System for processing parcel shipping

• US 5,262,939 A
• Filed: 07/03/1991
• Issued: 11/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel Satmam
• Original Assignee: Alcatel Satmam
• Inventors: Vanpoucke, Jean-Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US07/725,119
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/406, 364/408, 364/900, 364/464.01, 364/468, 364/464.02, 364/464.03, 235/379, 235/380, 360/60, 380/3-4, 380/25
• US Class Current: 705/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/0008 Communication details outside or between apparatus coin-freed apparatus for franking per se G07F17/26
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00362 Calculation or computing within apparatus, e.g. calculation of postage value
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00661 Sensing or measuring mailpieces weighing G01G19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00177 from a portable device, e.g. a card or a PCMCIA
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00427 Special accounting procedures, e.g. storing special information
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00701 Measuring the weight of mailpieces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for processing parcel shipping comprises a set of "file memories" (2) containing firstly the identities of carriers, of senders, of the services offered by each carrier, of the documents that should accompany each shipment, and of the access of each sender to the various carriers and their services, and secondly receiving characteristics relating to each shipment, a programmed control unit (3) coupled to the files to generate and control the storing of characteristics specific to each shipment, document printers (10-13) for generating the documents for each shipment, the printer including a postage meter (13). The system further includes scales (14), and being characterized in that it includes an electronic card (20) for insertion into the processor unit to supervise its connection with the postage meter (13) and the scales (14), and to monitor and lock the software of the system by intervening in data exchanges between the programmed control unit (3) and the set of memories (2).

Claims

1. A system for processing parcel shipping enabling shipments received from various shippers to be conveyed to their respective recipients via various carriers on the basis of data defining a recipient and a carrier for each shipment, together with a specific one of that carrier'"'"'s services which is to be used, the system comprising:

first memories constituting, firstly a carrier file containing characteristics specific to the carriers usable by the system and relating to individual identification of the carriers themselves and to identification of the various services offered by each of them, together with the types of documents required for accompanying each shipment for each service, and secondly a sender file containing characteristics specific to the senders using the system and relating to individual identification of the senders themselves, and to identification of the carriers that each of the senders may use and the services of said carriers to which they have access;

the first memories further including a destination country file containing characteristics specific to countries contained in said country file and relating to their identification both with respect to tariffs and with respect to the documents specific to services for said countries;

a second memory constituting a shipment file;

input means for inputting data relating to each shipment;

print means for outputting documents;

a programmed control unit coupled to said files, to said input means and to said print means, and including;

shipment preprocessing means for verifying the input data from the carrier and sender files;

shipment processing means for attributing an individual reference to each shipment which, together with the data as input and verified, defines the characteristics of the corresponding shipment, referred to as a "processed" shipment, and storing the characteristics of each processed shipment in a shipment record in the shipment file; and

document printing control means for generating the documents identified in the carrier file on the basis of the shipment record in the shipment file corresponding to each shipment;

said system including scales coupled to said programmed control unit;

said print means including a postage meter and printers for printing said documents stickers; and

the system further it includes an electronic card (20) for insertion into the programmed control unit and which contains a system number N1, a secret number N2, an encrypting table T1 common to all systems, and an encrypting table T2 specific to the electronic card, such that the data contained in the first memories and encrypted using the combination N1, T1, are available for use in the system only when encrypted by the combination N2, T2.

2. The system according to claim 1 characterized in that said electronic card (20) is connected firstly via a bus (21A) to the postage meter (17) and to the scales (14), and secondly via another bus (21B) to the programmed control unit.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that said electronic card (20) includes a microcontroller (22) associated with a read only memory containing an initialization program, a read/write memory (24) containing an application program and, and a special program (25) containing lists of authorized tariff calculations and of documents to be printed, thereby constituting the configuration of the system.

4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the application program in the card electronic is erased when data interchange with the system program exceeds a predetermined duration.