System and method for distributing postage over a public network, enabling efficient printing of postal indicia on items to be mailed and authenticating the printed indicia
US6349292B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 6, 1998 |
| Grant date | Feb 19, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 6, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07B2017/00935
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system is disclosed for distributing postage over a public network in a manner that is secure in the case of third party interception, indicia for which can be efficiently printed by a postal customer on items to be mailed, and that facilitates authentication of the printed indicia. When the postal customer purchases postage from the postal service, the postal service provides information which the postal customer uses to generate pseudo-random numbers associated with the respective units of postage. When the postal customer prints an indicium for a respective unit, it appends the associated pseudo-random number, which the postal service uses to authenticate the indicium. The pseudo-random numbers are generated using a methodology by which the postal customer can generate pseudo-random numbers for units which have been purchased, but not for units which have not yet been purchased. Each indicium represents an amount of information which can be printed using a one-dimensional barcode, instead of two-dimensional barcodes required in other systems.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.