Abstract: Systems and methods which invoke multiple shipment legs to provide an international shipment architecture adapted for efficient and reliable international shipping of items and facilitating configuration of aspects of one or more of the multiple shipment legs for particular shipments, shippers, recipients, origination countries, and/or destination countries are described. According to embodiments, an item is transported from a shipper to an international processing provider or other origination country egress processing point in an ingestion leg of an international shipment. The item is provided international processing and international border passage by the international processing provider in a bridge leg of the international shipment. In delivery leg of the international shipment, the item is transported from the international processing provider or other ingress processing point in the destination country to the recipient.

Abstract: Systems and methods which provide for intelligent and/or optimized use of shipping services through facilitating consolidation of shipped items with respect to one or more leg of shipments are described. Embodiments provide a shipping consolidation management system operable to analyze various shipping parameters and identify situations in which consolidation of shipped items with respect to one or more legs of a shipment may be desired. Shipping consolidation management systems may provide operation to identify situations appropriate for forming consolidated shipments associated with a single shipper and/or a plurality of shippers. A shipping consolidation management system of embodiments operates to print consolidated shipment documentation for use with respect to the consolidated shipment.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a web-based postage transaction may be facilitated. In some embodiments, an applet embedded on a web page may be provided to a client computer in response to the client computer accessing the web page. A request related to a postage transaction may be received from the client computer. In response to the request, a validation check may be performed by providing a validation token to the embedded applet at the client computer to be validated by the embedded applet. Based on a determination by the embedded applet at the client computer that the validation token is valid, the embedded applet at the client computer is configured to execute at least a part of the request.

Abstract: In certain embodiments, transaction data retrieval from a postage vendor system database may be facilitated (e.g., via label generation with multiple barcode representations of a portion of a postage tracking identifier, where the tracking identifier is generated based on a carrier-specific tracking identifier unique within a carrier system with respect to accounts recognized by the carrier system). In some embodiments, the tracking identifier may be generated such that (i) the tracking identifier comprises the carrier-specific tracking identifier and (ii) enables a mail piece associated with a postage transaction to be tracked within the carrier system, and the tracking identifier portion is allocated to the postage transaction in one or more databases of the vendor system. An indicium identifier may be generated to comprise the tracking identifier portion, thereby enabling the vendor system to identify the postage transaction using one of the two identifiers without the other one of the identifiers.

Abstract: Systems and methods which provide for intelligent and/or optimized use of shipping services through facilitating consolidation of shipped items with respect to one or more leg of shipments are described. Embodiments provide a shipping consolidation management system operable to analyze various shipping parameters and identify situations in which consolidation of shipped items with respect to one or more legs of a shipment may be desired. Shipping consolidation management systems may provide operation to identify situations appropriate for forming consolidated shipments associated with a single shipper and/or a plurality of shippers. A shipping consolidation management system of embodiments operates to print consolidated shipment documentation for use with respect to the consolidated shipment.

Abstract: In certain embodiments, threshold-based automated rearrangement of object representations on a graphical user interface (GUI) may be facilitated. In some embodiments, a user selection to organize objects based on one or more specific criteria may be received, where the specific criteria is a rearrangement threshold corresponding to a maximum number of rearrangement operations to be performed with respect to a set of objects. Placement of the objects may be determined based on the rearrangement threshold such that one or more objects are rearranged in a component to attempt to create an available region within which a given next object fits in the component without exceeding the rearrangement threshold. The object representations of the objects may be automatically moved to regions of a component representation of the component on the GUI based on the determined placement of the objects.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting postage fraud using an indexed lookup procedure is provided. The method includes generating, at a postage-issuing computer system, a unique postage indicium associated with a unique tracking number allocated to a postage transaction. The unique tracking number provides a mail piece tracking capability within the United States Postal Service (USPS). The method further includes indexing the postage transaction with the unique tracking number; and receiving, at the postage-issuing computer system, a request to validate a printed postage indicium carried on a mail piece received at the USPS. The request includes a tracking number identified from information further carried on the mail piece. The method also includes returning, to the USPS and in response to the request, a determination indicating whether the tracking number in the request matches any records stored in a transaction database.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to online postage services and systems that have an online connection, and more particularly to systems and methods for enabling a shipping label service to be integrated with a third party application or website. One preferred embodiment includes a computer program product having a computer-usable medium with a sequence of instructions, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute a process that provides an online postage and shipping label service. The computer program product is configured to be integrated into a third party application, and the process includes the steps of enabling a user of the third party application to purchase postage, and enabling a user to generate one or more images of one or more shipping labels via the third party application.

Abstract: The system and method described herein may securely disseminate and manage postal rate information, including discount or custom postal rates established in contractual agreements negotiated between a postal service and certain mailers, among other postal rate types. For example, the postal service may upload postal rates to a server associated with a postage vendor and optionally associate the postal rates with particular mailers. The postal service and/or postage vendor may then validate whether the postal rates were correctly uploaded, and the postage vendor may then enable applicable mailers to utilize the postal rates in response to validating that the postal rates were correctly uploaded. Additionally, the postage vendor may maintain records relating to postage transactions, which a mailer can use to support a request to negotiate the custom postal rates with the postal service and subsequently prove compliance with any terms and conditions associated therewith.

Abstract: The systems and methods described herein relate generally to the integration of a shipping label with a customs form to provide a single label having postage, addressing, customs and other information for international shipping. In one embodiment, a method for generating an international shipping a package comprises the steps of providing shipping information associated with the package, the information comprising address information of the origin, address information of the destination, postage information including a postage amount due to a post service and a customs form number unique within the post service; processing a shipping label having the shipping information displayed thereon; and affixing the shipping label to the package.

Abstract: A method and system of providing postage indicia to a user. The method includes receiving an account number of the user at a computer server associated with a postage provider and receiving a request to print one or more postage indicia from the user at the computer server. The method further includes selectively prompting the user to enter an activation code associated with a plurality of postage labels by the computer server, wherein the prompting is waived if a predetermined parameter is satisfied; and sending, by the computer server, an authorization to print one or more postage indicia on at least one of the plurality of postage labels to the user if the activation code is valid.

Abstract: A method and system for using a tracking ID to facilitate the refunding of unused postage is provided. Information for a postage transaction, along with the tracking ID and an associated delivery status, is stored. This delivery status is updated when the mail piece carrying the tracking ID is delivered. Unused postage can be confirmed by retrieving the stored postage transaction information and determining from that whether there are duplicative postage transactions. The delivery statuses for the duplicative postage transactions can then be reviewed to determine whether the mail pieces associated with these postage transactions have been delivered. If not, one of the postage transactions may be refunded.

Abstract: The system and method described herein may securely disseminate and manage postal rate information, including discount or custom postal rates established in contractual agreements negotiated between a postal service and certain mailers, among other postal rate types. For example, the postal service may upload postal rates to a server associated with a postage vendor and optionally associate the postal rates with particular mailers. The postal service and/or postage vendor may then validate whether the postal rates were correctly uploaded, and the postage vendor may then enable applicable mailers to utilize the postal rates in response to validating that the postal rates were correctly uploaded. Additionally, the postage vendor may maintain records relating to postage transactions, which a mailer can use to support a request to negotiate the custom postal rates with the postal service and subsequently prove compliance with any terms and conditions associated therewith.

Abstract: The systems and methods described herein relate generally to the integration of a shipping label with a customs form to provide a single label having postage, addressing, customs and other information for international shipping. In one embodiment, a method for generating an international shipping a package comprises the steps of providing shipping information associated with the package, the information comprising address information of the origin, address information of the destination, postage information including a postage amount due to a post service and a customs form number unique within the post service; processing a shipping label having the shipping information displayed thereon; and affixing the shipping label to the package.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for securing data. The method includes generating a first public encryption key by a cryptographic processor associated with a first computer subsystem; sending the first public encryption key to a second computer subsystem; and receiving first encrypted data at the first computer subsystem, the first encrypted data having been encrypted by the second computer subsystem using the first public encryption key. The method further includes generating a first private encryption key by the cryptographic processor; decrypting the first encrypted data using the first private encryption key generated by the cryptographic processor to obtain a first decrypted data; and storing the first decrypted data in a memory associated with the cryptographic processor.

Abstract: A system and method for creating an intelligent mail barcode artwork. The method includes inputting parameters including inputting a delivery point ZIP code; verifying the input parameters are within specified ranges; computing an intelligent mail barcode using the input parameters; and generating the intelligent mail barcode, the intelligent mail barcode containing and ascender bar, a descender bar, a tracker bar and a full bar.

Abstract: The systems and methods described herein relate generally to the electronic recordation of the transfer of a package from a shipper to a responsible postal carrier. In one embodiment, a method of recording the acceptance of a package from a package shipper shipped via a post service includes the steps of: generating a unique header number to preface a record of package transactions made over a time period for a specific shipper, the header number being unique within the post service, wherein each package transaction is made with a centralized computer system and has an associated delivery confirmation number unique within the post service; transmitting the unique header number and transaction record to the post service; generating a scannable indicia representative of the unique header number; and scanning the indicia to confirm acceptance of the package by the post service, wherein the indicia is scanned by a post service representative.

Abstract: A system and method of processing a mailing label through a postal service that requires an account that can be charged for generating the mailing label are described. The method includes charging or deducting a fictitiously fundable or chargeable account to enable generation of a mailing label for a mail piece. The mailing label includes a tracking indicium associated with the fictitiously fundable or chargeable account. The method further includes receiving the tracking indicium scanned from the mailing label on the mail piece when the mail piece is inducted in the mail stream or during transit of the mail piece in the mail stream, and charging or deducting funds from an actually fundable or chargeable account based upon the received scanned tracking indicium.

Abstract: A method and system for using an indexing identifier (such as, e.g., a tracking identifier or the combination of a postage vendor ID, user account, and piece count) to decrease the size of the postage indicium transmitted to an end user computer, or eliminate transmission of the postage indicium altogether, is provided. When the postage indicium for the end user computer is generated, it is stored, and the indexing identifier, rather than the postage indicium, is transmitted to the end user computer. The indexing identifier is applied to a mail piece, which is then scanned by the postal authority. The postal authority can obtain the stored postage indicium by reference to the indexing identifier. In this manner, the postal authority has access to the postage indicium without having to apply it to the mail piece. The indexing identifiers can optionally be used to index sender identification information for verifying that the sender of a mail piece is a trusted individual or entity.

Abstract: The systems and methods described herein relate generally to the integration of a shipping label with a customs form to provide a single label having postage, addressing, customs and other information for international shipping. In one embodiment, a method for generating an international shipping a package comprises the steps of providing shipping information associated with the package, the information comprising address information of the origin, address information of the destination, postage information including a postage amount due to a post service and a customs form number unique within the post service; processing a shipping label having the shipping information displayed thereon; and affixing the shipping label to the package.