System and method for reliable transfer of virtual stamps
View Patent ↗The present application describes systems and methods for reliable transfer of information of value such as virtual postage stamps between a remote data center and a local device. An identifier that is unique over at least some time duration is assigned to each virtual postage stamp such that the identifier is associated with a specific index memory location or record storage location in the local virtual stamp-printing device. The local printing device permits only a single use of a virtual stamp using a secure state flag. The transfer protocol provides reliable transfer of virtual stamps between the remote data center and the local printing device that accommodates resend requests, that is not limited to serial transfer and that does not require end-to-end acknowledgements.
1. A method of distributing a Unit of Information of Value (UIV) from a remote data center having a processor to an information of value processing device having a unique ID and a plurality of UIV memory locations, each UIV memory location having a memory slot identifier at a user location comprising:
receiving a UIV request at the remote data center processor, wherein the UIV request includes an available memory slot identifier;
obtaining an available memory slot identifier from a data center UIV state table associated with the information of value processing device using the processor;
determining a UIV ID including the unique device ID and the available memory slot identifier using the processor;
generating a unique UIV in response to the UIV request including UIV data, the UIV ID and a digital signature of at least the UIV data and the UIV ID using the processor,
assigning an initial use state to the unique UIV using the processor;
sending the unique UIV in response to the UIV request without determining if the UIV request is a duplicate request using the processor;
verifying that the UIV request corresponds to an expected memory slot identifier using the processor; and;
updating the data center UIV state table associated with the unique UIV to reflect the initial use state using the processor.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique UIV is sent to the information of value processing device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein,
the unique UIV is sent to an intermediate processor co-located with the information of value processing device.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising,
determining if an acknowledgement associated with the unique ID has been received within a period of time; and
if the acknowledgement has not been received within the period of time, then re-sending the unique UIV.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein,
the UIV comprises a virtual postage stamp; and
the information of value processing device comprises a Virtual Stamp Dispensing Meter (VSDM).
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein,
the UIV request is received from the information of value processing device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein, the UIV request is received from an intermediate processor co-located with the information of value processing device.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein, the UIV memory locations comprise memory index pointer locations.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, processing payment for the UIV request.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, pre-processing a promotional UIV associated with the information of value processing device, and;
providing the promotional UIV to the user after receiving the UIV request.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein,
the pre-processing includes assigning the next available UIV ID to the promotional UIV.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising,
receiving a second copy of the UIV request at the remote data center; and;
then re-sending the unique UIV, without determining whether a UIV acknowledgement was received.
13. A virtual stamp dispensing system comprising:
a user interface subsystem;
a printer configured to print a plurality of virtual stamps each corresponding to a single use virtual stamp postage data record, wherein the virtual stamp postage data record includes an indicium data field, an ID field, and a signature field, and wherein said ID field includes a unique virtual stamp dispensing system identifier, a memory index identifier and a state field, and wherein the signature field includes a digital signature of at least the indicium data field and the ID field;
a communication subsystem;
a non-volatile memory having a plurality of memory locations, each configured to store one of the plurality of the indicium data fields;
a secure non-volatile memory having a plurality of physical memory locations, each uniquely identified by the respective memory index identifier and configured to store one of the plurality of the state fields, wherein each of the plurality of secure non-volatile physical memory locations is associated one-to-one with a respective non-volatile memory locations;
a processor coupled to the user interface subsystem, the printer, the communication subsystem, the non-volatile memory and the secure non-volatile memory, wherein
the processor includes is configured to store a particular virtual stamp data record only in the secure non-volatile physical memory location uniquely identified in the ID field and the associated non-volatile memory location by utilizing the signature field to enforce the storage configuration, and
wherein the processor is configured to update the state field associated with a particular virtual stamp postage data record after the associated virtual stamp is printed.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the communication subsystem is configured to communicate with a collocated processor, wherein the collocated processor communicates with a remote data center that provides the virtual stamp postage data records.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein, the virtual stamp postal data record includes a postage value field.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein, the processor is physically secure.