Shipping shared services postage indicia
A system and method is provided that enables a postal customer to order a shipping label on-line via the internet. The label may be a mailing label to be placed on letters or parcels. The label includes information such as postage, delivery address, return address, and a barcode for tracking delivery information. A user may request both a label and postage in what, to the user, appears to be a single computerized connection on a single internet web-page. A postage indicia is provided through a postage provider with whom the user has a deposit or credit. The label itself may be generated through a label-generating application hosted or generated by an entity separate from the postage provider.
1 . A method for providing a shipping label to a user, wherein the label includes a postage indicia and a delivery confirmation barcode, the method comprising:
receiving a request for the label, wherein the request includes label information;
determining a postage rate;
sending the request and the postage rate to a postage vendor;
debiting, by the postage vendor, a prepaid account for the postage rate and any associated label fee;
receiving the postage indicia from the postage vendor;
requesting the delivery confirmation barcode;
receiving the requested delivery confirmation barcode;
generating the label based on the postage indicia, the label information, and the delivery confirmation barcode; and
sending the generated label to the user.
2 - 13 . (canceled)
14 . A shipping system for providing postage label information among computers comprising:
at least one intermediary computer sending information including a postage request to a shipping system computer, said shipping system computer sending information, including a postage rate, to a postage provider computer;
said postage provider computer sending information, including a postage indicia to said shipping system computer; and
said shipping system computer sending information, including said postage indicia to said intermediary computer.
15 - 20 . (canceled)
21 . A method for providing a shipping label to a user computer, wherein the label includes a postage indicia and a delivery confirmation barcode, the method comprising:
receiving, at an intermediary computer, a request for the label from the user computer, wherein the request includes label information and information identifying a postage vendor selected by the user from a plurality of postage vendors;
sending the request from the intermediary computer to a shipping system computer;
determining a postage rate by the shipping system computer;
sending the request and postage rate from the shipping system computer to the selected postage vendor;
debiting, by the selected postage vendor, a prepaid account for the postage rate and any associated label fee;
receiving, at the shipping system computer, a postage indicia from the selected postage vendor;
requesting, by the shipping system computer, a delivery confirmation barcode;
receiving the requested delivery confirmation barcode at the shipping system computer;
generating, by the shipping system computer, the label based on the postage indicia, label information, and delivery confirmation barcode; and
sending the generated label from the shipping system computer to the user computer via the intermediary computer.
22 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising the step of recording the transaction.
23 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the label information includes a recipient address.
24 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the label information further includes a recipient name.
25 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the label information further includes a return address.
26 . A system for providing a delivery label to a requester where the label has both address information and delivery fee information, comprising:
a plurality of delivery fee provider computers;
a user computer;
an intermediary computer communicatively linked to the user computer, the intermediary computer operable to receive a request for the delivery label from the user computer, wherein the request includes label information and information identifying a selected one of the plurality of delivery fee provider computers, wherein the selected delivery fee provider computer is communicatively linked to the intermediary computer; and
a shipping system computer communicatively linked to the intermediary computer and the selected deliver fee provided computer and operable to receive the request from the intermediary computer and determine a delivery fee rate, wherein the shipping system computer sends the request and the delivery fee rate to the selected delivery fee provider computer.
27 . The system of claim 26 , further comprising a web page through which the requester requests the address information and the delivery fee information for the delivery label.
28 . The system of claim 26 , wherein the user computer and the intermediary computer are communicatively linked via a local area network.
29 . The system of claim 26 , wherein the intermediary computer and the delivery fee provider computer are communicatively linked via the internet.
30 . The system of claim 26 , wherein the address information for the delivery label is generated through a shipping assistant software application provided by the shipping system computer.
31 . A system for producing postage label information comprising:
at least one intermediary computer sending-information including a postage request to a shipping system computer, the postage request including information identifying a postage provider computer selected by a user, the shipping system computer sending information, including a postage rate determined using the postage request, to the selected postage provider computer;
the selected postage provider computer sending information, including a postage indicia, to the shipping system computer; and
the shipping system computer sending information, including the postage indicia, to the intermediary computer, and determining the postage rate.
32 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the shipping system computer selects the postage provider computer from a list of postage providers.
33 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the postage provider computer issues the postage indicia.