US 12,141,738 B2
Digital stamps
Anthony Cramer Jones, Brooklyn, NY (US); Dominik Heinrich, New York, NY (US); and Caspar Serge Ouvaroff, New York, NY (US)
Assigned to UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE, Washington, DC (US)
Filed on Apr. 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/296,017.
Application 18/296,017 is a continuation of application No. 17/752,121, filed on May 24, 2022, granted, now 11,625,666.
Application 17/752,121 is a continuation of application No. 15/850,914, filed on Dec. 21, 2017, granted, now 11,348,056, issued on May 31, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0252398 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/0832 (2023.01); G06Q 20/32 (2012.01); G06Q 50/60 (2024.01); G07B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC G06Q 10/0832 (2013.01) [G06Q 20/3223 (2013.01); G06Q 50/60 (2024.01); G07B 17/00508 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computerized user interface device for an electronic digital stamp record, the device comprising:
a storage device including instructions; and
a processor, operably connected to the storage device, that executes the instructions to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the computerized user interface device, a request from a user to deliver a physical item to a destination using the electronic digital stamp record, wherein the physical item includes a written destination address;
receiving, by the computerized user interface device and from the user, destination information corresponding to the written destination address;
receiving, by the computerized user interface device, a weight of the physical item;
presenting to the user, by the computerized user interface device, a delivery fee for the physical item that is computed based on the destination information and the weight of the physical item;
receiving, by the computerized user interface device and from the user, an acceptance of the delivery fee;
in response to the acceptance, electronically communicating information including the destination information and the delivery fee to a delivery service computing system, whereby the delivery service computing system generates and stores the electronic digital stamp record using the destination information and the delivery fee and correlates the electronic digital stamp record with the physical item, wherein the electronic digital stamp record includes the destination information, the delivery fee, a user name, and an indicator of whether a digital stamp associated with the electronic digital stamp record is active; and
prompting the user, by the computerized user interface device, to place the physical item at a collection location;
whereby a sorting system automatically queries, based on the written destination address, the electronic digital stamp record to determine that the digital stamp is active and the delivery fee has been paid before sorting the physical item for delivery; and
wherein the physical item lacks any physical indicator that the delivery fee for the physical item has been paid or will be paid.