A system and method for retrieving a plurality of indicia are described. The method includes receiving, by a computer system associated with a postage provider a request from a user, the request including a number of the plurality of indicia, and a monetary value of each of the plurality of indicia; and authenticating the request. The method further includes verifying whether sufficient funds exist in an account of the user for the number and monetary value of the plurality of requested indicia. If the request is found authentic and the computer system determines that sufficient funds exist in the account of the user for the number and monetary value of the requested indicia, extracting the plurality of indicia. The method further includes assembling in a return message the plurality of indicia as at least one binary data message; and transmitting the message to a computer associated with the user.

An identifier is received with a portion of a postal address. That portion is compared against multiple additional postal addresses associated with the identifier. If a match is detected, a confirmation is transmitted to a requestor who originally sent the identifier and the portion of the postal address.

A method for processing change-of-address (COA) forms. The method includes capturing a first image of a first COA form. The method includes assigning a unique identifier to the first COA form and associating the unique identifier with the first image data. The method includes transmitting the first image data and the unique identifier to a cloud computing system. The cloud computing system performs an optical-character-recognition process on the first image data to produce name and address data including both an old address and a new address, validates the name and address data, and stores the name and address data in a change of address database.

Aspects of the technology described herein provide an activatable postage. As an initial step, the activatable postage is printed on a media, such as an envelope or sticker. Initially, the activatable postage has no postage value and will not have any value until activated. Each instance of activatable postage comprises a unique identifier encoded in a machine-readable format. Postage value is added to the activatable postage through an activation process. In order to activate an individual instance of activatable postage, the unique identifier encoded in the activatable postage needs to be provided to the activation application. At the end of the activation process, a central database is updated to associate the unique identifier with a postal value calculated during activation. When the Postal Service receives an item with activatable postage it validates the activatable postage and then deactivates the activatable postage by updating the central database.

The invention relates to a method for marking a consignment unit in a logistics process. The invention furthermore relates to a system for marking a consignment unit in a logistics process. The method according to the invention for marking a consignment unit in a logistics process contains the steps of initially creating a first image of the surface of a consignment unit in order to then link this image to an identification number and store the image and the identification number on a data processing unit.

A method includes distributing a number of printer devices across a computer network with corresponding logistical nodes associated therewith, and, through a server, dynamically extracting, from a number of digital pre-print mail files related to physical mailing items, metadata related thereto and mailing constraints based on scanning the number of digital pre-print mail files, and classifying the number of digital pre-print mail files into groups based on an extent to which the dynamically extracted metadata is shared between constituents thereof. The method also includes, through the server, matching each classified group to a logistical node based on the dynamically extracted metadata shared between the constituents thereof and dynamically tracked printer characteristics, and commingling the extracted metadata within the each classified group into a master document in which the extracted metadata is laid out to enable printing thereof through a printer device associated with the matched logistical node.

A method and apparatus for generating a Value Bearing Indicium (VBI) for on-line ticketing applications. A VBI may be generated by hashing user information to create a message digest that is used to create a digital signature. The digital signature is combined with the user information to create a VBI that can be validated by a variety of stand-alone or on-line methods. An on-line ticketing application using the VBI is described.

Aspects of the technology described herein provide an activatable postage. As an initial step, the activatable postage is printed on a media, such as an envelope or sticker. Initially, the activatable postage has no postage value and will not have any value until activated. Each instance of activatable postage comprises a unique identifier encoded in a machine-readable format. Postage value is added to the activatable postage through an activation process. In order to activate an individual instance of activatable postage, the unique identifier encoded in the activatable postage needs to be provided to the activation application. At the end of the activation process, a central database is updated to associate the unique identifier with a postal value calculated during activation. When the Postal Service receives an item with activatable postage it validates the activatable postage and then deactivates the activatable postage by updating the central database.

A method for uniquely identifying mailpieces having non-personalized enclosures during an inserting and printing process in a mailpieces production system, the method including: creating a Job file containing at least a mailing list of addresses to be printed on mailpieces, allocating a distinct mailpiece identifier for a mailpiece, allocating a temporary machine identifier to a non-personalized enclosure extracted from an insert feeder of the mailpiece production system, associating said temporary machine identifier with said distinct mailpiece identifier and recording the mailpiece identifier as being in process, creating the mailpiece by inserting at least the non-personalized enclosure into an envelope, printing on the envelope an address associated with the mailpiece identifier, and recording the mailpiece identifier as being inserted.

A mail piece processing apparatus and related method. A mail piece processing apparatus includes a base, a table connected to the base by a vertical member, a camera mounted above the table and positioned to take an image of a mail piece on the table, and a data processing system. The data processing system is configured to receive the image of the mail piece from the camera; determine address information and address information of the mail piece according to the image; determine a disposition result for the mail piece according to the image; and cause a label to be printed for the mail piece according to the disposition result.