Patent ID: 7765168
Filing Date: 2010-07-27
Classification: G06Q,G07B

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling the distribution of expiring free postage value in a PC postage system, which free postage value is provided free of charge by a third party to a user and will expire after a time period has elapsed if such free postage is not used up by the user, as opposed to postage value owned by the user which will not expire after a period of time has elapsed, the method comprising the steps of: the third party, providing by a computer server, expiring free postage value in a first portion and a second portion and the computer server transferring the first portion of said expiring free postage value provided by the third party to a user's postage meter where it is available for use by the user; storing, in the third party computer server, the second portion of said expiring free postage value in a free postage account for the user, which second portion of said expiring free postage value remains unavailable for use by the user unless and until part of or all of the second portion is transferred by the computer server to the user's postage meter during a time period set by the third party; transferring part of or all of the second portion, by the computer server, to the user's postage meter during the time period set by the third party; determining, by the computer server, that the time period set by the third party has elapsed; and indicating to the computer server that the untransferred balance of said second portion of said expiring free postage value held for the user in the third party computer server is no longer useable.