Abstract:
A system for assisting a user with the proper printing of postage indicia and other value bearing items onto labels in rolls of labels in a label printer, and a roll for use therewith. The system includes providing a roll bearing pre-printed labels for printing with postage indicia. The roll has a plurality of label sets, each with a leader portion and a label body, where each leader has a serial number which is the same as a serial number located on its corresponding label body. Interactive computer software guides a user to confirm that the serial number on the pre-printed label body to be printed with postage indicia matches a label serial number in the software that will be encoded into a 2-D barcode portion of the postage indicia.

Description:
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to the field of systems and layouts for printing indicia on a roll of labels, and more particularly, to a roll label layout and system for assisting a user with the proper printing of postage indicia on labels of a roll of unprinted labels, so that the indicia can be properly printed on the unprinted labels without wasting any labels or postage value, and a label layout for use with the system. 
   In Stamps.com&#39;s co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/429,642, filed May 5, 2003, and entitled “SYSTEM AND LAYOUT FOR PROPER PRINTING OF NETSTAMPS AND OTHER LABELS”, by Craig Ogg et al., there is disclosed a system and layout for proper printing of NetStamps™ and other labels on sheets of labels with postage indicia. The system of this patent application provides a solution to the problem of some misprints that can be caused if a user feeds a sheet of blank labels into a printer in an incorrect orientation. 
   Stamps.com has recently commercially introduced its NetStamps™ labels and system, which are specialized sheets of labels and software for use therewith, whose labels are designed to be printed with postage indicia but not a date code or a mailing address code. Stamps.com&#39;s NetStamps™ labels can be printed with postage indicia one at a time (e.g. the postage rate for a first class stamp), a range of labels, or an entire sheet can be printed with the same postage value. Since the process of printing an entire sheet of labels with indicia carries the risk of printing an entire sheet of labels incorrectly and thus creating invalid postage, it is important that these label sheets be fed into the printer in the proper orientation. Computer printers often vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model as to how label sheets must be fed in for properly oriented printing. Users can sometimes become confused, make errors and forget how to feed blank label sheets into printers, and accordingly, make errors and print invalid postage labels. 
   These NETSTAMPS™ postage bearing labels can be printed one at a time or in a batch in the values and quantities needed, and used anytime in the future, much like conventional preprinted stamps. U.S. Postal System regulations for these types of postage require that in addition to a 2-D bar code that contains imbedded information including a unique serial number for each individual stamp, that there also be provided human readable code on each stamp as to the serial number of each particular postage label. In the case of sheets and rolls of blank postage labels, each label thereon has a unique pre-printed serial number. For example, the serial number might be 261000001.001, which represent a unique serial number for a label. In one embodiment of the NetStamps™ system, each separate label on a sheet of labels is preprinted with its serial number. This serial number is entered during a process of preparing to print each label with indicia. The sheet of labels can also be printed in its margin area with a serial number. 
   In the process of preparing to print blank postage labels with postage indicia, the user provides and/or confirms certain information including the postage information and the serial number of the label or labels to be printed with postage indicia. When the label or labels are printed with postage indicia, this information will be imbedded in the non-human readable 2-D bar code section, and is scannable by mail handling equipment. In the case of sheets of blank postage indicia labels, the user can, before placing the blank sheet(s) of labels into the printer&#39;s paper feed tray or inlet, examine the blank sheet(s) of labels and input into the system software the sheet and the serial number of the label or labels to be printed with postage indicia. By so doing, the user can insure that the proper 2-D bar code information that will be printed on each label will actually match the pre-printed information, viz. the serial number of the label or labels to be printed with postage indicia. 
   While Stamps.com&#39;s invention for sheets of specialized postage indicia labels provides a solution to the problem of misprints on sheets of NETSTAMPS™, there remains some issues with another popular label format, namely, rolls of postage indicia printable labels. In the case of roll labels, there exist dedicated roll label printers that connect to computers, for example, Dymo brand printers, by the Esselte Corporation. In the use of roll label printers, a user will typically load a roll of labels into the roll label printer which readies the roll label printer and roll available for immediate use. One advantage of roll label printers is that these types of printers are dedicated to print just labels, and a user can more easily print a single label or group of labels without having to feed in paper or interrupt other print jobs. However, most label printers are designed such that at least a portion of the next label to be printed will remain concealed inside the roll label printer. This makes it difficult for a user to view the label positioned to be printed, and therefore a user may inadvertently improperly enter a stamp or stamps&#39; serial number into the software, which can result in misprinted postage indicia label or labels being printed, wherein the serial number printed on the postage indicia label conflicts with the serial number imbedded in the 2-D barcode. If this occurs, the label and postage is wasted. 
   The U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) maintains very strict requirements that PC postage users must adhere to with respect to processing and refunding misprinted postage. Currently, physical proof of misprints is required for money to be reimbursed by the USPS. When a user misprints and seeks to obtain a refund, the process is both time consuming and troublesome. A user must often wait several weeks for a misprint reimbursement request to be processed, and during this time they will not have replacement funds in their PC mail meter. Misprints can therefore be more costly up front for a user if they must put additional postage into their meter before obtaining a refund. While printing one label on a roll with the wrong serial number may be bad enough, misprinting a range of several labels can become even more burdensome and costly. 
   It is accordingly desirable to have provided a roll label layout and system for assisting a user with the proper printing of postage indicia and other value bearing items on labels of a roll of unprinted labels. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of one exemplary embodiment of postage indicia labels on a carrier of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of another exemplary embodiment of postage indicia labels on a carrier of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of a further exemplary embodiment of postage indicia labels on a carrier of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the leader portion of a roll of exemplary postage indicia labels bumped out of an exemplary roll label printer. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the leader portion and postage indicia printed label body of a roll of exemplary postage indicia labels after printing by a roll label printer. 
       FIG. 6  is a top plan view of a single postage indicia label sets after its label body has been printed with postage indicia. 
       FIG. 7  is an exemplary flow chart of a software system of the invention. 
       FIG. 8  is an exemplary error handling protocol for the software system of the invention. 
       FIG. 9  is an exemplary verify serial number dialog box for the software system of the invention. 
       FIG. 10  is a top plan view of another exemplary embodiment of postage indicia labels on a carrier of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Roll label printers are ideal for printing NetStamps™ style of postage indicia. A problem with printing NetStamps™ however, is ensuring that users correctly provide the serial number into software before printing is initiated, because if the wrong serial number is put into software, the printed NetStamps™ will be defective. With roll label printers, once a roll is loaded into the printer, it is difficult for the user to see the serial number on the label. This problem is not experienced with unprinted sheets of NetStamps™ labels, which a user handles before being placed into conventional label printers. 
   The system of the invention provides a way for users to determine what is the serial number of a leading label of the currently loaded roll of NetStamps™ labels, and thereby avoid misprints. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the form factor for the roll of NetStamps™ labels  10   a  and  10   b , respectively, will consist of a plurality of two part sets  12   a ,  12   b , etc. on a carrier  14 . (A portion of roll is shown.) The first part  16  of each set has a unique serial number  18  printed thereon in one orientation, e.g., a horizontal orientation (perpendicular to the long axis “L” of roll.) A second part  20  of each set comprises a releasable label borne on carrier  14  and if desired can have the same appearance of a NetStamps™ style of label that will be printed on sheets of labels, or can be different. The second part bears the same unique serial number  22  as appears on first part  18 , but typically is placed in another orientation, e.g., in a vertical orientation along the long axis “L” of roll. In addition, second part  20  can optionally be pre-printed with a thermalchromatic printed logo element  24 , a facing mark  26 , and possibly also a line of microprinting  28 . A plurality of two part sets  12   a ,  12   b , etc., may appear on carrier  14  spaced apart by distance “D” (see  FIG. 1 ), or sets  12   a ,  12   b , etc. can be placed directly next to each other without any appreciable spacing, as shown in  FIG. 2 . First part  16  can comprise a separate label portion that is borne on carrier  14 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , the roll of NetStamps™ labels  10   c  can comprise a region  30  of carrier  14  upon which is directly printed unique serial number  18 , without the presence of a bona fide removable label. In this case, there is a single removable label with a unique serial number, but the unique serial number  18  is still visible to the user prior to printing the single label with postage indicia. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a perspective view of an exemplary roll label printer  40  with first part  16  of a two part set on carrier  14  extending therefrom to reveal its serial number  18 . This is the position that the first label to be printed in a print run will have so that the user can verify that the serial number shown in the software matches the serial number of the first to be printed label. Second part  20  (not shown) of a label set can be totally or partially concealed within roll label printer  40  and be ready for printing with postage indicia. 
     FIG. 5  is a perspective view of exemplary roll label printer  40  with one label set  12  fed out of roll label printer  40  after second part  20  has been printed with postage indicia and other information. As can be seen, after printing, first and second parts  16  and  20  of a two part label set  12  will extend from the roll label printer  40 . After printing, second part  20  will be printed with the 2-D bar code  50  that encodes the postage value and type, sender information and the serial number, and in human readable form, the postage value and postage class  52 , the sender&#39;s ZIP code  54 , and other sender information code  56 , which is better shown in  FIG. 6 . In the case that multiple labels were printed, then multiple sets of labels would extend from the label printer (not shown.) 
   Referring to  FIG. 7 , there is shown an exemplary flow chart showing one possible embodiment of the system of the invention. In use of the system, first part will be feed out of a roll printer for serial number verification purposes prior to printing of second part with postage indicia. One exemplary embodiment of the serial number verification process is as follows. The program is first started  60 . The software displays a physical serial number to the user in a dialog, and the user is asked to hit a “Print” button  62 . Upon hitting the “Print” button  62 , if the physical serial number that was entered in a dialog box indicates that the user is printing to a roll of labels in the label printer, then the software will send a command to the roll label printer to feed, or “bump out” the label set by a predetermined amount  64 . Most roll printers support a SKIP command that can be used to advance a label a specified number of lines. This is done to a sufficient degree to reveal at least enough of the first part of the label set (e.g. 1.6 cm (⅝″) so that its horizontally positioned serial number  18  can be viewed by the user even though the second part  20  of the label set is positioned for printing. 
   The software will display a physical serial number  32  to the user. This can be done on screen, such as with an exemplary dialog box  34  as shown in  FIG. 9  and in step  66  of  FIG. 7 . Within the dialog box  34 , the user is queried whether the serial number on the first part of the label matches the serial number displayed in dialog box  68 . If it does not, then user is given the option to either correct the serial number in the software to match what is shown in the display box to verify that the displayed serial number matches the number in the software  70 , or to cancel the print step, in which case the user can be taken back to a main dialog box  62 . If the serial number on the first part of the label matches the serial number displayed in dialog box  68 , the software will send a message to the roll label printer to print the specified serial number and label number, if no additional error handling is required  72 . As noted above, it is essential that the serial number(s) on the label(s) being printed match what the computer software is directing the printer to print on each label, otherwise the labels printed with postage indicia will be invalid. The system allows a user to print more than one postage indicia label at a time, e.g. 2 to 25 postage indicia stamps with first class postage. 
   The system provides error control mechanisms that will help prevent a user from making common mistakes. See  FIG. 8 . For example, the system can help prevent a user from entering an invalid serial number into the software, and can display a message such as “NNNNNNNNN.NNN is an invalid serial number. Please confirm and try again”  80 . Another error control can be that if a user attempts to print more postage indicia stamps than there are blank labels remaining on the roll of labels loaded in the roll printer, the software will warn the user of this fact. For example, if the user increments the label number to a point where there will not be enough labels to print the requested number of labels, i.e. the user requests printing  50  labels on a 250 roll, but changed the starting label number to 240 on this dialog, the system can display a warning dialog, such as “You have specified to print XX labels, but there are only YY available labels remaining on this roll. Click ‘OK’ to print only the available YY labels, or ‘Cancel’ to cancel this print job”  84 . If the user ever cancels (after the point where the serial number label has been bumped out of the printer), the labels must be set back to TOF (top of form) by sending a form feed command. In this case, after sending the form feed message, the label number (which is stored as the default for the next print job) must be incremented  88 . 
   Turning now to  FIG. 10 , there is shown a top plan view of another exemplary embodiment of a roll of postage indicia labels  100 . The roll comprises a plurality of label sets  102   a ,  102   b , etc. on a carrier  104 . (A portion of a roll is shown.) Each label set consists of a leader portion  106  and a releasable main body portion  108 . The main body portions  108  can have the appearance and features of Netstamps™ postage indicia labels. If desired, the leader portion  106  can be divided into a serial number bearing portion  106   a  and a supplemental information bearing portion  106   b  (e.g. which supplemental information bearing portion  106   b  can be printed with information such as a sender&#39;s return address so that it may be used as a return address label.) The serial number bearing portion  106   a  can be made to be narrower than the supplemental information bearing portion  106   b . By providing the leader portion  106  in two parts, a user can use just the supplemental information bearing portion  106   b  without including the serial number bearing portion  106   a . As with other above described embodiment of the roll label sets, a unique serial number  110  is pre-printed on leader portion  106  in a horizontal orientation relative to the long axis L of the roll of roll label set and the same unique serial number  112  is pre-printed on the main body portion  108  of the same label set. However, in the case of Netstamp™ types of postage indicia labels  108 , they are arranged on the roll with their unique serial numbers  112  aligned horizontally in the same horizontal orientation as the corresponding serial numbers  110  of the leader portions  106 . An advantage for arranging the main body portion  108  this way is that since Netstamp™ types of postage indicia labels  108  are typically not square and are taller than they are wide, this arrangement can accommodate a wider leader portion  106  which in turn can better serve as a return label. The main body portion  108  can optionally be pre-printed with a thermalchromatic printed logo element  114 , a facing mark  116 , and possibly also a line of microprinting  118 . 
   As with the other embodiments of the system, the systems using roll label printers with built in OCR and/or bar code scanners described above can be used to print a single postage indicia label, or a range of labels that a user wishes to print. 
   While the invention has been primarily described with reference to postage indicia label sets and methods of using these label sets, these rolls and systems can be used for printing other value bearing indicia, such as tickets, coupons and traveler&#39;s checks, to name just a few. In these cases, rather than the labels being carried on a carrier, the items being printed may form part of the roll. 
   Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above disclosures are exemplary only and that various other alternatives, adaptations and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.