Systems and methods using a digital pen for funds accounting devices and postage meters

• US 6,915,281 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Coffy, Jean-Hiram, Cordery, Robert A., Parkos, Arthur J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, RICHARD SUKYOON
• Application Number:
  US10/065,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20040002926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 382/101, 705/404, 705/1, 705/402, 705/408, 705/410, 705/18, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/410
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00193 Constructional details of apparatus in a franking system
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00217 Portable franking apparatus, i.e. the whole franking apparatus, not parts alone
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00717 Reading barcodes

Abstract

A method and system for processing postage payments is described. In one configuration a digital pen is utilized to provide a mail piece identifier. The data provided is utilized to account for postage and verify payment of postage.

Claims

1. A method for a user for authorizing and providing evidence of payment of postage for a mail piece comprising:

obtaining a registered digital pen meter registered to the user, wherein the digital pen meter has been registered with a postal authority;

handwriting a return address field on a mail piece;

handwriting a destination address field on a mail piece;

handwriting a mall piece identifier on the mail piece;

handwriting a postage value field on the mail piece;

then facilitating the transfer of digital pen data to a server by selecting a class of service by selecting a class of service box on the mail piece; and

then placing the mail piece in the mail stream, wherein

an account of the user is debited after the postal value field is handwritten on the mail piece.

2. The method at claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining biometric data relating to the pen strokes of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a postage value indicator written in a postal value field.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the mail piece identifier comprises data obtained from a destination address field.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the mail piece identifier comprises a graphical image representation of the destination address field.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the mail piece identifier comprises data obtained from at least one pen stroke captured from writing on the mail piece.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the mail piece identifier comprises pen stroke data captured from the destination address field and is stored to be matched with a scan of the destination address field.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the digital pen data comprises an electronic signature card.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the electronic signature card includes a secure hash that includes data from the return address field.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a class of service using the digital pen meter.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing account selection data by handwriting the return address field.

12. A method for verifying payment of postage for a mail piece processed in a mail stream comprising:

obtaining digital pen data from a user for authorizing payment of postage wherein the digital pen data includes a mail piece identifier;

creating a modified mail piece identifier using the mail piece identifier and modification data associated with the postage payment authorization;

creating a reference user profile using the modified mail piece identifier;

storing the reference user profile and associated the reference user profile with a user identifier, the modified mail piece identifier and the mail piece identifier;

obtaining a processed mail piece identifier from the mail piece;

obtaining customer data from the mail piece and determining a mail piece user identifier using the customer data;

determining a mail piece user profile for the mail piece using the processed mail identifier and the mail piece user identifier;

comparing the mail piece user profile to the user profile; and

verifying payment of postage using the comparison result.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the modification data includes time stamp information associated with the postage authorization request.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the modification data is selected from the group consisting of user biometric data, user identifier, digital pen meter identifier and a time stamp associated with the postage payment authorization.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the modification data includes the user identifier.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

storing a mail piece processed record for the mail piece including the mail piece identifier and the user identifier;

processing at least one additional mail piece to determine a second mail piece processed record including a second mail piece identifier and a second user identifier; and

comparing the mail piece processed record and the second mail piece processed record.

17. A method for verifying payment of postage comprising:

obtaining a mail piece identification image from a user as the user writes a destination address with a digital pen, wherein the digital pen is associated with a digital pen identifier that is associated with a user identifier;

storing the mail piece identification image in a record associated with the use, wherein the record is stored in a database having a plurality of records;

obtaining a processed mail piece identification image from a processed mail piece;

searching the database using the processed mail piece identification image using an image best fit search; and

verifying pavement of postage using the database search result.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the mail piece identification image is associated with the user using the user identifier.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the mail piece identification image is associated with the user using the digital pen identifier.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

associating the mail piece identification image with a time stamp;

associating the processed mail piece identification image with a processed image time stamp; and

comparing the time stamp with the processed image time stamp.