System for updating postal rate information utilized by remote mail processing apparatus

Claim 1

A system for replacing obsolete postal rate data with revised postal rate data carried in a mail processing apparatus adapted to calculate postage charges, said system comprising: (a) central data processing means adapted to generate revised postal rate data in binary format; (b) encoder means comprising a modem receiving the revised postal rate data in binary format and being adapted to convert such revised postal rate data into tone signals; (c) means receiving the tone signals and adapted to transmit the tone signals from the encoder to the mail processing apparatus, the transmitting means comprising telephone lines; (d) decoder means comprising a modem receiving the telephone line transmitted tone signals and adapted to translate said tone signals back into revised postal rate data in binary format; (e) the mail processing apparatus including a memory and a data processor, the memory being adapted for sequentially storing postal rate data at a plurality of storage locations, the data processor accessing the postal rate data stored in the memory for the purpose of calculation of postage charges; (f) the remote mail processing apparatus further including a programming transfer controller, the controller interconnecting the decoder means and the memory, the controller receiving the revised postal rate data in binary format from the decoder means and being adapted to: (1) sequentially address storage locations in the memory, (2) erase the data from the addressed storage location, and (3) load revised postal rate data into each sequentially addressed location; and (g) means to prevent the data processor from accessing the memory when the controller receives the revised postal rate data and for permitting the data processor to access the memory after the revised postal rate data has been loaded into the memory.

Claim 2

A system for replacing obsolete postal rate data with revised postal rate data carried in a mail processing apparatus adapted to calculate postage charges, said system comprising: (a) central data processing means adapted to generate revised postal rate data in binary format; (b) encoder means comprising a modem receiving the revised postal rate data in binary format and being adapted to convert such revised postal rate data into tone signals; (c) means receiving the tone signals and adapted to transmit the tone signals from the encoder to the mail processing apparatus, the transmitting means comprising telephone lines; (d) decoder means comprising a modem receiving the telephone line transmitted tone signals and adapted to translate said tone signals back into revised postal rate data in binary format; (e) the mail processing apparatus including a memory and a data processor, the memory being adapted for sequentially storing postal rate data at a plurality of storage locations, the data processor accessing the postal rate data stored in the memory for the purpose of calculation of postage charges; (f) the remote mail processing apparatus further including a programming transfer controller, the controller interconnecting the decoder means and the memory, the controller receiving the revised postal rate data in binary format from the decoder means and being adapted to: (1) sequentially address storage locations in the memory, (2) erase the data from the addressed storage location, and (3) load revised postal rate data into each sequentially addressed location; and (g) means to prevent the data processor from accessing the memory when the controller receives the revised postal rate data and for permitting the data processor to access the memory after the revised postal rate data has been loaded into the memory.