Automatic guarantee delivery tracking and reporting for United States Postal Service postage refunds for paid computer-based postage
First Claim
1. A computer-based postage system comprising at least one computer device, said at least one computer device programmed to:
- receive through a communications network, a real-time request to said computer-based postage system from a user computer device for computer-based United States Postal Service postage indicia for mailing a particular postal item, said real-time request comprising an indication by a user through said user computer device to said computer-based postage system of information comprising;
destination address information or destination zone information,a weight of said particular postal item or a particular packaging of said particular postal item,a mail class,a mailing date,a mailing time, anda postal drop-off location;
search a computer-accessible memory for said postal drop-off location and obtain a postal drop-off cutoff time for said postal drop-off location; and
in response to said real-time request, determine a guarantee delivery date guaranteed by the United States Postal Service for the United States Postal Service to deliver said particular postal item to a particular destination address according to said destination address information, or to a particular destination zone according to said destination zone information, according to said input by said user to said computer-based postage system and according to said postal drop-off cutoff time for said postal drop-off location.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will provide methods and systems for automatic tracking and reporting of refunds for parcels for which the United States Postage Service (the “USPS”) fails to provide delivery to the designated delivery address by a guaranteed delivery date. Various embodiments of the present invention will automatically detect a parcel for which a delivery date has been guaranteed, but for which the USPS failed to make delivery by the guaranteed delivery date. For such guaranteed delivery failures, various embodiments of the present invention will display an online report to the user, or will send an electronic report of the failure, such as by electronic mail (“email”), to the user that printed the corresponding USPS Express Mail postage, or will otherwise notify the user of, or make available to the user information regarding, such failures. Various embodiments of the present invention will automatically and periodically analyze electronic and/or digital scanning events provided by the USPS regarding postage printed by users that used the subject Internet postage provider to print Express Mail Postage with a corresponding USPS Express Mail Label Number. Various embodiments of the present invention will automatically and periodically analyze such electronic and/or digital scanning events in order to determine whether a scanned tracking event indicates a delivery corresponding to postage printed by a user using the subject Internet postage provider and in order, then, to determine whether the actual delivery date and/or time, if delivered, exceeds the guaranteed delivery and/or time.
91 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A computer-based postage system comprising at least one computer device, said at least one computer device programmed to:
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receive through a communications network, a real-time request to said computer-based postage system from a user computer device for computer-based United States Postal Service postage indicia for mailing a particular postal item, said real-time request comprising an indication by a user through said user computer device to said computer-based postage system of information comprising; destination address information or destination zone information, a weight of said particular postal item or a particular packaging of said particular postal item, a mail class, a mailing date, a mailing time, and a postal drop-off location; search a computer-accessible memory for said postal drop-off location and obtain a postal drop-off cutoff time for said postal drop-off location; and in response to said real-time request, determine a guarantee delivery date guaranteed by the United States Postal Service for the United States Postal Service to deliver said particular postal item to a particular destination address according to said destination address information, or to a particular destination zone according to said destination zone information, according to said input by said user to said computer-based postage system and according to said postal drop-off cutoff time for said postal drop-off location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer-based postage system comprising at least one computer device, said at least one computer device programmed to:
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determine a guarantee delivery date guaranteed by the United States Postal Service for the United States Postal Service to deliver a particular postal item to a particular destination address, or to a particular destination zone, according to an input by a user to said computer-based postage system and according to a postal drop-off cutoff time for a postal drop-off location indicated by the user; automatically detect a delivery guarantee failure, said delivery guarantee failure comprising an actual delivery date for said particular postal item that exceeds said guarantee delivery date; and in response to automatically detecting said delivery guarantee failure, automatically communicate an electronic refund request for an amount to the United States Postal Service. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification