Patent ID: 6865560

Claim:
A method of providing a delivery confirmation service to a mailer who uses a postage meter to print a postage indicia which pays the postage for mailing a mail piece having a package identification code and containing a destination address, said method comprising the steps of: a) inputting the package identification code into the postage meter; b) relaying the package identification code and postage meter information which includes the destination address to a meter refill data center; c) processing the package identification code and the postage meter information to create a record at the meter refill data center; d) transmitting an electronic file containing the processed information regarding the package identification code and other postage meter information from the meter data center to a carrier; e) depositing the mail piece in a postal entry point; f) scanning the package identification code when the mail piece is delivered to the destination address; g) receiving at a carrier data center the information scanned at the destination address; h) receiving delivery status information from the carrier at the meter refill data center; i) storing the delivery status information at the meter refill data center; and j) retrieving the stored information at the meter refill data center using the package identification code scanned at the destination address and the stored delivery status information upon mailer's request via the meter refill system.