Leon A. Pintsov

Postal Revenue Collection in the Digital Age

In recent years postal revenue collection underwent a major transformation due to widespread transition to digital methods of communication. This transition directly affected not only telecommunications which form an integral part of the postal revenue collection but also, and in a much more profound way, postage evidencing. Traditional postage evidencing remained unchanged for several dozens years until the introduction of digital printing which drastically changed all its security related aspects and considerations. This paper defines conceptual foundations of the postal revenue collection system (which is simultaneously a payment system for mailers), fundamental requirements imposed by the nature of hardcopy-based communication and suggests what the authors believe to be an optimal solution for public key-based postage evidencing founded on elliptic-curve cryptography.

Reading encrypted postal indicia

The next generation of postal processing equipment will incorporate some method of verifying the postal revenue block (postal indicia) as a means of reducing postal fraud. The introduction of new digital printing technologies necessitates the encryption of revenue block information. This paper presents an approach for the verification process which includes algorithms for reading an encrypted postal indicia. In particular, postal indicia reading is tested for robustness against a variety of printing and media characteristics, and potential defects.

One view of the methodology in handwriting character recognition

The paper deals with the general methodology of structural handwriting character recognition systems. It is based on personal observations in developing such systems for commercial and postal applications. A model of handwriting is formulated as a human to human communication model and various implications of this model for handwriting recognition algorithms are considered including optimal criteria for digitization, size, and representativeness of training database and ultimate performance level. Arguments are given in favor of considering handwritten characters as a general class of geometrical curves bounded by some natural constraints as opposed to considerably redundant character shapes typical for machine printed characters. This approach favors a generative model of character formation rather than a transformative model and leads to a natural description of character shapes. Features and feature selection criteria are presented based on psychophysiological and information-theoretic ideas. Significance of classification technique is examined. The advantages and limitations of artificial neural networks for handwritten character recognition are briefly discussed. Various aspects of the complexity of character recognition algorithms are exposed.

HISTORY AND ROLE OF INFORMATION SECURITY IN POSTAGE EVIDENCING AND PAYMENT

ABSTRACT Step-by-step, information security technology has enabled the transition of postage evidencing and payment security from reliance on people, manual processes and paper records to reliance on automated procedures, trusted remote data systems and cryptographic protocols. This evolution improved both the security and the convenience of postage evidencing and payment through postage metering and thus enabled effective access to postal products. Reset, the process of adding postage to the meter, changed from a visit to a post office and manual record keeping to communication with a data center to receive an authentication code with a subsequent automatic completion of the transaction. Verification of the authenticity of printed indicia changed from a forensic analysis to automatic cryptographic authentication. Finally, with the introduction of NIST standard FIPS 140–1 level 4 physical security requirements, manual inspection of meters that are compliant with this standard by postal officials is being replaced by online verification of their physical integrity and procedural accuracy. These improvements in their totality enabled a remarkable transition of one of the most traditional office devices from the analog to the digital age.

Economic Effects of an Information-Rich Mailing System Including Work Sharing

The implementation of the concept of work sharing has proven to be mutually beneficial to both mailers and posts. A successful work sharing partnership requires quantitative benefit-cost analysis models that indicate that it is economically effective for both parties to participate. This paper discusses the opportunity for information-rich mail to provide efficiencies in work sharing and reducing transaction costs associated with certain types of mailings.