Patent ID: 8768857

Claim:
A method for generating by a computer an electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping label, the method comprising: generating by a computer an electronic representation of paid United States Postal Service postage indicia, wherein said electronic representation of paid United States Postal Service postage indicia comprises an electronic representation of an indication that postage has been paid to the United States Postal Service; generating by a computer an electronic representation of a United States Postal Service shipping service type selected from the group consisting of: an identifier for a United States Postal Service express delivery service, an identifier for a United States Postal Service priority delivery service, an identifier for a United States Postal Service parcel post delivery service, an identifier for a United States Postal Service international express delivery service, and an identifier for a United States Postal Service international priority delivery service; generating by a computer an electronic representation of a ship-to address; and generating by a computer an electronic representation of a corresponding machine- readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier, said corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier selected from a group consisting of: a tracking identifier for a United States Postal Service express delivery service, a delivery confirmation identifier for a United States Postal Service delivery of an item, and a United States Postal Service postal routing identifier, wherein said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label comprises an indication of a correspondence in a shipping label provider computer system that produced said electronic representation of said United States Postal Service shipping label between said paid United States Postal Service postage indicia and said corresponding machine-readable United States Postal Service shipping service processing option identifier, and wherein said electronic representation of the United States Postal Service shipping label is formatted for printing via a remote client computer to a printer device associated with the remote client computer.