US 7,458,612 B1Granted

Postal shipping label

AssigneesStamps.com Inc., iShip Inc.

InventorDavid Allison Bennett

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Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods for the computerized generation and printing of a U.S. Postal Service Shipping Label over the Internet that provides postage, shipping address, delivery address, and shipment and delivery tracking indicia. According to the invention, human-readable postage payment indicia is formatted in such a way that the actual price of shipping postage is obscured; postage payment can only be translated from the postage payment indicia by someone who knows the format template. The present invention further provides a United States Postal Service shipping label comprising a representation of paid postage, said representation of paid postage comprising a human-readable character string, said character string comprising imbedded postage price information. The present invention further provides a United States Postal Service shipping label, comprising a machine-readable representation of paid postage and a ship to address.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label, said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label comprising:

an electronic representation of machine-readable paid United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia, wherein said electronic representation of machine-readable paid United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia comprises an electronic representation of a digital signature and an electronic representation of a machine-readable information-based indicia of an amount of paid United States Postal Service postage;
an electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping service type selected from the group consisting of:
a United States Postal Service Express Mail identifier, a United States Postal Service Priority Mail identifier, a United States Postal Service Parcel Post identifier, a United States Postal Service Global Express Mail identifier, and a United States Postal Service Global Priority Mail identifier;
an electronic representation of a ship-to address;
and
an electronic representation of a corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier, said corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier selected from a group consisting of:
a United States Postal Service Express Mail tracking identifier, a United States Postal Service Delivery Confirmation identifier, and a United States Postal Service postal routing identifier,
wherein said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label is formatted for printing via a remote client computer to a printer device associated with the remote client computer.

5 more elements

A United States Postal Service shipping label, said shipping label comprising:

a first machine-readable barcode comprising:
a bar-coded representation of United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia representing an amount of paid United States Postal Service postage, and a bar-coded representation of a digital signature, wherein said first machine-readable barcode is disposed on said United States Postal Service shipping label;
a first human-readable character string comprising an indication of a delivery address;
a second human-readable character string comprising an indication of a ship-from address;
a second machine-readable barcode comprising a bar-coded representation of a particular shipping service offered by the United States Postal Service, wherein the bar-coded representation of a particular shipping service offered by the United States Postal Service is selected from a group consisting of:
a United States Postal Service Delivery Confirmation barcode, a United States Postal Service Express Mail tracking barcode, and a United States Postal Service postal routing barcode;
and
a third human-readable character string comprising an undelimited set of human readable information representing an amount of postage imbedded in a plurality of human readable characters disposed on said United States Postal Service shipping label, said undelimited set of human readable information representing an amount of postage corresponding to the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage, wherein the first machine-readable barcode and the third human-readable character string provide an exclusive representation of the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage on the United States Postal Service shipping label.

5 more elements

An electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label, said electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label comprising:

an electronic representation of United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia representing an amount of paid United States Postal Service postage, said electronic representation of United States Postal Service information-based postage indicia comprising an electronic representation of a machine-readable bar-coded representation of the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage and further comprising an electronic representation of a machine-readable digital signature, wherein the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage is not represented in said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label except for said electronic representation of the machine-readable bar-coded representation of the amount of paid United States Postal Service postage;
and
an electronic representation of a ship-to address.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/211,802Filed 1 Aug 2002 · us provisional application
Priority: 1 Aug 2001
Granted: 2 Dec 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G09F 3/0288
Forms or constructions: labels or tickets consisting of more than one part, e.g. with address of sender or other reference on separate section to…
G07B 17/00508
Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system: printing or attaching on mailpieces
G07B 2017/00064
Client-server: virtual meter, online stamp; PSD functions or indicia creation not at user's location
G07B 2017/0062
Attaching item on mailpiece: label