Patent of the Week - Reusable Postage Stamps

This issued today to IBM – reusable, any-denomination postage stamps via RFID.

 U.S. Patent No. 7,457.760 Programmable radio-frequency identification (RFID) postage stamps

In addition to the invention itself, which sounds like a great idea, there’s interesting prosecution notes:

• Accelerated exam, baby.  Filed in February 2008, in Art Unit 3628 (a business methods unit) – which typically has pendency times about 4-5 years, I think.
• First action allowance (examiner buys into IBM’s reasoning distinguishing the prior art).  So there shouldn’t be as big a Festo problem, in my opinion (this is a question that still bugs me…it’s not so straightforward)
• Only one claim!  Why slow things up unnecessarily?  IBM filed a continuation shortly after the notice of allowance to capture the rest (presumably – it’s not yet public).
• It’s a method claim, with the end-user as the actor.  Interesting choice, but it makes sense here.  (and clearly passes the Bilski “tied to a particular machine” test – the machine here is the stamp)
• What, no American could think of this?  I guess those Brits know their Post.

Summary:

This invention introduces a single re-usable stick-on section of electronic paper, in the form of a postage stamp, containing an RFID chip. All the sender is required to do is simply affix the stamp to a parcel and swipe a smart card over the stamp to encode it. Once encoded, the sender can send the parcel via any number of 24-hour 7 day a week post-boxes, or for larger items some other deposit or collection mechanism may be used. When the sender's smart card is swiped over the stamp, the chip will be programmed with the sender's information such as payment details linked to the smart card so that the accurate cost of sending the item can be calculated and charged during the sorting process. During the sorting process, the item is accurately weighed and measured by the postal office. An anti-tampering mechanism is also provided to allow the stamp to be reused without jeopardizing the prior sender's personal and financial information. Also, the stamp may be encoded using the Bluetooth protocol.

Claim 1:

1. A method of using digital electronic paper in the form of a reusable stamp comprising:

·         affixing a stamp without a predetermined postage to an article to be mailed, wherein the stamp comprises a top layer having a visual display, middle layer having an electronics layer, and a bottom layer having an adhesive layer;

·         swiping a smart card to encode the affixed stamp with a unique payment identifier issued by a payment authority and valid for a single payment, and other information such that the visual display automatically updates to show a representation of the encoded information;

·         depositing the article with the encoded affixed stamp at a postal authority deposit location such that after the article is received by a postal authority, a postage value is determined automatically during a sorting process;

·         verifying the visual display and the encoded information on the stamp for evidence of tampering; automatically requesting payment of the calculated postage from a payment authority using the unique payment identifier, and

·         altering the adhesive through electrostatic manipulation to allow the removal of the affixed stamp so that the stamp may be reused.