System and method for tracking items

Abstract

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of operating an online rental program by a rental retailer. Specifically, rental items are delivered to a subscriber via an independent mail carrier such as the United States Postal Service, wherein a rental item is sent to a subscriber along with a return mailing envelope that includes a return mailing label for mailing the rental back to the rental retailer. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the return mailing label includes a mailing code that can be scanned by the independent mail carrier for purposes of informing the rental retailer, upon receiving the return envelope at a receiving facility of the independent mail carrier, that a rental item has been received and is being delivered back to the rental retailer. Once the rental retailer receives confirmation from the independent mail carrier that a rental item is being mailed back from a subscriber, the rental retailer sends out a next rental item to the subscriber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.