Resettable counter for postage meter

Claim 1

In a postage meter for imprinting a postage value onto a mail piece and having at least one counter for postal accounting purposes, a selector mechanism for selecting the amount of postage to be imprinted onto a particular item of mail comprising a plurality of selector elements each manually settable to positions defining a part of the postage amount to be imprinted, and a main shaft which rotates once to complete an imprinting operation whereupon the value of the amount imprinted is transferred into said counter; the improvement comprising a resettable counter means for providing a resettable total count of postage values imprinted; said resettable counter means comprising: A. A plurality of switches settable by the selector mechanism to correspond to the amount set into said mechanism for imprinting postage, said switches comprise, for each said selector element, a switch assembly including a set of contacts and a cooperating member movable relatively thereto; B. an electronic accumulating register, said contacts of said switch assembly being connected to inputs on said register corresponding to the positions to which said selector element can be set; C. means to sample said plurality of switches as a postal imprinting operation takes place and thereby enter into said register the amount set upon the selector mechanism, said means to sample said switches includes means to energize each switch assembly in turn so as to enter into the register in turn the parts of the postal amount to be imprinted as defined by the settings of the selector elements; D. a read-out display for said register; and E. reset means for resetting said register to zero.