EP0516403A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Method of remote diagnostics for franking machines
Assignee: Neopost Ltd
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Filing: 1992-05-28
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-05-28
Abstract
Abstract A franking machine system is disclosed in which each franking machine (10₁-10 n ) includes a fault history memory (22) into which fault codes are written as each fault occurs. Periodically the accumulated fault codes in the memory (22) are read out and transmitted to a remote central fault analysis computer (24) to generate a prediction of faults likely to occur in each franking machine (10₁-10 n ). Where the franking machines (10₁-10 n ) periodically communicate with a remote re-setting computer (20) for re-setting credit in the franking machines (10₁-10 n ), the re-setting computer (20) includes storage means (23) to store the fault histories from each of the franking machines (10₁-10 n ) and each credit re-setting operation with a franking machine (10₁-10 n ) includes transmission to the re-setting computer (20) and writing into the storage means (23) thereof of the fault history of that franking machine (10₁-10 n ). The fault analysis computer (24) periodically communicates with the re-setting computer (20) to receive the fault histories stored therein of the franking machines (10₁-10 n ).
Inventors
- 👤 Cyrus Abumehdi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 12:02
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07B; G07B17/00; G07B17/00185; G07B17/00314; G07B17/00016; G07B17/0008; G07B17/00362; G07B17/00435; G07B2017/00088; G07B2017/00096; G07B2017/00153; G07B2017/00169; G07B2017/00338
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
A method of remotely diagnosing faults which may occur in a franking machine characterised by the steps of storing in a memory (22) of the franking machine (10₁) a fault code identifying a fault in the franking machine upon occurrence of the fault to form a fault history of the franking machine; periodically accessing said memory to read said fault history comprising codes stored in said memory subsequent to a previous access; transmitting said fault history read from the memory (22) to a central computer (24); and analysing said fault history to provide an indication of impending faults.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
90 words
A method of remotely diagnosing faults as claimed in claim 1 further characterised in that the franking machine (10₁) is in communication from time to time with a central re-crediting computer (20) for updating of credit stored in the franking machine and in that said memory (22) in the franking machine is accessed and the fault history stored therein is transmitted to the central re-crediting computer (20) each time the franking machine is in communication with the central re-crediting computer for re-setting of the credit stored in the franking machine.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method as claimed in claim 2 further characterised by the step of storing at the central re-crediting computer (20) the fault history received from each of a plurality of franking machines (10₁-10 n ) as the respective franking machines are re-credited by the re-crediting computer (20).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as claimed in claim 3 including the step of periodically accessing the fault histories stored by the central re-crediting computer (20) and transmitting said fault histories to a fault analysis computer (24).
Claim 5
Independent Claim
43 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim further characterised in that the fault history is transmitted from the franking machine (10₁-10 n ) to the central computer (24) via an input/output interface (19) of the franking machine and a telephone network (21).
Claim 6
Independent Claim
59 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 further characterised in that the fault history is transmitted from the franking machine to the central computer (24) by writing said fault history into a transportable memory module; connecting said module to the central computer (20) and reading the fault history from the module to the computer.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
46 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim further characterised by means (24) responsive to the fault history received by the central computer and operable to communicate with at least one selected franking machine (10₁-10 n ) to effect modification of operation of that franking machine.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as claimed in claim 7 further characterised in that the means (24) responsive to the fault history is operable in response to the fault history to transmit a signal to the selected franking machine effective to modify a program routine or sub-routine in said franking machine.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in claim 8 further characterised in that the modification of the program routine comprises activating or de-activating program sub-routines which are co-resident in the selected franking machine.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the means (24) responsive to the fault history is operable to transmit a reset signal to the selected franking machine effective to reset a fault flag in said franking machine.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
34 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10 further characterised in that the transmission of signals to modify operation of a selected franking machine is effected in a secure manner.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
149 words
A franking machine system characterised by a franking machine (10₁) including a fault history memory (22); means (11) operative upon occurrence of a fault in said franking machine to write into said memory (22) a fault code representing said fault to form in said memory a fault history comprising a series of fault codes representing respectively a series of occurred faults; a central computer (24) remote from said franking machine; communication means (21) for transmitting data between said franking machine and said central computer; means (11) operative periodically to read said fault history comprising the series of fault codes from said memory (22) and to transmit said fault history via said communication means (21) to said central computer (24); and said central computer (24) being operative in response to said fault history to analyse said fault history and generate an indication of impending faults of said franking machine (10₁).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
239 words
A franking machine system characterised by a central re-crediting computer (20) including fault storage means (23); a plurality of franking machines (10₁-10 n ) ; each said franking machine including accounting registers (16, 17) for storing accounting data; a fault history memory (22); means (11) operative upon occurrence of a fault in said franking machine to write into said memory (22) a fault code representing the fault which has occurred so that the memory (22) stores a fault history comprising a series of faults codes representing a series of occurred faults; communication means (21) operable to transmit data between said central computer (20) and each of said franking machines; means operable to exchange data between the central computer (20) and a selected one of said franking machines (10₁-10 n ), said data including re-crediting data effective to re-credit said accounting registers (16, 17) of said selected franking machine and to read out from said fault history memory (22) of said selected franking machine said fault history stored therein and to transmit said fault history to said central computer (20) for storage in said fault storage means (23); and a fault analysis computer (24) operable periodically to communicate with said re-setting computer (20) to read out fault histories stored in said fault storage means (23) relating to franking machines of said plurality and to analyse said fault histories and to generate for each franking machine an indication of impending faults.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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