Electronic data interchange postage evidencing system

• US 5,454,038 A
• Filed: 12/06/1993
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Cordery, Robert A., Pintsov, Leon A., Pauly, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US08/161,560
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 380/23, 380/51, 380/25
• US Class Current: 705/60
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00024 Physical or organizational aspects of franking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/0008 Communication details outside or between apparatus coin-freed apparatus for franking per se G07F17/26
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00362 Calculation or computing within apparatus, e.g. calculation of postage value
• 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 17/00733 Cryptography or similar special procedures in a franking system
• 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 2017/00169 from a franking apparatus, e.g. for verifying accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00306 Acoustic, e.g. voice control or speech prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00338 Error detection or handling
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00379 Calculation of different sending options for a mail piece
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00443 Verification of mailpieces, e.g. by checking databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00451 Address hygiene, i.e. checking and correcting addresses to be printed on mail pieces using address databases
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0058 Printing of code
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00596 Printing of address
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00725 Reading symbols, e.g. OCR
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0075 Symmetric, secret-key algorithms, e.g. DES, RC2, RC4, IDEA, Skipjack, CAST, AES
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0083 Postal data, e.g. postage, address, sender, machine ID, vendor
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00846 Key management

Abstract

Methods and systems for preparing mailpieces involve the creation of mailing lists which includes correct and incorrect recipient address information. The list is transmitted to a data center. Received from the data center is a mailing list including addressed hygiened recipient address information and a digital token for each mailpiece with encrypted data. The encrypted data is based on the corrected address information for mailpieces with correct address information on the transmitted mailing list and on hygiened recipient address information the mailpieces with incorrect recipient address information on the transmitted mailing list. The digital tokens for each mailpiece may also be based on the rating parameter information.

Selection is provided for utilizing a given one of the incorrect recipient address information and the correct recipient address information is applied to an encrypter generating the digital tokens. The encrypting means for generating digital tokens may be located remote from the mailer facility or on a mailer facility or other local area network. Various arrangements are employed in generating and printing digital tokens recipient address information and corrected recipient address information.

Claims

1. A method for preparing mailpiece comprising the steps of:

creating a mailing list for a plurality of mailpieces, said mailing list including mailpiece recipient address information for each mailpiece of said plurality of mail pieces, said mailing list including correct recipient address information and incorrect recipient address information;

transmitting said mailing list to a data center; and

,

receiving from said data center a mailing list including address hygiened recipient address information for mailpieces in said transmitted mailing list with incorrect recipient address information and a digital token for each mail piece of said plurality of mail pieces, each of said digital tokens including encrypted information for each mail piece of said plurality of mail pieces based on said correct address information for mail pieces with correct address information on said transmitted mailing list and on hygiened recipient address information for mail pieces with incorrect recipient address information on said transmitted mailing list.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

printing said mail pieces with said correct recipient address information, said hygiened recipient address information and said digital tokens.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

encrypting said mailing list for transmission to said data center and wherein said transmitted mailing list is said encrypted mailing list.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

said mailing list received from said data center being an encrypted mailing list with said hygiened recipient address information encrypted and said digital token further encrypted; and

,

decrypting said received mailing list to obtain unencrypted hygiened recipient address information for incorrectly addressed mail pieces of said plurality of mail pieces and said digital tokens including encrypted information based on said correct address information for mail pieces with correct address information on said transmitted mailing list and on hygiened recipient address information for mail pieces with incorrect recipient address information on said transmitted mailing list.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

encrypting said mailing list for transmission to said data center and wherein said transmitted mailing list is said encrypted mailing list;

said mailing list received from said data center being an encrypted mailing list with said hygiened recipient address information encrypted and said digital token further encrypted; and

,

decrypting said received mailing list to obtain unencrypted hygiened recipient address information for incorrectly addressed mail pieces of said plurality of mail pieces and said digital tokens including encrypted information based on said correct address information for mail pieces with correct address information on said transmitted mailing list and on hygiened recipient address information for mail pieces with incorrect recipient address information on said transmitted mailing list.

6. A method as defined in claim 2 further comprising printing said recipient address information in machine readable format on said mail piece.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising

receiving said transmitted mailing list at said data center and accounting for the value authenticatable by the digital tokens.

8. A method as defined in claim 2 further including the steps of monitoring digital token use and

where the digital token is not utilized, transmitting to said data center information concerning said digital tokens not utilized.

9. A method as defined in claim 8 further comprising storing at said data center information concerning digital tokens for each mailing list and also storing at said data center information concerning said transmitted information concerning said digital tokens not utilized.

10. A method as defined in claim 9 further comprising accounting at the data center for digital tokens provided for each mailing list.

11. A method as defined in claim 10 further comprising accounting for said digital tokens not utilized.

12. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising maintaining at said data center a repository of data regarding each mailing list and the particular mailer associated with generating the mailing list.

13. A method as defined in claim 8 further comprising storing at a mailer facility associated with the generation of the mailing list said information concerning digital tokens for each mailing list and also storing at the data center said information concerning said digital tokens not utilized.

14. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said mailing list includes mail pieces with recipient address information not susceptible to address hygiene and further comprising receiving address identifier data for such mail pieces.

15. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said mailing list includes mail pieces with recipient address information not susceptible to address hygiene and further comprising receiving a recipient address mail piece identifier for each such mail piece said digital token for each such mail piece based on said identifier data.

16. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

authenticating the transmitter of said mailing list to said data center.

17. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving authentication of said data center.

18. A method for preparing mail pieces comprising the steps of:

creating a mailing list for a plurality of mail pieces, said mailing list including mail piece recipient address information for each mail piece of said plurality of mail pieces, said mailing list including correct recipient address information and incorrect recipient address information;

determining rating parameter information for each of mail pieces of said plurality of mail pieces, said rating parameter information constituting the basis upon which the charges for mail piece delivery is calculated;

transmitting said mailing list and said rating parameter information to a data center; and

,

receiving from said data center a mailing list including address hygiened recipient address information for mail pieces in said transmitted mailing list with incorrect recipient address information and a digital token for each mail piece of said plurality of mail pieces, each of said digital tokens including encrypted information encrypted information for each mail piece of said plurality of mail pieces based on both the rating parameter information and said correct address information for mail pieces with correct address information on said transmitted mailing list and on hygiened recipient address information for mail pieces with incorrect recipient address information on said transmitted mailing list.

19. A method as define in claim 18 further comprising:

printing on said mail pieces said correct recipient address information, said hygiened recipient address information, said digital tokens and said rating parameter information.

20. A method as defined in claim 18 further comprising:

encrypting said mailing list for transmission to said data center and wherein said transmitted mailing list is said encrypted mailing list;

said mailing list received from said data center being an encrypted mailing list with said hygiened recipient address information encrypted and said digital token further encrypted; and

,

decrypting said received mailing list to obtain unencrypted hygiened recipient address information for incorrectly addressed mail pieces of said plurality of mail pieces and said digital tokens including encrypted information based on said transmitted rating parameter information and said correct address information for mail pieces with correct address information on said transmitted mailing list and on hygiened recipient address information for mail pieces with incorrect recipient address information on said transmitted mailing list.

21. A method for preparing mail pieces comprising the steps of:

generating recipient address information for said mail pieces, said recipient address information including incorrect recipient address information;

generating corrected recipient address information for said incorrect recipient address information;

applying a selected one of said incorrect recipient address information and said corrected recipient address information to an encrypter;

generating encrypted data by said encrypter based on said selected one of said incorrect recipient address information and said corrected recipient address information; and

,

placing said encrypted data on said mail piece.

22. A method as defined in claim 21 further comprising placing on said mail piece said selected one of said incorrect recipient address information and said corrected recipient address information.

23. A method as defined in claim 22 wherein said encrypted data and said selected one of said incorrect recipient address information and said corrected recipient address information is placed on said mail piece in machine readable form.