Postal stamp and method of vertying the validity thereof

(19)

(11)

EP 1 035 515 A3

(12)	EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88)	Date of publication A3:
	20.12.2000 Bulletin 2000/51

(43)	Date of publication A2:
	13.09.2000 Bulletin 2000/37

(21)	Application number: 00104519.4

(22)	Date of filing: 10.03.2000

(51)	International Patent Classification (IPC)⁷: G07B 17/00

(84)	Designated Contracting States:
	AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE
	Designated Extension States:
	AL LT LV MK RO SI

(30)

Priority:

11.03.1999 US 266304

(71)	Applicant: PITNEY BOWES INC.
	Stamford, Connecticut 06926-0700 (US)

(72)	Inventors:
	Sasone, Ronald P. Weston, CT 06883 (US) Auslander, Judith A. Westport, CT 06880 (US)

(74)	Representative: HOFFMANN - EITLE
	Patent- und Rechtsanwälte Arabellastrasse 4 81925 München 81925 München (DE)

(54)	Postal stamp and method of vertying the validity thereof

(57) A method of verifying the validity of a postal stamp to determine whether the stamp is produced legitimately and whether it has been canceled in a previous use. The method includes the steps of producing a special code on the stamp of interest and creating a record relating to the special code in a database. When the mailpiece collected by a post office has a stamp bearing a special code, the special code is reported to the database for verification. If the records in the database indicate that the reported special code does exist, then the stamp is considered legitimate. The mailpiece is accepted and the stamp is canceled before delivery, and a request is sent to the database to effect the alteration of the record relating to the "canceled" special code. An altered record will no longer provide a proof of validity if the database is later consulted with respect to the specific special code.

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