Method and system for optimizing refill amount for automatic refill of a shared virtual postage meter
First Claim
1. A method for determining a refill amount for funds stored in a value dispensing meter comprising the steps of:
- calculating a refill amount candidate, said refill amount candidate being based in part on an elapsed time since a preceding refill operation and an amount of funds refilled in said preceding refill operation;
comparing said refill amount candidate with a predetermined range; and
setting said refill amount to said refill amount candidate if said refill amount candidate is within said predetermined range.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for dynamically optimizing the amount of an automatic refill of a shared virtual postage meter is disclosed. A desired time between refills is predetermined based on the capacity of the system to perform refills, the time required to process a refill, and the impact of performing a refill on the overall performance of the system. A refill amount candidate is then determined based on the predetermined desired time between refills, the elapsed time since the last refill and the amount of the last refill. The determined refill amount candidate is then further validated to insure that it falls within a range of a predetermined minimum and maximum refill amounts. Once validated, the refill amount candidate is the optimal refill amount, and the shared virtual postage meter is refilled accordingly.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for determining a refill amount for funds stored in a value dispensing meter comprising the steps of:
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calculating a refill amount candidate, said refill amount candidate being based in part on an elapsed time since a preceding refill operation and an amount of funds refilled in said preceding refill operation;
comparing said refill amount candidate with a predetermined range; and
setting said refill amount to said refill amount candidate if said refill amount candidate is within said predetermined range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for refilling funds stored in a postage meter system comprising the steps of:
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calculating a refill amount candidate by dividing a desired time between refill operations by an elapsed time since a preceding refill operation to obtain a result, and multiplying said result by an amount of funds of said preceding refill operation;
validating said calculated refill amount candidate, said validation comprising the steps of;
determining if said refill amount candidate is less than a predetermined minimum refill amount for said postage meter system;
updating said refill amount candidate to be said predetermined minimum refill amount if said refill amount candidate is less than said predetermined minimum refill amount for said postage meter system;
determining if said refill amount candidate is greater than a predetermined maximum refill amount for said postage meter system; and
updating said refill amount candidate to be said predetermined maximum refill amount if said refill amount candidate is greater than said predetermined maximum refill amount for said postage meter system;
said method further comprising;
refilling said postage meter system in an amount equal to said validated refill amount candidate. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A value dispensing meter system comprising:
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a data center, said data center including a vault for storing funds therein; and
a host computer coupled to said data center via a network, said host computer adapted to access said data center via said network to request dispensing of funds stored in said vault, said data center further comprising a processor, said processor determining a refill amount for funds stored in said vault and initiating a refill of said funds in said refill amount, said determination comprising the steps of;
calculating a refill amount candidate, said refill amount candidate being based in part on an elapsed time since a preceding refill operation and an amount of funds refilled in said preceding refill operation; and
comparing said refill amount candidate with a predetermined range;
wherein if said refill amount candidate is within said predetermined range, said refill amount is set to said refill amount candidate. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A virtual postage meter system comprising:
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a data center, said data center including a vault for storing funds therein; and
a host computer coupled to said data center via a network, said host computer adapted to access said data center via said network to request dispensing of postage funds stored in said vault, said data center further comprising a processor, said processor determining a refill amount for postage funds stored in said vault and initiating a refill of said postage funds in said refill amount, said determination comprising the steps of;
calculating a refill amount candidate by dividing a desired time between refill operations by an elapsed time since a preceding refill operation to obtain a result, and multiplying said result by an amount of funds of said preceding refill operation;
validating said calculated refill amount candidate, said validation comprising the steps of;
determining if said refill amount candidate is less than a predetermined minimum refill amount for said postage meter system;
updating said refill amount candidate to be said predetermined minimum refill amount if said refill amount candidate is less than said predetermined minimum refill amount for said postage meter system;
determining if said refill amount candidate is greater than a predetermined maximum refill amount for said postage meter system; and
updating said refill amount candidate to be said predetermined maximum refill amount if said refill amount candidate is greater than said predetermined maximum refill amount for said postage meter system;
said method further comprising;
refilling said vault of said data center in an amount equal to said validated refill amount candidate. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification