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EP0493943A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Postage meter monitoring and control

Assignee: Neopost Ltd
•
Filing: 1991-12-20
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2011-12-20
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Abstract

Abstract A method of monitoring use of postage meter (10) during a period of time is disclosed in which, at the start of the period, meter identification and accounting data is read from the meter and input to a control computer (24) and at the end of the period meter identification and updated accounting data is read from the meter and input to the control computer (24). A meter record relating to use of all meters monitored by the control computer is stored in the computer. Consecutive inputs to the computer of accounting data relating to the meter are compared and if the second of two inputs relates to accounting data at the end of a period, the second input is written to the meter record in the computer. Conveniently the data may be conveyed from the meter to the computer by means of portable memory device (22). The memory may carry a pseudo-random number from the computer which is compared with a pseudo-random number generated in the meter and if the comparison is successful permits operation of the meter for franking.

Inventors

  • 👤 Dennis Thomas Gilham

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-08 05:54
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07B; G07B17/00; G07B17/00016; G07B17/0008; G07B2017/00153; G07B2017/00169; G07B2017/00177; G07B17/00733; G07B2017/00919

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim 181 words
A method of monitoring use of a postage meter in carrying out franking operations during a period of time characterised by at the start of said period of time the steps of conveying meter identification data and first accounting data from registers (16, 17) in the meter (10) and inputting said identification data and first accounting data to a computer (24); and writing said accounting data to a meter record identified by said meter identification data; and at the finish of said period of time the steps of conveying said identification data and second accounting data from registers (16, 17) in the meter and inputting said identification data and second accounting data to the computer (24); utilising said meter identification data to access said meter record identified by said meter data; comparing said second accounting data with said first accounting data to determine whether the second accounting data relates to the start or finish of a time period and if said second accounting data relates to the finish of the time period writing the second accounting data to the meter record.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 96 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 further characterised in that the meter identification data and accounting data are conveyed from the meter (10) to the computer (24) by reading the data from registers (16, 17) in the meter and writing said data into a portable memory device (22) when the portable memory device is connected to the meter and then disconnecting the portable memory device from the meter and connecting it to the computer and while connected to the computer reading the data from the portable memory device and inputting said data to said computer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 38 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 further characterised in that the meter (10) is operative to carry out franking of mail items only when the portable memory device (22) is connected to the meter (10).
Claim 4
Independent Claim 108 words
A method of controlling use of a postage meter in carrying out franking operations during a period of time characterised by the steps of providing a portable memory device (22) carrying a pseudo-random number unique to the postage meter (10) to be controlled; generating a pseudo-random number in said meter; coupling the portable memory device to said postage meter; for each franking operation comparing the pseudo-random number carried by the portable memory device with the pseudo-random number generated in said meter and only in response to said comparison indicating that the pseudo-random numbers have a predetermined relationship permitting a franking operation to be effected by said postage meter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 46 words
A method as claimed in claim 4 further characterised by the steps of utilising the portable memory device (22) to convey data stored in registers (16, 17) of the postage meter (10) at the start and finish of the time period to a control computer (24).
Claim 6
Independent Claim 28 words
A method as claimed in claim S further characterised by the step of generating in the control computer (24) the pseudo-random number generated in the postage meter (10).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 43 words
A method as claimed in claim 6 further characterised in that the pseudo- random numbers generated in the postage meter (10) and the control computer (24) are incremented at least once for each time period for which the postage meter (10) is controlled.

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