Method and arrangement for entering data into a postage meter machine

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (c) comprises the steps of: entering mail carrier data restively identifying a plurality of mail carriers and an associated positioning of a respective sub-image relating to each mail carrier; checking the requested data upon receipt thereof by said postage meter machine from said data central; updating a sub-image relating to at least one of a time and date from running time-data generated by a clock-date module; positioning said sub-images in order to modify said control data file by actuating selected actuation elements of said postage meter machine; checking each change of a sub-image to determine whether the change is within a permissible range and whether permissible have been modified; and upon approval of the change, displaying the modified franking image in the form of a cleartext presentation on a display of said postage meter machine.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising the additional steps of: storing any sub-images transmitted to said postage meter machine from said data central in respective sub-image data files in said postage meter machine in a non-volatile manner; for any of said sub-image data files which relate to identification of a mail carrier, allocating a carrier identified number respectively to the sub-image data file corresponding to the mail carrier identified therein; and storing pixel image data in respective pixel image data files non-volatilely for printing the information contained in the respective sub-image data files.

Claim 5

A postage meter machine comprising: a memory; input means including a plurality of actuation elements for setting said postage meter machine for operation using a selected mail carrier among a plurality of mail carriers; said input means including an actuation element for specifically setting a new mail carrier, different from a current mail carrier; processor means responsive to actuation of said actuation element for loading data into a control data file in said memory relating to said new mail carrier for causing modification of mail carrier information a printed franking image which contains said mail carrier information, said control data file containing a plurality of data files respectively containing sub-images uniquely allocated to different one of said plurality of mail carriers and each of said data files containing change data associated with the mail carrier respectively allocated thereto for modifying said franking image dependent on the mail carrier allocated to the sub-image data file; and said processor means comprising means for using said change data for automatically positioning the sub-image, with franking image, contained in the sub-image data file allocated to the new mail carrier.

Claim 6

A postage meter machine comprising: a memory; input means including a plurality of actuation elements for setting said postage meter machine for operation using a selected mail carrier among a plurality of mail carriers; said input means including an actuation element for specifically setting a new mail carrier, different from a current mail carrier; processor means responsive to actuation of said actuation element for loading data into a control data file in said memory relating to said new mail carrier for causing modification of mail carrier information a printed franking image which contains said mail carrier information, said control data file containing a plurality of data files respectively containing sub-images uniquely allocated to different one of said plurality of mail carriers and each of said data files containing change data associated with the mail carrier respectively allocated thereto for modifying said franking image dependent on the mail carrier allocated to the sub-image data file; and said processor means comprising means for using said change data for automatically positioning the sub-image, with franking image, contained in the sub-image data file allocated to the new mail carrier.

Claim 7

A postage meter machine as claimed in claim 4 further comprising: means for establishing communication between said postage meter machine and a remote data central; means, responsive to actuation of said actuation element for setting a new mail carrier, for establishing communication, via said communication means, with said remote data center to obtain said sub-image data relating to the new mail carrier if said sub-image data relating to the new mail carrier are not already stored in one of said sub-image data files in said memory of said postage meter machine; means for storing sub-image data communicated to said postage meter machine from said remote data central relating to said new mail carrier in a new sub-image data file in said memory allocated to a carrier identification number for the new mail carrier; a character memory containing a plurality of invariable sub-data files, and means for storing invariable sub-image data allocated to said carrier identification number of said new mail carrier transmitted to said postage meter machine from said remote data central.

Claim 8

A postage meter machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein said input means comprises an actuation element for entering a command for calling an advertisement communicated to said postage meter machine from said data central during a preceding communication.

Claim 11

A method as claimed in claim 7 comprising offering location-specific window data for at least one of a postage stamp and auxiliary functions of said postage meter machine and current information for configuring said postage stamp via a communication network connected to a memory containing fetchable data blocks for reloading auxiliary functions and said current information and for updating data into said postage meter machine.

Claim 12

A method as claimed in claim 7 comprising offering a location-specific list from a remote data central to said postage meter machine for entering a carrier identification number into said postage meter machine corresponding to a name of a mail carrier for initializing said postage meter machine, said location-specific offering of said list being loaded from an external memory via a communication network between said postage meter machine and said remote data central.

Claim 13

A method as claimed in claim 7 comprising the additional steps of: storing a fee schedule in said postage meter machine for each mail carrier among a plurality of mail carriers, each fee schedule having a minimum validity duration associated therewith; and upon selection of a new mail carrier by said postage meter machine, automatically dialing a remote data station to obtain a new fee schedule for said new mail carrier if the minimum validity duration of the fee schedule for the new mail carriers stored in said postage meter machine has been exceeded.

Claim 14

A method as claimed in claim 7 comprising the additional steps of: offering location-specific window data for at least one of a postage stamp and auxiliary functions of said postage meter machine and entering current information for configuring said postage stamp using a first transmission means; and entering a user-specific setting of said postage meter machine using a second transmission means.

Claim 15

A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising using an integrated chipcard as each of said first and second transmission means, said chipcard having a memory with fetchable data blocks for reloading updating data and said auxiliary functions.

Claim 16

A method as claim in claim 7 comprising the additional steps of: changing a location of said postage meter machine to a new location; and upon said postage meter machine being switched on at said new location, entering a postal zipcode for said new location into said postage meter machine automatically via a transmission means connected to one of a mobile radio telephone or a communication network and thereafter completing initialization of said postage meter machine at said new location.

Claim 17

A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising the additional steps of: during initialization of said postage meter machine, forming a communication requirement including request data and communicating said communication requirement from said postage meter machine to a remote data central in a communication path including a local switching center; and identification of the location of said postage meter machine being automatically inserted into said communication requirement and request data sent to said remote data central from said local switching network, and information identifying the location of the postage meter machine thereafter being automatically included in all communications from said postage meter machine to said data central.

Claim 18

A method as claimed in claim 7 comprising offering a location-specific list from a remote data central for entering a postal zipcode into said postage meter machine during initialization of said postage meter machine and offering location-specific data to said postage meter machine from an external memory via said communication network.

Claim 19

A method as claimed in claim 15 comprising the additional steps of: changing a location of said postage meter machine to a new location; and upon said postage meter machine being switched on, entering a postal zipcode of said new location into said postage meter machine via a keyboard during initialization of said postage meter machine.

Claim 20

A method as claimed in claim 15 comprising the additional step of: transmitting a telephone number of a location at which said postage meter machine is located to a remote data central; evaluating said telephone number at said remote data central; and at said remote data central, allocating at least a portion of said telephone number to a stored, allocated portion of a franking image.

Claim 21

A postage meter machine comprising: a processor; a user-operable input unit for entering signals into said processor; reception means for receiving data from a remote data source at a location external to said postage meter machine; a write/read memory connected to said processor; a clock/date module for offering information identifying time and date to said processor; transmission means for establishing communication between said remote data source and said reception means; and said processor comprising means for, in response to a signal at any arbitrary time from said input unit, formulating a request for a fee schedule including request data identifying a country and a location in said country of said postage meter machine and a time and date from said information from said clock/date module, and for transmitting said request to said remote data source via said transmission means and for receiving a first fee schedule, dependent on said request data, from said remote data source via said reception means, said fee schedule having a validity date, and for loading said first fee schedule into said write/read memory, and for automatically comparing said validity date with said information offered by said clock/date module and for, if said validity date has expired, automatically formulating a new request for a fee schedule including new request data updated as to country, location and time and date and for automatically transmitting said new request to said remote data center and for receiving an updated second fee schedule, dependent on said new request data, via said reception means, and for loading said second fee schedule into said write/read memory in place of said first fee schedule.

Claim 22

A postage meter machine comprising: a processor; a user-operable input unit for entering signals into said processor; reception means for receiving data from a remote data source at a location external to said postage meter machine; a write/read memory connected to said processor; a clock/date module for offering information identifying time and date to said processor; transmission means for establishing communication between said remote data source and said reception means; and said processor comprising means for, in response to a signal at any arbitrary time from said input unit, formulating a request for a fee schedule including request data identifying a country and a location in said country of said postage meter machine and a time and date from said information from said clock/date module, and for transmitting said request to said remote data source via said transmission means and for receiving a first fee schedule, dependent on said request data, from said remote data source via said reception means, said fee schedule having a validity date, and for loading said first fee schedule into said write/read memory, and for automatically comparing said validity date with said information offered by said clock/date module and for, if said validity date has expired, automatically formulating a new request for a fee schedule including new request data updated as to country, location and time and date and for automatically transmitting said new request to said remote data center and for receiving an updated second fee schedule, dependent on said new request data, via said reception means, and for loading said second fee schedule into said write/read memory in place of said first fee schedule.