Mailing system interface interconnecting incompatible communication systems
First Claim
1. A systems interface between a mailing system processor which communicates in a specific format along a serial communications bus and controller means which established communications links with selected mailing system peripheral devices, the controller means receiving data and commands along parallel lines in accordance with a different format, the specific format and the different format being incompatible, the interface operatively interconnecting the serial communications bus and the controller means, the interface comprising means for receiving data signals from the serial communications bus, the data signal receiving means including register means for storing and grouping serially transmitted data signals, said register means comprising a shift register, processing means, means interconnecting the register means and the processing means for transmitting the grouped data signals to the processing means, the processing means including means for transmitting the grouped data signals to the controller means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated mailing system includes a postage value determining system processor, a scale for providing weight indicative signals, a keyboard for operator entry of information relating to a determination of postage, and a plurality of peripheral devices. A peripheral controller interface establishes communications links with the peripheral devices. An incompatible systems interface interconnects a serial communications bus of the system processor and the peripheral controller interface. The incompatible systems interface includes a processor programmed to receive, decode and transmit information from or to the system processor along the serial bus and load or receive information from or to the peripheral controller interface along parallel lines. The communication timing constraints of the serial communications bus for receipt of data signals by the system processor do not permit monitoring of the data transmission by the incompatible systems processor. To accommodate for such timing constraints, system clock pulses of the serial bus are employed at a flip-flop to disable the incompatible systems processor.
37 Citations
10 Claims
- 1. A systems interface between a mailing system processor which communicates in a specific format along a serial communications bus and controller means which established communications links with selected mailing system peripheral devices, the controller means receiving data and commands along parallel lines in accordance with a different format, the specific format and the different format being incompatible, the interface operatively interconnecting the serial communications bus and the controller means, the interface comprising means for receiving data signals from the serial communications bus, the data signal receiving means including register means for storing and grouping serially transmitted data signals, said register means comprising a shift register, processing means, means interconnecting the register means and the processing means for transmitting the grouped data signals to the processing means, the processing means including means for transmitting the grouped data signals to the controller means.
- 9. An automated mailing system comprising a postage scale, a system processor receiving weight data from the scale, communications means for transmitting and receiving information operatively connected to the system processor, the communications means including a serial communications bus, at least one mailing system peripheral device, and controller means for establishing communications with the one peripheral device, the controller means including means for receiving data and commands from a system processor in a parallel loaded format, the mailing system further including an incompatible systems interface, the interface being operatively connected between the serial communications bus and the controller means, the interface comprising processing means, memory means, means for storing information received from the system processor, the processing means retrieving the stored information and transmitting the retrieved information to the controller means in a parallel loaded format compatible with the controller means.
Specification