Systems and methods for providing change of address services over a network
AssigneeUnited States Postal Service
InventorsRobert Krause, Wayne H. Orbke, Michael Selnick, Michael Murphy, Harry W. Aldstadt, Audrey K. Conley Williams, Gerald Matthews, Pat Matthews
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This disclosure describes systems and methods for collecting and processing change of address data and providing change of address services to a customer using a computer network. The address data can include a physical address, an electronic address, or both. The systems and methods may also provide additional services to the customer to assist in changing addresses.
Claims184
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- receiving verification information verifying an identity of the customer;
- and
- processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer when the identity is verified.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service including a plurality of sub-services from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information;
- receiving the change of address information at the change of address server via a network;
- validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server;
- electronically transferring the change of address information to a service center when the identity is valid;
- forwarding the change of address information electronically from the service center to at least one of the sub-services within the change of address service;
- and
- processing the change of address information received from the service center electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information;
- receiving the change of address information at the change of address server via a network;
- validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server;
- and
- processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and identification verification information;
- receiving the change of address information and the identification verification information at the change of address server via a network;
- comparing the identification verification information with stored identification verification information for validating the identity of the customer;
- and
- validating the identity when the identification verification information agrees with the stored identification verification information;
- and
- processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and identification verification information;
- receiving the change of address information and the identification verification information at the change of address server via a network;
- sending the identification verification information to a third party for validating the identity of the customer;
- validating the identity when the third party sends an indication that the identification verification information agrees with stored identification verification information;
- and
- processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and credit card information;
- receiving the change of address information and credit card information at the change of address server via a network;
- sending the credit card information to a third party for verification, where the information is processed to verify an identity of the customer;
- receiving from the third pary at the change of address server an indication whether the identify of the customer is verified;
- sending an electronic message from the change of address server to the customer when the information is valid;
- receiving a response from the customer at the change of address server after verification confirming the change of address information;
- validating the identity when the response is received;
- and
- processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is verified to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- providing an additional service to the customer to assist the customer in changing from the old address to the new address.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- providing a notification service to the customer for notifying a company or individual that the customer changed from the old address to the new address, comprising
- providing a list of companies in a user interface;
- receiving a customer selection of a company to notify;
- and
- notifying the selected company of the customer's change of address.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- providing an e-mail forwarding service for forwarding e-mail addressed to the old address of the customer to the new address, comprising:
- creating a deflector record containing an address of an old e-mail service provider, which provides e-mail service to the customer at the old address, and an address at the forwarding service;
- sending the deflector record to the old e-mail service provider for transferring the e-mail from the old e-mail service provider to the forwarding service;
- receiving the e-mail at the forwarding service from the old service provider;
- and
- re-routing the e-mail to the new e-mail address.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- transferring the change of address information to a licensee of the change of address service to process the change of address electronically;
- and
- providing the processed change of address information to the licensor electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A method for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information;
- receiving the change of address information at the change of address server via a network;
- validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server;
- processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- providing an additional service to the customer to assist the customer in changing from the old address to the new address.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a change of address receiving component for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network and receiving verification information;
- a validation component for verifying an identity of the customer using the verification information;
- and
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer when the identity is verified.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a change of address server;
- a user interface at the change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and verification information;
- a change of address receiving component for receiving the change of address information at the change of address server via a network;
- a validating component for validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server using the verification information;
- and
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a change of address server;
- a network;
- a user interface at the change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and identification verification information;
- a change of address receiving component for receiving the change of address information and the identification verification information at the change of address server via the network;
- a comparison component for comparing the identification verification information with stored identification verification information for validating the identity of the customer;
- a validation component for validating the identity when the identification verification information agrees with the stored identification verification information;
- and
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a change of address server;
- a network;
- a user interface at the change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and identification verification information;
- a change of address receiving component for receiving the change of address information and the identification verification information at the change of address server via a network;
- an identification verification sending component for sending the identification verification information to a third party for validating the identity of the customer;
- a validation component for validating the identity when the third party sends an indication that the identification verification information agrees with the stored identification verification information;
- and
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a network;
- a change of address server;
- a user interface at the change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and credit card information;
- a change of address server interface for receiving the change of address information and credit card information at the change of address server via the network;
- a credit card information sending component for sending the credit card information to a third party for verification, where the information is processed to verify an identity of the customer;
- a third-party interface for receiving from the third party an indication whether the identify of the customer is verified;
- an electronic message sending component for sending an electronic message from the change of address server to the customer when the information is valid;
- a customer interface for receiving a response from the customer after verification confirming the change of address information;
- a validation component for validating the identity when the response is received;
- and
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is verified to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a network;
- a change of address receiving component for receiving change of address information from the customer via the network;
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- a service component for providing an additional service to the customer to assist the customer in changing from the old address to the new address.
The system of claim 94, wherein the service component includes a purchasing service component for a purchasing service comprising:
- a purchase request receiving component for receiving a request from the customer for a purchase item;
- and
- a purchasing component for purchasing the purchase item.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a change of address receiving component for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- a notifying component for notifying a company or individual that the customer moved from the old address to the new address, comprising
- a user interface for providing a list of companies to the customer;
- a selection component for selecting a company on the list to notify;
- and
- a notification component for notifying the selected company of the customer's change of address.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a change of address receiving component for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- an e-mail forwarding component for forwarding e-mail addressed to the old address of the customer to the new address, comprising
- a deflector record containing an address of an old e-mail service provider, which provides e-mail service to the customer at the old address, and an address at the forwarding service;
- a deflector record sending component for sending the deflector record to the old e-mail service provider for transferring the e-mail from the old e-mail service provider to the forwarding service;
- an e-mail receiving component for receiving the e-mail at the forwarding service from the old service provider;
- and
- a router for re-routing the e-mail to the new e-mail address.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a change of address receiving component for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- a change of address sending component for sending the change of address information to a licensee of the change of address service to process the change of address electronically;
- and
- a network for providing the processed change of address information to the licensor electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A system for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, comprising:
- a network;
- a change of address server;
- a user interface at the change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information;
- a change of address receiving component for receiving the change of address information at the change of address server via the network;
- a validating component for validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server;
- a change of address processor for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- a service component for providing an additional service to the customer to assist the customer in changing from the old address to the new address.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- program code for receiving verification information verifying an identity of the customer;
- and
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer when the identity is verified.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service including a plurality of sub-services from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information;
- program code for receiving the change of address information at the change of address server via a network;
- program code for validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server;
- program code for electronically transferring the change of address information to a service center when the identity is valid;
- program code for forwarding the change of address information electronically from the service center to at least one of the sub-services within the change of address service;
- and
- program code for processing the change of address information received from the service center electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information;
- program code for receiving the change of address information at the change of address server via a network;
- program code for validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server;
- and
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and identification verification information;
- program code for receiving the change of address information and the identification verification information at the change of address server via a network;
- program code for comparing the identification verification information with stored identification verification information for validating the identity of the customer;
- and
- program code for validating the identity when the identification verification information agrees with the stored identification verification information;
- and
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and identification verification information;
- program code for receiving the change of address information and the identification verification information at the change of address server via a network;
- program code for sending the identification verification information to a third party for validating the identity of the customer;
- program code for validating the identity when the third party sends an indication that the identification verification information agrees with the stored identification verification information;
- and
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information and credit card information;
- program code for receiving the change of address information and credit card information at the change of address server via a network;
- program code for sending the credit card information to a third party for verification, where the information is processed to verify an identiy of the customer;
- program code for receiving from the third pary an indication whether the identify of the customer is verified;
- program code for sending an electronic message from the change of address server to the customer when the information is valid;
- program code for receiving a response from the customer after verification confirming the change of address information;
- program code for validating the identity when the response is received;
- and
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is verified to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- program code for providing an additional service to the customer to assist the customer in changing from the old address to the new address.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- program code for providing a notification service to the customer for notifying a company or individual that the customer changed from the old address to the new address, comprising providing a list of companies in a user interface;
- receiving a customer selection of a company to notify;
- and notifying the selected company of the customer's change of address.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- program code for providing an e-mail forwarding service for forwarding e-mail addressed to the old address of the customer to the new address, comprising
- program code for creating a deflector record containing an address of an old e-mail service provider, which provides e-mail service to the customer at the old address, and an address at the forwarding service;
- program code for sending the deflector record to the old e-mail service provider for transferring the e-mail from the old e-mail service provider to the forwarding service;
- program code for receiving the e-mail at the forwarding service from the old service provider;
- and
- program code for re-routing the e-mail to the new e-mail address.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for receiving change of address information from the customer via a network;
- program code for transferring the change of address information to a licensee of the change of address service to process the change of address electronically;
- and
- program code for providing the processed change of address information to the licensor electronically to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer.
A computer program product for providing an electronic change of address service from an old address of a customer to a new address of the customer, the computer program product comprising the following computer-readable program code for effecting actions in a computing platform:
- program code for providing a user interface at a change of address server for the customer to enter change of address information;
- program code for receiving the change of address information at the change of address server via a network;
- program code for validating an identity of the customer at the change of address server;
- program code for processing the change of address information electronically when the identity is valid to enable the customer to receive mail addressed to the old address of the customer at the new address of the customer;
- and
- program code for providing an additional service to the customer to assist the customer in changing from the old address to the new address.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.