Patent ID: 7069253

Claim:
A method of tracking and accounting for a mailpiece, the mailpiece being associated with a first postage amount, the first postage amount equal to a sum of a first installment and a second installment, the method comprising: generating a unique mailpiece identification (MI) code; debiting a mailer account associated with a mailer by a first installment; applying the MI code to a mailpiece, the MI code uniquely identifying the mailpiece; at a mail processing site associated with a carrier, receiving the mailpiece from the mailer; scanning the mailpiece to obtain the MI code and a destination code, the destination code signifying at least part of an address associated with a destination related to a recipient, and sending a mailpiece message from the mail processing site to a postage vendor site associated with a postage vendor, the mailpiece message including at least information associated with the MI code, the destination code, and a current location; at the postage vendor site, receiving the mailpiece message from the mail processing site, determining the mailer account based on at least information associated with the mailpiece message, determining whether the mailpiece message is the first communication for the MI code to the postage vendor site, and if the mailpiece message is the first communication for the MI code, debiting the mailer account associated with the mailer by a second installment, a sum of the first installment and the second installment being equal to a first postage amount; and crediting a carrier account associated with the carrier by a second postage amount; wherein the mailer is different from the recipient and the postage vendor; and the postage vendor is different from the recipient and the carrier.