System and method for processing a mailing label

Abstract

A system and method of processing a mailing label through a postal service that requires an account that can be charged for generating the mailing label are described. The method includes charging or deducting a fictitiously fundable or chargeable account to enable generation of a mailing label for a mail piece. The mailing label includes a tracking indicium associated with the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account. The method further includes receiving the tracking indicium scanned from the mailing label on the mail piece when the mail piece is inducted in the mail stream or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream, and charging or deducting funds from an actually fundable or chargeable account based upon the received scanned tracking indicium.

1 . A method of processing a mailing label through a postal service that requires an account that can be charged for generating the mailing label, comprising:
 charging or deducting a fictitiously fundable or chargeable account to enable generation of a mailing label for a mail piece, wherein the mailing label includes a tracking indicium associated with the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account;   receiving the tracking indicium scanned from the mailing label on the mail piece when the mail piece is inducted in the mail stream or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream;   charging or deducting funds from an actually fundable or chargeable account based upon the received scanned tracking indicium.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein charging or deducting funds from the actually fundable account includes creating a transaction indicium for the charging or deducting funds and associating the transaction indicium with the actually fundable or chargeable account. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein deducting funds from the actually fundable or chargeable account comprises debiting an amount of funds from the actually fundable or chargeable account corresponding to a fictitious postage amount debited from the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising funding the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account with an amount of fictitious money and replenishing the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account when the amount of fictitious money is equal to or less than zero. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the scanned tracking indicium comprises a location of an induction point and a location of a delivery point. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the tracking indicium includes a tracking barcode, or a postage value indicium, or both. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the tracking indicium includes a one-dimensional barcode, or a two-dimensional barcode, or both. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the mailing label is a reply mailing label. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a postage value indicium scanned from the mailing label on the mail piece when the mail piece is inducted in the mail stream or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , further comprising computing an amount of funds to be deducted from the actually fundable or chargeable account using the received scanned postage value indicium. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a weight information of the mail piece at induction of the mail piece in the mail stream or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising computing an amount of funds to be deducted from the actually fundable or chargeable account using the weight information of the mail piece. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein charging or deducting funds from the actually fundable or chargeable account comprises charging or deducting funds when the mail piece is at a delivery point in the mail stream. 
     
     
         14 . A method of processing a mailing label having a tracking code through a postal service that requires an account that can be charged for generating the mailing label, comprising:
 receiving a client mailer identification number from a postal service;   charging or deducting a fictitiously fundable or chargeable account to enable generation of a mailing label for a mail piece, wherein the mailing label includes a tracking code associated with the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account, the tracking code including the client mailer identification number; and   receiving a file containing the tracking code scanned from the mailing label on the mail piece when the mail piece is inducted in the mail stream or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , further comprising transmitting to the postal service a file containing tracking codes of a plurality of mailing labels issued during a selected time period, the mailer identification number being the header of the file. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , receiving a file from the postal service containing a tracking code scanned from a mailing label in the plurality of mailing labels when a mail piece on which the mailing label is applied is inducted in the mail stream, the tracking code including the mailer identification number. 
     
     
         17 . A system of processing a mailing label through a postal service that requires an account that can be charged for generating the mailing label, comprising:
 a memory configured to store a fictitiously fundable or chargeable account, the fictitiously fundable account being useable to generate a mailing label for a mail piece, wherein the mailing label includes an tracking indicium associated with the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account; and   a processor configured to: (i) receive the tracking indicium scanned from the mailing label on the mail piece when the mail piece is inducted in the mail stream or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream; and (ii) generate an output to charge or deduct funds from an actually fundable or chargeable account based upon the received scanned tracking indicium.   
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to create a transaction indicium for the charging or deducting funds and to associate the transaction indicium with the actually fundable or chargeable account of the user. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to debit an amount of funds from the actually fundable or chargeable account corresponding to a fictitious postage amount debited from the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account of the user. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive an input to fund the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account with an amount of fictitious money. 
     
     
         21 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive an input to replenish the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account when the amount of fictitious money is equal to or less than zero. 
     
     
         22 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify a location of an induction point and a location of a delivery point from the scanned tracking indicium. 
     
     
         23 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the tracking indicium includes a tracking barcode, or a postage value indicium, or both. 
     
     
         24 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the tracking indicium includes a one-dimensional barcode, or a two-dimensional barcode, or both. 
     
     
         25 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the mailing label is a reply mailing label. 
     
     
         26 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive a weight information of the mail piece at induction of the mail piece in the mail stream, or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the processor is further configured to compute an amount of funds to be deducted from the customer's actually fundable or chargeable account using the weight information of the mail piece. 
     
     
         28 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive a postage value indicium scanned from the mailing label on the mailing piece at induction of the mail piece in the mail stream, or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein the processor is further configured to compute an amount of funds to be deducted from the customer's actually fundable or chargeable account using the received scanned postage value indicium. 
     
     
         30 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to charge or deduct funds when the mail piece is at a delivery point in the mail stream. 
     
     
         31 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive a mailer identification number from a postal service; and to receive a file associated with the mailer identification number, the file containing a tracking indicium including the mail identification number.