Abstract:
A method and article for increasing the opening/reading rate of mail and thus adding value to advertising by mail. A coupon value is embedded within a machine readable code of an information based indicia used as postage evidence on each piece of a mailing. The amount of the coupon and type of coupon can be determined by the customer creating the mailing. The information based indicia is digitally signed prior to printing, allowing a redeeming vendor to verify the authenticity of a coupon, preventing fraud and changing of data within the information based indicia. In addition, the customer originating the mailing may obtain marketing information such as mailing date, type of products purchased, after the coupon is redeemed.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/256,977, entitled “Information Based Indicia Discount Coupon,” which was filed on Dec. 21, 2000, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to adding value to mail pieces such as envelopes and postcards containing or bearing advertising material or retail information sent to retail customers. This invention particularly relates to embedding discount coupon values within evidence of U.S. postage. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Presently, many advertisers mail coupons or marketing materials contained within an envelope. Many recipients of these envelopes throw them away without ever opening the envelopes. Other retailers utilize postcards as coupons. However, even if a recipient does not throw away the postcard and instead redeems it, the issuer of the coupon has no way of tracking which recipient redeemed the coupon, how long after the coupon was mailed it was redeemed, or whether the coupon is genuine or counterfeit. 
     Thus, there is a need to provide a way for retailers to add value to envelopes to encourage recipients to open and/or keep the envelopes. In addition, there is a need to provide the retailers with a way to obtain information about the recipients who redeem the mailings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Advantages associated with certain aspects of the invention include adding value to envelopes and postcards for customers buying and printing postage, preferably in bulk. The present invention may also increase the opening/read rate of advertisements sent by mail (sometimes referred to by the public as “junk mail”), which adds value to advertising by mail. Additionally, another advantage of certain aspects of the invention is to allow the customers of U.S. Postal Service to obtain information about the use of advertising mailings by the recipients of such mailings. 
     To achieve the advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a method of providing a coupon and evidence of postage on a mail piece, comprising; determining a coupon value to be included in an information based indicia to be included on a mail piece evidence of postage, embedding the coupon value within a machine readable code, digitally signing the information based indicia including the coupon value, and printing the evidence of postage including the coupon value on each mail piece. 
     Additional advantages and purposes of the invention may be accomplished by providing a machine readable indicia for providing information and evidence of postage paid on a mail piece comprising; machine readable marks indicating postage, machine readable marks indicating a coupon value configured to permit a recipient of the mail piece to redeem the mail piece for the coupon value. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. 
     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a flow chart illustrating a process of embedding value in evidence of U.S. postage according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an example of a 2D barcode used by the U.S. Postal Service; 
         FIG. 3  is an envelope having an example of a 2D barcode according to the present invention and indicating an advertising area on the envelope; and 
         FIG. 4  is a table indicated the various fields and information contained in the 2D barcode of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements or process steps. 
     Presently, many persons/customers utilize PC Postage products to provide postage on their mailings. Products for postage purchase and printing from a computer using standard ink jet and laser jet printers are developed by commercial providers and approved by the U.S. Postal Service. Different companies offer product variations, but all are held to U.S. Postal Service requirements to ensure security and appropriate interface with Postal Service operations. Customers are afforded options and opportunities to select the products that best meet their business needs, and such customers require assurance of compliance with Postal Service requirements. PC Postage is a trademark owned by the U.S. Postal Service used on qualified PC Postage products offered by approved and licensed vendors. The products purchased and printed on the mailings are generally referred to as evidence of U.S. postage. 
     One way of providing evidence of postage is to utilize indicia on the mail piece such as a stamp, meter mark, or machine or human readable code. A machine readable code may include a barcode. Currently, PC Postage providers utilize a 2D barcode as evidence of U.S. postage, although other types of machine readable codes may be used. An example of such a barcode is shown in  FIG. 2 . The 2D barcode ( 40 ) is printed on the envelope with other information regarding the mailing. The entire evidence of postage is commonly called an Information Based Indicia (IBI). The IBI, like other forms of postage such as stamps and meter impressions, is printed on an envelope in the upper right hand corner, or on a label for an envelope or package. It conveys evidence that postage has been paid and contains mail processing data requirements. In addition, the IBI contains security-related data elements. The indicia is made up of human readable information as well as a two dimensional barcode.  FIG. 4  is a table showing information contained in 2D barcode used by the Postal Service. The information includes: licensing zip code, destination delivery point, software ID, ascending register, descending register, algorithm ID, device ID, date of mailing, postage, digital signature, rate category, reserve field, indicia version number, and certificate serial number. The code may also reflect the date the code or indicia was printed. Of particular use in the present invention is the reserve field within the 2D barcode currently used by the Postal Service. 
     Thus, for purposes of the present invention and as embodied in  FIG. 1 , it is possible for a customer using PC postage to select to include a coupon value amount in the reserve field (step  100 ). 
     Having decided to include a coupon value, the customer may choose to include the information in one of at least two ways. The customer may choose to embed the coupon value in the machine readable code such as a 2D barcode containing the postage evidence information (step  110   a ). Alternatively, the customer may choose print the coupon value in a second machine readable code such as a UPC barcode adjacent to the first machine readable code with human readable information represented by the IBI and to embed the coupon value in the first machine readable code (step  110   b ). For example, the customer can choose to include the information that the envelope has a value of 20% off purchase or perhaps a fixed price reduction such as a $20.00 discount. Optionally the code may also reflect an expiration date for the coupon in machine or human readable form. 
     In one optional embodiment, the discount coupons may appear in the reserve field (step  110   a ) of the 2D barcode seen in PC postage. In addition, in some other area of the mail piece such as an area shown shaded in  FIG. 3 , noted by reference number  50 , and referred to in this document as the advertising art area. For example, the customer may include information in human readable form that the envelope is worth 20% off a purchase or a $20.00 discount off a next purchase (step  110   b ). Such information may also be included in the reserve field of the 2D barcode  40 , or in some other area of a machine readable code. It should be understood that one optional embodiment of the invention includes using software on a personal computer and printer, such as PC postage for example, to generate and print the indicia. However, other optional embodiments of this invention may include other means such as, but not limited to, large commercial printing machines to print the indicia. The machine readable indicia itself may take on a number of different forms. 
     Once the customer has input the necessary information, the postage, including the coupon value embedded within the postage, will be printed. In preparing the information input by the customer for printing as postage evidence, the PC postage product formats the applicable barcodes containing the necessary information and digitally signs the information. This aspect of PC postage is one example of how step  120  may be accomplished. Thus, for IBI, a security device creates a unique digital signature that is included in the barcode of each mail piece. This unique digital signature makes it possible to detect counterfeiting, as discussed further later. After the coupon is formatted and digitally signed, the postage evidence is printed (step  130 ). 
     After the postage evidence is printed, the customer mails the envelopes having the postage evidence, including the embedded coupon value, to a list of recipients (step  140 ). In this manner, the mail piece may be distributed to addresses on a mailing list. Because of the use of the IBI, it is possible for the customer mailing the envelopes to obtain information regarding the recipients who redeemed their envelopes at a retailer. It should be understood that the customer originating the mailing may be, for example, an individual proprietor, a retailer, a home office of a large franchise, or a manufacturer of goods sold through a retailer. In addition, the coupon value may be for a percentage discount, a specific cash amount, or specific to a particular product. 
     The recipient of the mailing can take the envelope to a redeeming vendor and redeem it, for example, at an individual proprietor&#39;s shop if the proprietor is the originator of the coupon, or at a franchise outlet or a retail outlet (step  150 ). The redeeming vendor scans the machine readable code to determine the coupon value amount (step  160 ). The redeeming vendor may also verify the authenticity of the coupon by using commercially available software to decode and verify the digital signature (step  165 ). Alternatively, this authentication process may be carried out at a later time. For instance, if the redeeming vendor is not the originating customer, authenticity may not be verified until the coupon is returned to the originating customer (step  170 ). Scanning technology is used to read the machine readable information and verify its unique relationship to the mail piece. Further, duplicates detected in the mail stream would indicate fraud. The digital signature is used to verify the information in the barcode has not been tampered with or changed in any way. 
     In addition to determining the validity and value of the coupon, the redeeming vendor, or the originating customer, may extract additional marketing information from the IBI (step  180 ). For example, it may be possible to determine how long after the mailing the coupon was redeemed, the types of products the coupon was redeemed for, and other valuable marketing information. 
     Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.