POSTAGE STAMPS AUTHENTICATING THE SENDER OF A MAIL PIECE, AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH

摘要

A would-be purchaser of postage stamps (10) is required to provide information indicative of his or her identity, for example by means of an identity code. The identity code is then imprinted upon the stamps (10) and the stamps (10) are then provided to the purchaser. The imprint may be a bar code (13), and the imprinted information may be cryptographically signed. The imprinted information may be printed in such as way as to be invisible to the naked eye.