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.

Methods, systems and devices for item processing. The systems can include a PASS module that can include features that receive inputs relating to an item for processing and provide those inputs to other components and/or modules of a PASS system and/or of another system. The PASS system can include a variety of modules, including the PASS module, and can collect information and/or inputs from the variety of modules of the PASS system and use that information in item processing. The methods of item processing can use the PASS system and the PASS module to perform a variety of functions including, for example, revenue protection, sorting of items, task management, sampling and data collection, redirecting if enroute items, and personnel management.

A method and apparatus for reducing an amount of resources required for address validation. An address validation program running on a processor unit configures a tax information table in a payroll database to have an authorization column indicating whether an employee having data in a row of the tax information table has authorized release of data in the row; receives a validation request for at least one validated address entered in one or more request fields in a graphical user interface connected to the processor unit; searches only rows having an indication of authorization in the authorization column of the tax information table; and responsive to finding at least one current address in the tax information table, displays the at least one current address in one or more response fields of the graphical user interface as the at least one validated address.

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.

For protecting confidential information in a printed document, the invention provides a system and method for, on one hand, encrypting the confidential content of the document and then printing the part or parts of the document with confidential information in an encrypted form and the rest of the document in a non-encrypted form, and, on the other hand, decrypting the encrypted document content for display and use or for printing. In addition, for preventing unauthorized copying and tampering of a printed document, the invention provides a system and method for managing a unique tag, which is attached to the document and which authenticates the document.

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.

Methods, systems and devices for item processing. The systems can include a PASS module that can include features that receive inputs relating to an item for processing and provide those inputs to other components and/or modules of a PASS system and/or of another system. The PASS system can include a variety of modules, including the PASS module, and can collect information and/or inputs from the variety of modules of the PASS system and use that information in item processing. The methods of item processing can use the PASS system and the PASS module to perform a variety of functions including, for example, revenue protection, sorting of items, task management, sampling and data collection, redirecting if enroute items, and personnel management.

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 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.