debiting said account balance below a balance corresponding to said value reservation while said value reservation is active.

23. A system comprising:

a multi-user value bearing indicia metering system, wherein at least one account balance is controlled by said value bearing indicia metering system, said value bearing indicia metering system including a computer readable medium storing computer executable code thereon, said computer executable code including code for establishing a value reservation with respect to said account balance, said value reservation operable to reserve a predetermined amount of value with respect to said account to facilitate completing a value bearing indicia processing session, wherein said computer executable code further includes code for;

establishing hierarchical priority levels for use with respect to value bearing indicia processing sessions; and

prior to said reserving said value reservation, determining if a priority level associated said value bearing indicia processing session allows said reserving said value reservation in light of current value reservations made with respect to said account.