EP0927960A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Postage metering system and method on a network
Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc
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Filing: 1998-12-18
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-12-18
Abstract
Abstract A postage metering system (10) includes a plurality of computers (20) operatively connected as part of a computer network and operating as client computers (20) on the computer network. At least one postal security device (40) (PSD) is coupled to at least one of the client computers (20) (local client computer). The PSD (40) includes unique identification the ability to store postal value and generate digital signatures. The client computers (20) function as a postage metering network wherein a client computer other than the local client computer (remote client computer) requests evidence of postage payment from the PSD (40) for concluding a postage metering transaction. The local client computer functions as a meter server and the remote client computer functions as a meter client on the postage metering network. The remote client computer (20) initiates a postage metering transaction in the PSD (40) by sending a request for evidence of postage payment to the local client computer (20). The local client computer (20) sends the request for the evidence of postage payment to the PSD (40), receives transaction information from the PSD and sends the evidence of payment to the remote client computer for subsequent printing.
Inventors
- 👤 David K. Lee
- 👤 Perry A. Pierce
- 👤 David W. Riley
- 👤 Frederick W. Ryan Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 22:27
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07B; G07B17/00; G07B17/00016; G07B17/0008; G07B17/00733; G07B2017/00088; G07B2017/00096; G07B2017/00137; G07B2017/00741; G07B2017/00758; G07B2017/00766; G07B2017/00959; G07B2017/00967
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
105 words
A transaction evidencing system (10) comprising: a plurality of computers (20) operatively connected as part of a
computer network and operating as client computers on the computer
network; at least one security device (40) coupled to at least one of the client
computers (20) (local client computer), said security device including unique
identification, value storage means and digital signature means; means in said client computers (20) for functioning as a transaction
evidencing network wherein a client computer (remote client computer) other
than the local client computer requests and obtains transaction evidencing
from the security device (40) for concluding a transaction at the remote client
computer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the local client computer (20) is arranged to
function as a transaction server and the remote client computer (20)
functions as a transaction client on the transaction evidencing network.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
97 words
The system of claim 2 wherein the remote client computer is arranged to
initiate transaction accounting in the security device (40) by sending a
request for transaction evidencing to the local client computer, said local
client computer is arranged to send the request for the transaction evidencing
to the security device (40), and wherein said local client computer is arranged
to receive transaction information unique to the requested transaction
evidencing, said transaction information including a digital signature, and
wherein said local client computer is arranged to send at least the digital
signature to the remote client computer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the local client is operable to send the
transaction evidencing to the remote client computer for subsequent printing.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
22 words
The system of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the local client computer is
operable to print the transaction evidencing.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
30 words
The system of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the local client computer
includes means for maintaining transaction information relating to transaction
evidencing processed by the security device.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
44 words
The system of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the remote client computer is
coupled to a printer (22), said remote client computer being operable to
cause said printer (22) to print evidence of the transaction, said evidence
including the digital signature.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
40 words
The system of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the local client computer
determines whether the remote client computer is authorized to request the
transaction evidencing from the security device before sending the request to
the security device.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
41 words
The system of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the security device (40) is
arranged to determine whether the remote client computer is authorized to
request the transaction evidencing from the security device (40) before
performing the transaction evidencing.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
45 words
The system of any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the security device (40) is
arranged to generate the digital signature and to perform accounting for the
transaction, said local client computer being arranged to store transaction
information received from the security device (40).
Claim 11
Independent Claim
50 words
The system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the security device is
operable to generate the digital signature and to perform accounting for the
transaction, said local client computer being arranged to send transaction
information received from the security device to a network server for the
computer network.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
19 words
The system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the transaction
evidencing system is a postage metering system.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
218 words
A method for printing postage on a mailpiece using a printer (22) coupled to a
personal computer (20) (computer), the method comprising the steps of: connecting a plurality of computers (20) as part of a computer network
(10); providing a postal security device (PSD) (40) coupled to at least one of
said plurality of computers (20), wherein the other of said plurality of
computers (20) are remote to the PSD, the PSD being a secure processor-based
accounting device that dispenses and accounts for postal value stored
therein; sending (200) a request from the remote computer (20) to the local
computer (20) for an amount of the postal value stored in the PSD, the
request comprising postal information, including data representative of the
amount of the postal value to be printed on a mailpiece by the remote
computer, dispensing (220) the requested amount of postal value by generating
in the PSD (40) a digital signature representing the requested amount and
accounting for the requested amount; sending (225) the digital signature and the transaction information
from the PSD (40) to the local computer (20); sending (235) the digital signature and at least some of the transaction
information from the local computer (20) to the remote computer (20) ; and printing (245) an indicium including the digital signature on the
mailpiece.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of: verifying at the local computer that the remote computer is
authorized to access the postal value stored in the PSD.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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