Patent · US Expired

Method and arrangement for data processing in a shipping system with a postage meter machine, including automatic selection of the most beneficial carrier

US6321214A · kind A · utility

43Cited by
17References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 13, 2000
Grant dateNov 20, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 13, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG07B2017/00491
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In a method for data processing in a mail processing system, the most beneficial carrier, among a number of available carriers, for shipping a particular item is determined by initializing the franking system with pre-selection of a group of carriers from which the desired carrier can be subsequently selected, processing inputs with respect to service demands made of the carrier and automatic selection of those carriers from the aforementioned group of carriers that meet the service demands that have been made, calculating the postage fee on the basis of current fee schedules for selected services, comparing the postage fee for cost optimization in the narrower automatic selection of the most beneficial carrier and debiting the calculated postage fee in a fee memory for the selected carrier.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.