A postage metering system with display

Claim 2

A postage metering apparatus having a display for displaying components of a determined postage value and information identifying said components.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said components and said information are displayed prior to printing of indicia corresponding to said postage value so that said postage value may be corrected if information incorrectly defining said components has been entered into the apparatus.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said display comprises a CRT.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3 which is a postal window system and display is provided for a customer using said postal window system.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to anyone of claims 1-4 comprising a weighing scale for determining the weight of an item to be mailed, a system processor for determining the applicable postage value in accordance with the weight of such item, a postage 4 GB 2 139 147 A 4 meter for imprinting corresponding indicia and a data communications bus interconnecting said scale, said system processor and said postage meter, and wherein said display comprises an additional distinct subsystem operably connected to said bus.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 5 further corn prising a keyboard operatively connected to said system processor for operator entry of additional information to be used in determining said applic able postage value into said system processor, said keyboard comprising a set of keys consisting of function keys and numeric keys, whereby informa tion may be entered into said system processor as a combination of function codes or function codes and 80 associated numeric values or numeric codes, said system processor transmitting components of said determined postage value to said display subsystem along with information identifying said components, so that said components may be identified and 85 displayed.

Claim 8

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said dislay subsystem comprises a display processor, display means operatively connected to said display processor for displaying alphanumeric information and memory means for storing data operatively connected to said display processor, said stored data including data defining display routines and formats and alphanumeric data codes corresponding to said component identifying codes, whereby said display subsystem may display said components with iden tifying information in a predetermined format in alphanumeric form so that said information is readily recognizable. 8. Postage apparatus of the type comprising a scale for detemining the weight of an item to be weighed, a system processor for determining applic able postage values in accordance with said deter mined weight, a postage meter for imprinting cor responding indicia on such item and a data com munications bus interconnecting said scale, system processor, and postage meter, characterised by a display subsystem, operatively connected to said bus, for displaying components of said determined postage values and alphanumeric information iden tifying said components, said postage values being the sum of said components. 9. Apparatus according to claim 8 in which the display subsystem includes display means for dis playing alphanumeric information, and the appar atus further comprises: (i) memory means for storing data, said data including data defining alphanumeric information identifying components of postage values; and (H) a display processor means operatively connects to said display means, said memory means and said bus for receiving from said system processor information identifying and defining components of postage values, and for matching said identifying alphanumeric data with said components and for controlling said display means so that said components are identified and displayed in a predetermined alphanumeric format. 10. A display subsystem for use with a postage metering system having a system processor, said subsystem comprising: (a) display means for displaying alphanumeric information (b) memory means for storing clats, said data including data defining alphanumeric information identifying components of said postage values; and (c) a display processor means operatively connected to said display means, said memory means and said system processor, for receiving from said system processor information identifying and defining said components of postage values, and for matching said identifying alphanumeric data with said components and for controlling said display means so that said components are identified and displayed in a predetermined alphanumeric format. 11. A subsystem according to claim 10 in combination with a postage metering system which comprises a scale, a system processor, a postage meter and a data communications bus interconnecting said scale, system processor and postage meter, said display processing means being operatively connected to said bus. 12, A postage metering apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to and as illus- trated in the accompanying drawings. 13. Any novel combination orsub-combination disclosed and/or illustrated herein. Printed in the UK for HM SO, D8818935,9/84,7102. Published byThe PatentOffice, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A 1AY, from which copies may be obtained.