EP0328059A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Postal charge accounting system
Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc
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Filing: 1989-02-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2009-02-08
Abstract
Abstract A postage meter accounting system is provided having a user terminal (14) which interfaces with and controls an electronic postage meter (12). The user terminal (14) is also connected to an integrated circuit card read-write unit (16) for receiving user, administrator, service and/or program integrated circuit cards (18). The user terminal (14) activates and permits use of the meter (12) upon presentation of a valid user card (18), stores postage meter use information and transmits the postage meter use information to the user card (18) for storage in a user card transaction table. The postage meter use information stored in the user terminal (14) and in user card memory may be accessed for later reference on a user terminal display (20) and/or printer (22). Preferably, an administrative computer is provided for periodically receiving all postage meter use information from the user cards (18) or, alternatively, directly from the user terminal (14) to generate one or more postage meter use accounting reports. The administrator card (18) permits access to and revision of user card memory, postage meter use information and owner-variable user terminal application program information. The service card (18) permits access to and revision of administrator card memory and all user terminal application program information. Program cards (18) facilitate application program loading and revision.
Inventors
- 👤 Winslow E. Jackson
- 👤 Paul H. K. Kim
- 👤 Robert K. T. Chen
- 👤 Joseph L. Gargiulo
- 👤 Robert Durst
- 👤 Wojciech M. Chrosny
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 14:00
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07B; G07B17/00; G07B17/00016; G07B17/0008; G07B17/00185; G07B17/00193; G07B17/00314; G07B17/00459; G07B17/00661; G07C; G07C9/00; G07C9/20; G07C9/22; G07B2017/00153; G07B2017/00177; G07B2017/00241; G07B2017/00322; G07B2017/00701
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
142 words
A postal charge accounting system comprising: an electronic postage meter (12); user integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing said postage meter (12) for use, said user card means (18) including a microprocessor and memory, said user card memory further including a header section and a transaction table; user terminal means (14) connected to said postage meter (12) for controlling said postage meter (12) and for recording postage meter use information, said user terminal means (14) including an integrated circuit card read-write unit (16) for receiving and communicating with said user card means (18), said user terminal means (14) activating said postage meter (12) for use when a valid user card is placed into said card read-write unit (16), said user terminal means (14) transmitting said postage meter use information to said user card means (18) for storage in said transaction table.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
142 words
A postal charge accounting system comprising: an electronic postage meter (12); user integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing said postage meter (12) for use, said user card means (18) including a microprocessor and memory, said user card memory further including a header section and a transaction table; user terminal means (14) connected to said postage meter (12) for controlling said postage meter (12) and for recording postage meter use information, said user terminal means (14) including an integrated circuit card read-write unit (16) for receiving and communicating with said user card means (18), said user terminal means (14) activating said postage meter (12) for use when a valid user card is placed into said card read-write unit (16), said user terminal means (14) transmitting said postage meter use information to said user card means (18) for storage in said transaction table.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
193 words
A postal charge accounting system comprising: an electronic postage meter (12); user integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing said postage meter (12) for use, said user card means (18) including a microprocessor and memory, said user card memory further including a header section and a transaction table; user terminal means (14) connected to said postage meter (12) for controlling said postage meter (12) and for recording postage meter use information, said user terminal means (14) including a first integrated circuit card read-write unit (16) for receiving and communicating with said user card means (18), said user terminal means (14) activating said postage meter (12) for use when a valid user card (18) is placed into said first card read-write unit(16), said user terminal means (14) transmitting said postage meter use information to said user card means (18) for storage in said transaction table; administrative computer means (26) connected to a second integrated circuit card read-write unit (28) for receiving and communicating with said user card means (18), said administrative computer means (26) receiving said postage meter use information from said user card means (18) and generating a postage meter use report therefrom.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
193 words
A postal charge accounting system comprising: an electronic postage meter (12); user integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing said postage meter (12) for use, said user card means (18) including a microprocessor and memory, said user card memory further including a header section and a transaction table; user terminal means (14) connected to said postage meter (12) for controlling said postage meter (12) and for recording postage meter use information, said user terminal means (14) including a first integrated circuit card read-write unit (16) for receiving and communicating with said user card means (18), said user terminal means (14) activating said postage meter (12) for use when a valid user card (18) is placed into said first card read-write unit(16), said user terminal means (14) transmitting said postage meter use information to said user card means (18) for storage in said transaction table; administrative computer means (26) connected to a second integrated circuit card read-write unit (28) for receiving and communicating with said user card means (18), said administrative computer means (26) receiving said postage meter use information from said user card means (18) and generating a postage meter use report therefrom.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
128 words
A postal charge accounting system comprising: an electronic postage meter (12); user integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing said postage meter (12) for use; user terminal means (14) connected to said postage meter (12) for controlling said postage meter (12) and for recording postage meter use information, said user terminal means (14) including an integrated circuit card read-write unit (16) for receiving and communicating with said user card means (18), said user terminal means (14) activating said postage meter (12) for use when a valid user card (18) is placed into said card read-write unit (16); administrative computer means (26) connected to said user terminal means (14) for receiving said postage meter use information from said user terminal means (14) and generating a postage meter accounting report.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
128 words
A postal charge accounting system comprising: an electronic postage meter (12); user integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing said postage meter (12) for use; user terminal means (14) connected to said postage meter (12) for controlling said postage meter (12) and for recording postage meter use information, said user terminal means (14) including an integrated circuit card read-write unit (16) for receiving and communicating with said user card means (18), said user terminal means (14) activating said postage meter (12) for use when a valid user card (18) is placed into said card read-write unit (16); administrative computer means (26) connected to said user terminal means (14) for receiving said postage meter use information from said user terminal means (14) and generating a postage meter accounting report.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
57 words
The system according to claim 3, wherein said user card means (18) includes a microprocessor and memory, said user card memory having a header section and a transaction table, said user card means (18) receiving said postage meter use information from said user terminal means (14) and storing said postage meter use information in said transaction table.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
57 words
The system according to claim 1, wherein said user card header section includes a card identification number, a user identification number, a user card identifier, a user terminal identification number, an accounting period beginning date, an accounting period ending date, a debit limit counter, an error type register and counter, and at least one item value entry.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system according to claim 5, wherein said user card transaction table includes the date, an item value counter corresponding to said header section item value entry, an other type piece counter and an other type amount register.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system according to claim 1, further comprising administrator integrated circuit card means (18) for supervising said user card means (18) and for obtaining access to said postage meter (12) use information.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
46 words
The system according to claim 7, wherein said administrator card (18) includes a microprocessor and memory having an administrator header section and an administrator transaction trace, said administrator header section including a card identification, an administrator number, an administrator card identifier, and a user terminal identifier.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system according to claim 8, wherein said administrator card (18) authorizes the holder to access and revise said user card header section and transaction table.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system according to claim 7, wherein said user terminal (14) further includes a display (20) for displaying said postage meter use information.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system according to claim 10, further comprising a printer (22) connected to said user terminal (14) for printing a postage meter use transaction receipt upon request ot the user card holder.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic postage scale (24) connected to said user terminal (14).
Claim 16
Independent Claim
56 words
The system according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said user terminal means (14) further includes a microprocessor, erasable programmable read only memory and non-volatile memory, said erasable programmable read only memory storing owner non-variable application program information and said non-volatile memory storing said postage meter use information and owner variable application program information.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system according to claim 13, further comprising administrator integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing and revising said owner variable application program information and said postage meter use information.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system according to claim 14, wherein said postage meter use information includes, for each postage meter transaction, the quantity of preset postage item values printed, the number of other type pieces printed and the value of other type items printed.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system according to claim 15, further comprising service integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing and revising said administrator card header section.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system according to claim 13, further comprising service integrated circuit card means (18) for accessing and revising said erasable programmable read only memory and said non-volatile memory.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system according to claim 13, further comprising program integrated circuit card means (18) for revising said owner non-variable application program information and said owner variable application program information.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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