Abstract: A system for dispensing funds. The system includes a non-dedicated printer adapted to print indicia of a monetary value, and a postal security device coupled to the franking machine. The postal security device includes an accounting register indicative of a value of monetary funds stored in the postal security device. The system also includes a money transfer system coupled to the franking machine and adapted to allow a user to transfer funds from the postal security device to the money transfer system and vice versa.

Abstract: Postage values are determined for a plurality of documents stored in a document file. Value-bearing indicia are generated based upon the determined values. The indicia are stored separately from the documents. The documents and the indicia are printed on the same mailpiece.

Abstract: In e-commerce, customers conduct transactions with merchant servers on the Internet, which are associated with different merchants. A financial data center is established to handle the finance attendant to the online transactions, in accordance with an inventive financial service. Each merchant participating in the inventive financial service maintains a merchant account in the financial data center. Similarly, each customer subscribing to the inventive financial service maintains a user account in the financial data center. In conducting an online transaction, after a customer makes a purchase from a merchant server, the merchant server communicates purchase information to the financial data center. In response, the financial data center identifies the corresponding user and merchant accounts. Upon receiving an affirmation of the purchase from the customer, the financial data center transfers the purchase amount from the user account to the merchant account to complete the online transaction.

Abstract: A system for dispensing funds. The system includes a non-dedicated printer adapted to print indicia of a monetary value, and a postal security device coupled to the franking machine. The postal security device includes an accounting register indicative of a value of monetary funds stored in the postal security device. The system also includes a money transfer system coupled to the franking machine and adapted to allow a user to transfer funds from the postal security device to the money transfer system and vice versa.

Abstract: A system for operating at least one secure cryptographic vault device. In one embodiment, the system comprises a vault manager for communicating with the secure cryptographic vault device. The vault manager is adapted to be implemented on a computerized system and adapted to integrated with an application program for transmission of data from the application program to the secure cryptographic vault device and transmission of an indicia from the cryptographic vault device to the application program. The at least one secure cryptographic vault device receives data and generates the indicia based on the received data and additional data previously stored in the cryptographic vault device.

Abstract: In e-commerce, customers conduct transactions with merchant servers on the Internet, which are associated with different merchants. A financial data center is established to handle the finance attendant to the online transactions, in accordance with an inventive financial service. Each merchant participating in the inventive financial service maintains a merchant account in the financial data center. Similarly, each customer subscribing to the inventive financial service maintains a user account in the financial data center. In conducting an online transaction, after a customer makes a purchase from a merchant server, the merchant server communicates purchase information to the financial data center. In response, the financial data center identifies the corresponding user and merchant accounts. Upon receiving an affirmation of the purchase from the customer, the financial data center transfers the purchase amount from the user account to the merchant account to complete the online transaction.

Abstract: A method of increasing the capacity of an existing landfill to enable the disposal of additional material therein includes excavating a given volume of material disposed in the existing landfill, comminuting the excavated material sufficiently to permit its close packed disposal in a volume less than the given volume, and placing the excavated, comminuted material back within the landfill.

Abstract: A system is shown and described wherein a portable printer is used to produce tags for attachment to mail trays. The printer is uploaded with plans that are the same as sort plans stored in the memory of a sorting machine with which the printer is to be used. The same sort plan that is selected for operation of the sorting machine will be input into the printer so that tags can be printed and attached to mail trays on an as needed basis. These tags can be colored coded so that the targeted day of delivery of the mail can be indicated. Act tags can be printed by scanning the mail tray tags.

Abstract: A method of increasing the capacity of an existing landfill to enable the disposal of additional material therein includes excavating material disposed in the existing landfill, separating from the excavated material one or more components thereof, comminuting the components of the excavated material which are not removed by the previous step, and placing the comminuted material back into the landfill.