Digital stamps
AssigneeUnited States Postal Service
InventorsAnthony Cramer Jones, Dominik Heinrich, Caspar Serge Ouvaroff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems, methods, interface devices, and media for the delivery of physical items using a digital stamp. Various implementations include operations such as receiving a request from a user to deliver an item to a destination using a digital stamp, wherein the item includes destination information and lacks any physical indicator that the delivery fee for the item has been paid or will be paid; receiving a destination address from the user; presenting a delivery fee for the item; and causing the generation of a digital stamp using the destination address and the delivery fee, which may be correlated with the item.
Claims20
A system for creating and using an electronic digital stamp record, the system comprising:
- a user interface including a processor executing instructions to perform operations comprising:
- receiving a request from a user to deliver a physical item to a destination using the electronic digital stamp record,
- wherein the physical item includes a written destination address;
- accessing destination information corresponding to the written destination address;
- presenting to the user a delivery fee for the physical item that is computed based on the destination information;
- receiving an acceptance of the delivery fee;
- and
- prompting the user to place the physical item at a collection location;
- and
- an item sorting module executing instructions to perform operations comprising:
- generating the electronic digital stamp record using the destination information and the delivery fee;
- obtaining an image of the physical item including the destination information;
- determining, based on the image, that the physical item lacks any physical indicator that the delivery fee for the physical item has been paid or will be paid;
- correlating the electronic digital stamp record with the physical item, wherein the electronic digital stamp record includes the destination information, the delivery fee, a user name, and an indicator of whether a digital stamp associated with the electronic digital stamp record is active;
- and
- automatically controlling equipment that sorts and moves the physical item for delivery according to the destination information when the electronic digital stamp correlates to the physical item, the electronic digital stamp is active, and the delivery fee has been paid.
A computer implemented method for creating and using an electronic digital stamp record, the method comprising:
- receiving a request from a user to deliver a physical item to a destination using the electronic digital stamp record, wherein the physical item includes a written destination address;
- accessing destination information corresponding to the written destination address;
- presenting, to the user, a delivery fee for the physical item that is computed based on the destination information;
- receiving an acceptance of the delivery fee;
- prompting the user to place the physical item at a collection location;
- generating the electronic digital stamp record using destination information and the delivery fee;
- obtaining an image of the physical item including the destination information;
- determining, based on the image, that the physical item lacks any physical indicator that the delivery fee for the physical item has been paid or will be paid;
- correlating the electronic digital stamp record with the physical item, wherein the electronic digital stamp record includes the destination information, the delivery fee, a user name, and an indicator of whether a digital stamp associated with the electronic digital stamp record is active;
- and
- automatically controlling equipment that sorts and moves the physical item for delivery according to the destination information when the electronic digital stamp correlates to the physical item, the electronic digital stamp is active, and the delivery fee has been paid.
A non-transitory computer readable media including instructions for creating and using an electronic digital stamp record, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, perform operations comprising:
- receiving a request from a user to deliver a physical item to a destination using the electronic digital stamp record, wherein the physical item includes a written destination address;
- accessing destination information corresponding to the written destination address;
- presenting, to the user, a delivery fee for the physical item that is computed based on the destination information;
- receiving an acceptance of the delivery fee;
- prompting the user to place the physical item at a collection location;
- generating the electronic digital stamp record using the destination information and the delivery fee;
- obtaining an image of the physical item including the destination information;
- determining, based on the image, that the physical item lacks any physical indicator that the delivery fee for the physical item has been paid or will be paid;
- correlating the electronic digital stamp record with the physical item, wherein the electronic digital stamp record includes the destination information, the delivery fee, a user name, and an indicator of whether a digital stamp associated with the electronic digital stamp record is active;
- and
- automatically controlling equipment that sorts and moves the physical item for delivery according to the destination information when the electronic digital stamp correlates to the physical item, the electronic digital stamp is active, and the delivery fee has been paid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.