System and method for printing postage indicia with mail-by date
View Patent ↗An envelope having a window for allowing a printed postage indicia to show through is shown. According to a preferred embodiment, the postage indicia window may be provided with a glassine covering. Preferably the postage indicia may be put in a corner of a document to be mailed and the document placed in the envelope so that the postage indicia shows through the postage indicia window.
1. A method comprising:
determining a mail-by-date for a postage indicium, wherein said mail-by date is a date by which said postage indicium must be introduced into a mail stream to be valid;
printing by a printer, on a printing date, said postage indicium comprising said mail-by date, wherein said printing date is a day which is before in time than said mail-by date, and wherein said printing date is a different date than said mail-by date; and
introducing said postage indicium into said mail stream on any date before in time than said mail-by date and after in time than said printing date.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining whether said postage indicium was introduced into said mail stream by said mail-by date.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
determining whether said postage indicium is valid based on said determination regarding whether said postage indicium was introduced into said mail stream by said mail-by date.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
scanning said postage indicium to determine whether said postage indicium was introduced into said mail stream by said mail-by date.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
scanning said postage indicium to track use of a postage storage device.
6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
determining whether said postage indicium is valid based on said determination regarding whether said postage indicium was introduced into said mail stream by said mail-by date.
7. A system comprising:
a postage generator generating a postage indicium including a mail-by date, wherein said mail-by date establishes a finite number of two or more days within which said postage indicium must be introduced into a mail stream to be valid; and
a printer printing said generated postage indicium.
8. The system of claim 7 further comprising:
a device receiving input from a user defining said mail-by date.
9. A system comprising:
a processor;
a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor;
executing by said processor and memory, a postage generator generating a postage indicium including a mail-by date, wherein said mail-by date establishes a finite number of days within which said postage indicium must be introduced into a mail stream to be valid, wherein said device receives input from said user defining a location from which said postage indicium is to be introduced into sais mail stream, and wherein said location is in a zip code distant from said postage generator.
10. The system of claim 7 further comprising:
a validator for determining whether said postage indicium is valid based on whether said postage indicium was introduced into said mail stream within said mail-by date.
11. The system of claim 7 wherein said validator comprises a scanner for scanning said mail-by date.
12. A method comprising:
determining an expiration date for a postage indicium, wherein said expiration date establishes a finite number of two or more days within which said postage indicium must be introduced into a mail stream to be valid; and
printing by a printer, said postage indicium comprising said expiration date.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said determining is based on user input.
14. A method comprising:
determining an expiration date for a postage indicium, wherein said expiration date establishes a finite number of days within which said postage indicium must be introduced into a mail stream to be valid;
printing by a printer, said postage indicium comprising said expiration date; and
selecting, by a user, a location where said postage indicium will be introduced into said mail stream, wherein said selected location is in a zip code distant from said printing zip code.
15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
determining whether said postage indicium was introduced into said mail stream by said expiration date.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
determining whether said postage indicium is valid based on said determination of whether said postage indicium was introduced into said mail stream by said expiration date.