Fraud detection in a postage system
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsFrederick W. Ryan, JR., Bradley R. Hammell, Anuja S. Ketan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for processing and printing shipping labels having postage is described. In one configuration a postage dispensing system allows a shipping label reprint for a relatively short period of time. In another configuration, the system offers a refund after the second unsuccessful print attempt and logs the label identifier as an invalid identifier. If the print is successful, the identifier is logged as a successful identifier. The system occasionally receives identifiers that have been processed in the mail stream and reports fraud if an unexpected identifier is present.
Claims20
A method for controlling duplicate printing by a user of a first shipping label having an identifier comprising:
- receiving a shipping label request from a client system;
- indicating a request to print the shipping label;
- initiating a shipping label print task;
- receiving a print success indicator;
- if the print success indicator indicates that the print was successful, logging the identifier as a successful print;
- if the print success indicator indicates that the print was not successful, offering a reprint option to the user;
- and
- if the reprint option is not successful, logging the identifier as an unsuccessful print.
A method for detecting fraud by a user of a shipping label having an identifier using a server comprising:
- providing a secure printing window to the user for printing the shipping label that is available to the user for only a first period of time,
- receiving a print success indicator at the server during the first period of time, wherein the print success indicator is associated with a reprint request for the shipping label having a first identifier, and wherein the print success indicator comprises a response or a default indication if no response is received within the first period of time;
- receiving a list of identifiers at the server representing items processed by a shipping stream;
- if the print success indicator is negative, reporting a potential fraud using the server if the first identifier is present in the list of identifiers;
- and
- if the print success indicator is positive, reporting a potential fraud using the server if the first identifier is present at least twice in the list of identifiers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.