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System and method for providing computer-based postage stamps
   
Document Number
US Patent 7191158
Issued Date
March 13, 2007
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for creating computer-based postage that may be used on any date and with an undetermined addressee includes generating a request to print postage, determining the means for generating the request, determining the master serial number for label stock, tracking the master serial number and printing the postage.The present invention provides for the creation of computer-based postage that may be used in a manner similar to standard postage issued by the USPS. In a presently preferred embodiment, the intended address of the recipient need not be verified at the time the postage is created. Rather the postage may be used at any time in the future with any recipient.
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Number of Claims:
44
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Owner
Stamps.com (Santa Monica, CA)
Published
March 13, 2007
Application Number
09/975,532
Filed
October 10, 2001
US Classification
705/408   235/375 380/51 705/401 705/402 705/403 705/404 705/405 705/406 705/407 705/409 705/410
Int'l Classification
G06F   17/00   (20060101)  
Examiner
Attorney/Law Firm
Parent Case
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/239,424 filed Oct. 10, 2000 and entitled "A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING COMPUTER BASED POSTAGE STAMPS" the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein.
USPTO Field of Search
705/400   705/401   705/402   705/403   705/404   705/405   705/406   705/407   705/408   705/409   705/410   380/51   325/375  
Related Patents
7509291 - Formatting value-bearing item indicia - Owned by Stamps.com Inc. (Los Angeles, CA)

Various embodiments of the present invention would provide methods and systems for generating and printing an identifier on a sheet of label stock that comprises a plurality of same-sized labels. In the exemplary embodiment, the identifier would comprise an identification of a media type of the sheet of label stock, and would further comprise an identification of an orientation for printing value-bearing item indicia, such as postage indicia, with respect to each label on the sheet of label stock. The orientation for printing value-bearing item indicia, such as postage indicia, would correspond to an orientation selection by a user that ordered the labels (sometimes referred to herein as the "ordering user").

7577618 - Generic value bearing item labels - Owned by Stamps.com Inc. (Los Angeles, CA)

The present invention provides an intuitively-based (WYSIWYG) user interface for generic value bearing item label custom specification of each label on a multi-part label set. According to the present invention, an interactive display such as is depicted in FIG. 13 would be provided on a display monitor of a plurality of independently interactive panels, wherein each panel corresponds to a particular label on a multi-part label set. As depicted in FIG. 13, the exemplary WYSIWYG generic custom VBI label specification interface of the present invention displays an interactive label display (1110) in which each separate label panel (e.g., 1120-11 through 1120-45) displays an independent postage rate class input field (e.g., 1125-11 with a postage rate class menu button, e.g., 1123-11). Once the user has selected the "Custom" option (1150), the user can set the price for each label by clicking on the individual rate input field (e.g., 1121-11) of the particular label panel (e.g., 1120-11), and inputting any amount, e.g., $0.37 (e.g., 1122-11); and then clicking on the corresponding postage rate class menu button (e.g., 1123-11) and selecting a postage rate class (e.g., 1125-11).

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Description
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