CA2133363A1 - Postage meter system having bit-mapped indicia including fraud protection - Google Patents
Postage meter system having bit-mapped indicia including fraud protectionInfo
- Publication number
- CA2133363A1 CA2133363A1 CA 2133363 CA2133363A CA2133363A1 CA 2133363 A1 CA2133363 A1 CA 2133363A1 CA 2133363 CA2133363 CA 2133363 CA 2133363 A CA2133363 A CA 2133363A CA 2133363 A1 CA2133363 A1 CA 2133363A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- bit
- mailpieces
- printing
- indicia
- mapped
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- 238000012795 verification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000001934 delay Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003550 marker Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
- G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
- G07B17/00459—Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system
- G07B17/00508—Printing or attaching on mailpieces
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
- G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
- G07B17/00459—Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system
- G07B17/00508—Printing or attaching on mailpieces
- G07B2017/00572—Details of printed item
- G07B2017/00604—Printing of advert or logo
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
- G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
- G07B17/00459—Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system
- G07B17/00508—Printing or attaching on mailpieces
- G07B2017/00637—Special printing techniques, e.g. interlacing
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Devices For Checking Fares Or Tickets At Control Points (AREA)
- Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
Abstract
POSTAGE METER SYSTEM HAVING BIT-MAPPED
INDICIA INCLUDING FRAUD PROTECTION
Abstract of the Disclosure The method for verifying mailpieces comprises the creation of predetermined bit-mapped indicias which are printed on a mailpiece and are changed in accordance with a predetermined pattern on each successive printing. The pattern will allow an animated sequence to occur as the mailpieces of a batch are flipped through. The animated sequence may be associated with a particular mailer. The animation during the flipping will allow postal officials to swiftly check to assure against some modes of fraudulent copying of postal indicias.
INDICIA INCLUDING FRAUD PROTECTION
Abstract of the Disclosure The method for verifying mailpieces comprises the creation of predetermined bit-mapped indicias which are printed on a mailpiece and are changed in accordance with a predetermined pattern on each successive printing. The pattern will allow an animated sequence to occur as the mailpieces of a batch are flipped through. The animated sequence may be associated with a particular mailer. The animation during the flipping will allow postal officials to swiftly check to assure against some modes of fraudulent copying of postal indicias.
Description
~ t333~3 3~-1 13 POSTAGE METER SYSTEM HAVING BIT-MAPPED
INDICIA, INCLUDING FRAUD PROTECTION
FIEI~D O~THEINYI~NTIO~I
The invention relates to postage metering systems and more S panicular1y to postage metering systems which include bit-mapped printing of the meter indiciias.
BACKGROUND QF THE lNVENTlON
Digital printing technology has made it possible to implement digital, i.e., bit map addressable, printing for the purpose of evidencing payment of postage by a postage-meter-Iike device. In order to distinguish such postage-meter-like devices from the typical postage meter which uses mechanical printing techniques, such devices will be named herein Postage E~,idencing Devices or PED's. The computer driven printer can print the postal indicia in a desired location on the face of a mail piece. As used herein the postal indicia includes a Postal Revenue Block or PRB. The PRB typically contains data such as the postage value, a unique PED identification number, the date and in some applications the name of the place where the mail is originating.
From the Post Office's point of view, it will be appreciated that the digital printing makes it fairly easy to counterfeit an ~ -indicia with the PRB since any suitable computer may be used to generate multiple images.
It is Icnown to prevent such counterfeiting by including certain information in the block in both plain text and cipher text.
For example the postage amount, date and sequen~ial piece count can be encrypted using either a secret or public key encryption ; algorithm and printed along with the plain text counterpart in the PRB. The value of the franking used in the encryption can be 3 0 determined from the encryption to learn whether the value as printed on the mailpiece is correct. See, for example, U.S. Patent ~ ~;
Nos. 4,757,537 and 4,775,246 to Edelmann et al. as well as U.S. ~ ~
.
.
hl33363 Patent No. 4,649,266 to Eckert. It is also known to authenticate a mailpiece by including the address as a further part of the encryption as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,725,718 to Sansone et al. and U.S. Paten~ No. 4,743,747 to Fougere et al. The encrypted S messages may be included in graphic form as disclosed in U.S.
Patent Nos. 4,83S,713 and 4,949,381 to Pastor.
U.S. Patent No. 5,075,862 to Doeberl et al. discloses a metering system which includes changes in the indicia based on time of day of the printing. The Postal Authorities can riffle 1 0 through a batch of mail to determine whether the ~ime is changing appropriately during the printing of a batch of mail. Tell locations may also be included such that the presence or absence of a marker at a particular location will authenticate the mailpiece.
U.S. Patent Nos. 4,637,051, to Clark; 4,641,346 to Clark et al.;
1 5 4,829,568 to Clark et al.; and 4,660,221 to Dlugos teach the printing of indicia in human readable format wherein the dots forming, the indicia are displaced in accordance with an a coded message which may be read with an overlay~ The coded message ~`
may also be printed in barcode.
U.S. Patent No. 5,186,498 to Dietrich discloses the forming of a characteristic identification pattern to be printed which includes an encrypted number representative of the machine and the fee amount and date of printing.
To authenticate a mailpiece using the foregoing encryption 2 S techniques, the verifying Authority must again generate the encryption from the plain text using the identical key used by the purported mailer. If the printed cipher text matches that generated by the verifying authority or if the graphical pattern matches an overlay, the mailpiece is verified. If there is no match 3 0 then appropriate action may be initiated.
When large numbers of mailpieces must be verified, it is apparent that significant delays may be encountered in trying to monitor such batches of mail.
''i . .
~ F ,, , . ~
'."": ' : " . ' ~
~ ~33~3 S11MMARY OF THE INYI~TION
I~ has been found that a swift veri~lcation of a batch of mail produced by a particular mailer to guard against some fraudulent practices can be provided without delaying the mail stream by S utilizing a novel method and apparatus for implementing the printing of "changes" in the indicia such that sequentially franked indicias are artistically different from each other in a pattern which is readily detectable by Postal Authorities.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a novel -method for verification of the printing of a Postal Revenue Block on a mailpiece and apparatus for producing such verifiable Revenue Blocks which will interfere only minimally, if at all, with the mail processing stream.
These and other objects of the invention are realized in a method for verifying mailpieces comprising the steps of creating a predetermined bit-mapped first indicia image, printing the first indicia image on a mailpiece, changing thç bi~-mapped first indicia imagc in a predetermined manner after the printing thereof, and thereafter sequentially printing and changing successive indicias 2 0 on respective successive mailpieces franked by the system in accordance with a predetermined pattern of changes.
.
~[I;F DESCRIPT~ON OF THE DRAWlNG
!
3 Fig. 1. is a schematic view of a system which may be used in accordance with the invention.
2 5 Figs. 2a, 2b and 2c illustrate ~ypical successive indicias which may be printed by a postage evidencing device (PED) operated in accordance with the invention.
` Fig. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of the printing of sequential bit-maps for verification in accordance with the 3 0 invention.
.i .~
`:
2~3'~53 DESClRllPTIO~HE ~B;EFERREI) l~l~lBODI~NT
In Fig. 1, there is shown generally at 10 a system in accordance with the invention. Mailpieces 12, 14, and 16, which are representative of those to be sequentially printed during a 5 batch run by a particular mailer are shown being fed to printer 18 for printing of a postal indicia by the printer which is suitably connected to computer 20 in known manner as described for example in U.S. Patent No. 4,757,537 to E~delmann e~ al or U.S.
Patent No. 4,831,555 to Sansone et al, specifically incorporated by 10 reference herein.
Fig. 2a shows a first bit-mapped print 50 on a mailpiece 52 illustrative of a predetermined indicia for a particular machine assigned to a given mailer. As seen in Fig. 2b, the indicia print 54 on mailpiece 56 has been changed only slightly so as to be 15 artistically different from the previously prin~ed indicia 50. Fig.
2c shows indicia 58 on the next mailpiece in the printing sequence shown at 60. It in turn has been modified slightly from both the previously illustrated indicias. It will be appreciated that the variations in successive printed indicias may form a pattern such 2 0 that when a se~uentially printed batch of the mailpieces are rimed, an animated sequence occurs. It will be understood that the visibly anirnated pattern created by riffling through the batch may form such noticeable changes as, for example, an eagle of the indicia flapping its wings, or it may be made more subtle in order 2 5 to be harder for the attempted fraudulent prin~er to find. It will also be apprec;ated that a particular predetermined pattern may be associated with a corresponding mailer or group of mailers.
Fig. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of the postage metering device in accordance with the invention. The data for the bit map 30 may be chosen to be the image of a standard indicia or one ~, associated with a particular user. In any event the chosen bit map data is stored, block 100, in memory of computer 20 for printing in conventional manner when commanded in association with the j known postage meter accounting routines described for example 3 5 in the previously cited U.S. Patents incorporated by reference.
~ ?~`i .'~ ' ' : ; ` : ~
~133363 The image is printed, block 102, and the image is changed, bloclc 104, in accordance with a predetermined change program. The program checks to determine if any more mailpieces are to be franked, decision block 106, and if there are the program loops 5 back to printing block 102 in order to assure that the next printed indicia in the sequence will be different in some way from the indicia just printed previously. If there are no more mailpieces in `
the particular batch, the prograsn returns to its idling sequence, not further described herein.
It will be appreciated that entirely new bit map data may be selected from a library of bit maps to form the new image.
Alternatively the change may be to selected portions of the image via a library or via an algorithm for changing the bit map. The program and/or bit map library is preferably selected to provide a pattern that will produce an easily-viewed animated sequence for the selected changes of the indicia. That is, the animated pattern will become apparent simply by flipping through a batch of mailpieces where the indicia changes may be as apparent as the flapping of the wings of the typical eagle of the indicia or the . 2 0 changing of the number of stars or the like in accordance with the predetermined pattern. It will be understood that in the event the mailpieces are not in proper order a random pattern of ~ changes will result which will in itself provide an indication that 1, simple copies have not been made.
~, 25 It will be apparent that the use of such a pattern will allow the postal authorities to make a swift visual check to preclude the fraudulent use of a simple copy of the postal indicia for franking a quantity of mailpieces by a user and to identify a particular device.
I
.~
.
.
,~ ~
INDICIA, INCLUDING FRAUD PROTECTION
FIEI~D O~THEINYI~NTIO~I
The invention relates to postage metering systems and more S panicular1y to postage metering systems which include bit-mapped printing of the meter indiciias.
BACKGROUND QF THE lNVENTlON
Digital printing technology has made it possible to implement digital, i.e., bit map addressable, printing for the purpose of evidencing payment of postage by a postage-meter-Iike device. In order to distinguish such postage-meter-like devices from the typical postage meter which uses mechanical printing techniques, such devices will be named herein Postage E~,idencing Devices or PED's. The computer driven printer can print the postal indicia in a desired location on the face of a mail piece. As used herein the postal indicia includes a Postal Revenue Block or PRB. The PRB typically contains data such as the postage value, a unique PED identification number, the date and in some applications the name of the place where the mail is originating.
From the Post Office's point of view, it will be appreciated that the digital printing makes it fairly easy to counterfeit an ~ -indicia with the PRB since any suitable computer may be used to generate multiple images.
It is Icnown to prevent such counterfeiting by including certain information in the block in both plain text and cipher text.
For example the postage amount, date and sequen~ial piece count can be encrypted using either a secret or public key encryption ; algorithm and printed along with the plain text counterpart in the PRB. The value of the franking used in the encryption can be 3 0 determined from the encryption to learn whether the value as printed on the mailpiece is correct. See, for example, U.S. Patent ~ ~;
Nos. 4,757,537 and 4,775,246 to Edelmann et al. as well as U.S. ~ ~
.
.
hl33363 Patent No. 4,649,266 to Eckert. It is also known to authenticate a mailpiece by including the address as a further part of the encryption as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,725,718 to Sansone et al. and U.S. Paten~ No. 4,743,747 to Fougere et al. The encrypted S messages may be included in graphic form as disclosed in U.S.
Patent Nos. 4,83S,713 and 4,949,381 to Pastor.
U.S. Patent No. 5,075,862 to Doeberl et al. discloses a metering system which includes changes in the indicia based on time of day of the printing. The Postal Authorities can riffle 1 0 through a batch of mail to determine whether the ~ime is changing appropriately during the printing of a batch of mail. Tell locations may also be included such that the presence or absence of a marker at a particular location will authenticate the mailpiece.
U.S. Patent Nos. 4,637,051, to Clark; 4,641,346 to Clark et al.;
1 5 4,829,568 to Clark et al.; and 4,660,221 to Dlugos teach the printing of indicia in human readable format wherein the dots forming, the indicia are displaced in accordance with an a coded message which may be read with an overlay~ The coded message ~`
may also be printed in barcode.
U.S. Patent No. 5,186,498 to Dietrich discloses the forming of a characteristic identification pattern to be printed which includes an encrypted number representative of the machine and the fee amount and date of printing.
To authenticate a mailpiece using the foregoing encryption 2 S techniques, the verifying Authority must again generate the encryption from the plain text using the identical key used by the purported mailer. If the printed cipher text matches that generated by the verifying authority or if the graphical pattern matches an overlay, the mailpiece is verified. If there is no match 3 0 then appropriate action may be initiated.
When large numbers of mailpieces must be verified, it is apparent that significant delays may be encountered in trying to monitor such batches of mail.
''i . .
~ F ,, , . ~
'."": ' : " . ' ~
~ ~33~3 S11MMARY OF THE INYI~TION
I~ has been found that a swift veri~lcation of a batch of mail produced by a particular mailer to guard against some fraudulent practices can be provided without delaying the mail stream by S utilizing a novel method and apparatus for implementing the printing of "changes" in the indicia such that sequentially franked indicias are artistically different from each other in a pattern which is readily detectable by Postal Authorities.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a novel -method for verification of the printing of a Postal Revenue Block on a mailpiece and apparatus for producing such verifiable Revenue Blocks which will interfere only minimally, if at all, with the mail processing stream.
These and other objects of the invention are realized in a method for verifying mailpieces comprising the steps of creating a predetermined bit-mapped first indicia image, printing the first indicia image on a mailpiece, changing thç bi~-mapped first indicia imagc in a predetermined manner after the printing thereof, and thereafter sequentially printing and changing successive indicias 2 0 on respective successive mailpieces franked by the system in accordance with a predetermined pattern of changes.
.
~[I;F DESCRIPT~ON OF THE DRAWlNG
!
3 Fig. 1. is a schematic view of a system which may be used in accordance with the invention.
2 5 Figs. 2a, 2b and 2c illustrate ~ypical successive indicias which may be printed by a postage evidencing device (PED) operated in accordance with the invention.
` Fig. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of the printing of sequential bit-maps for verification in accordance with the 3 0 invention.
.i .~
`:
2~3'~53 DESClRllPTIO~HE ~B;EFERREI) l~l~lBODI~NT
In Fig. 1, there is shown generally at 10 a system in accordance with the invention. Mailpieces 12, 14, and 16, which are representative of those to be sequentially printed during a 5 batch run by a particular mailer are shown being fed to printer 18 for printing of a postal indicia by the printer which is suitably connected to computer 20 in known manner as described for example in U.S. Patent No. 4,757,537 to E~delmann e~ al or U.S.
Patent No. 4,831,555 to Sansone et al, specifically incorporated by 10 reference herein.
Fig. 2a shows a first bit-mapped print 50 on a mailpiece 52 illustrative of a predetermined indicia for a particular machine assigned to a given mailer. As seen in Fig. 2b, the indicia print 54 on mailpiece 56 has been changed only slightly so as to be 15 artistically different from the previously prin~ed indicia 50. Fig.
2c shows indicia 58 on the next mailpiece in the printing sequence shown at 60. It in turn has been modified slightly from both the previously illustrated indicias. It will be appreciated that the variations in successive printed indicias may form a pattern such 2 0 that when a se~uentially printed batch of the mailpieces are rimed, an animated sequence occurs. It will be understood that the visibly anirnated pattern created by riffling through the batch may form such noticeable changes as, for example, an eagle of the indicia flapping its wings, or it may be made more subtle in order 2 5 to be harder for the attempted fraudulent prin~er to find. It will also be apprec;ated that a particular predetermined pattern may be associated with a corresponding mailer or group of mailers.
Fig. 3 is a flow chart of the operation of the postage metering device in accordance with the invention. The data for the bit map 30 may be chosen to be the image of a standard indicia or one ~, associated with a particular user. In any event the chosen bit map data is stored, block 100, in memory of computer 20 for printing in conventional manner when commanded in association with the j known postage meter accounting routines described for example 3 5 in the previously cited U.S. Patents incorporated by reference.
~ ?~`i .'~ ' ' : ; ` : ~
~133363 The image is printed, block 102, and the image is changed, bloclc 104, in accordance with a predetermined change program. The program checks to determine if any more mailpieces are to be franked, decision block 106, and if there are the program loops 5 back to printing block 102 in order to assure that the next printed indicia in the sequence will be different in some way from the indicia just printed previously. If there are no more mailpieces in `
the particular batch, the prograsn returns to its idling sequence, not further described herein.
It will be appreciated that entirely new bit map data may be selected from a library of bit maps to form the new image.
Alternatively the change may be to selected portions of the image via a library or via an algorithm for changing the bit map. The program and/or bit map library is preferably selected to provide a pattern that will produce an easily-viewed animated sequence for the selected changes of the indicia. That is, the animated pattern will become apparent simply by flipping through a batch of mailpieces where the indicia changes may be as apparent as the flapping of the wings of the typical eagle of the indicia or the . 2 0 changing of the number of stars or the like in accordance with the predetermined pattern. It will be understood that in the event the mailpieces are not in proper order a random pattern of ~ changes will result which will in itself provide an indication that 1, simple copies have not been made.
~, 25 It will be apparent that the use of such a pattern will allow the postal authorities to make a swift visual check to preclude the fraudulent use of a simple copy of the postal indicia for franking a quantity of mailpieces by a user and to identify a particular device.
I
.~
.
.
,~ ~
Claims (6)
1. A method for verifying mailpieces comprising the steps of creating a predetermined bit-mapped first indicia image, printing the first indicia image on a mailpiece, changing the bit-mapped first indicia image in a predetermined manner after the printing thereof, and thereafter sequentially printing and changing successive indicias on respective successive mailpieces franked by the system in accordance with a predetermined pattern.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating the indicia image utilizes a bit map library and the changes are made by selecting new images from the library.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating the mailpiece image utilizes an algorithm for providing changes in the indicia.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the tells are changed in a predetermined manner to produce a pattern such that a sequence of mailpieces in a batch will produce animation whenever the batch is flipped through.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein each one of a plurality of predetermined patterns is associated with a respective selected user of a plurality of users.
6. A method for verifying authenticity of a batch of mailpieces produced by a user comprising the steps of creating for the user a predetermined bit-mapped first indicia image, printing the first indicia image on a mailpiece, changing the bit-mapped first indicia image in a predetermined manner after the printing thereof in accordance with a pattern provided to the user, and thereafter sequentially printing and changing successive indicias on respective successive mailpieces franked by the user in accordance with the predetermined pattern, and thereafter, upon receipt at a postal facility, rapidly flipping through the batch of mailpieces in the sequentially printed order to assure that the corresponding pattern has been reproduced in the batch received from the user.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US13342093A | 1993-10-08 | 1993-10-08 | |
| US08/133,420 | 1993-10-08 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2133363A1 true CA2133363A1 (en) | 1995-04-09 |
Family
ID=22458548
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2133363 Abandoned CA2133363A1 (en) | 1993-10-08 | 1994-09-30 | Postage meter system having bit-mapped indicia including fraud protection |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0647923A3 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2133363A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5819240A (en) * | 1995-10-11 | 1998-10-06 | E-Stamp Corporation | System and method for generating personalized postage indica |
| GB2321620A (en) * | 1997-01-29 | 1998-08-05 | Neopost Ltd | Method and apparatus for printing and prevention of copying of postage indicia |
| EP1927407A1 (en) * | 2006-11-28 | 2008-06-04 | Intelmail Explorenet Pty Ltd. | Object verification method and system |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4660221A (en) * | 1983-07-18 | 1987-04-21 | Pitney Bowes Inc. | System for printing encrypted messages with bar-code representation |
| US4835713A (en) * | 1985-08-06 | 1989-05-30 | Pitney Bowes Inc. | Postage meter with coded graphic information in the indicia |
| US4949381A (en) * | 1988-09-19 | 1990-08-14 | Pitney Bowes Inc. | Electronic indicia in bit-mapped form |
| US5075862A (en) * | 1989-12-26 | 1991-12-24 | Pitney Bowes Inc. | System for printing value indicia with diagrammatic data representation |
| DE4221270A1 (en) * | 1992-06-26 | 1994-01-05 | Francotyp Postalia Gmbh | Arrangement and method for changing the cliché text part for franking machines |
-
1994
- 1994-09-30 CA CA 2133363 patent/CA2133363A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1994-10-07 EP EP94115885A patent/EP0647923A3/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0647923A2 (en) | 1995-04-12 |
| EP0647923A3 (en) | 1995-10-11 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |