Assembly for franking postal matter, and multi-carrier shipping system

• US 5,699,258 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
• Original Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
• Inventors: Thiel, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US08/484,071
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 177/25.15, 364/464.02, 364/464.03, 364/464.11, 364/464.19, 364/464.2, 395/220
• US Class Current: 705/409
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00024 Physical or organizational aspects of franking systems
• 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 17/00193 Constructional details of apparatus in a franking system
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00362 Calculation or computing within apparatus, e.g. calculation of postage value
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00032 Determining the location of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0012 in a mobile phone system
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00177 from a portable device, e.g. a card or a PCMCIA
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00241 Modular design
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00346 Power handling, e.g. power-down routine
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00379 Calculation of different sending options for a mail piece
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00395 Memory organization
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00403 Memory zones protected from unauthorized reading or writing
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00588 Barcode
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00653 Special inks, e.g. fluorescent
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00701 Measuring the weight of mailpieces

Abstract

A systen for franking postal matter comprises a control module, a printer module, a memory connected to the control module, a receiving device connected with the memory for receiving data transmitted via transmission device. At least one table of data with information linked to one or more conditions are downloaded from the transmission device. The control module storing the data in predetermined memory regions of the memory when the assembly is put into operation. A current table of data and information is selected from the data with specific functions to be available in the assembly for franking postal matter in dependence on the one or more conditions. The system is also applicable to multi-carrier shipping. In that case, the control module selects available carriers for a certain shipping order, compares the individual carrier-specific data tables and provides a selection or at least a comparison with regard to the preferred shipping carrier.

Claims

1. An assembly for franking postal matter, comprising:

a control module and a printer module;

memory means having predetermined memory regions connected to said control module, receiving means communicatingly connected with said memory means for receiving data transmitted via transmission means;

said receiving means including means for downloading at least one table of data from the transmission means, wherein the table of data contains information linked to at least one condition;

said control module having means for storing the at least one table of data received by said receiving means into one of said predetermined memory regions of said memory means when the assembly is put into operation;

said control module including further means for selecting from the at least one table of data a relevant table of data and information regarding specific functions to be available in the assembly for franking postal matter as a function of the at least one condition;

the table of data including an associated expiration date and said control module continuously monitoring the expiration date;

said control module, on or after the expiration date, automatically downloading an updated table of data from said memory means when the updated table of data is available in said memory means; and

said control module with said receiving means downloading the updated table of data from a carrier when no updated table of data is available in said memory means for allowing continuous service during a period of changing carrier rates.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one table of data includes at least one postal rate table;

said downloading and storing means, when the assembly is put into operation, loading the at least one postal rate table from the transmission means, via the receiving means, into one of said predetermined memory regions of said memory means; and

said control module having further means for selecting an applicable postage from the postal rate table relevantly in effect, in dependence on a place of origin of the postal matter and on a current date.

3. The assembly according to claim 1, including a communication bus connecting said control module to other modules and components, and a battery-powered clock component for supplying the assembly with time and date data via said bus.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the transmission means include stored data regarding supplementary functions to be downloaded which are valid for only a limited period of time and only for a predetermined geographic location from a previously determined date onward, some of the supplementary functions being freely selectable and some being not manipulatable for security purposes.

5. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein said control module, said printer module, said memory means and said receiving means are incorporated in a portable franking device.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, including a communications bus connecting said control module to other modules and components, and a programmable clock component for supplying the assembly with an applicable local time on the basis of a specified location.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein said receiving means include means for reading a chip card, and wherein the transmission means is a chip card, said chip card having a memory with predetermined memory regions, said predetermined memory regions including at least one region for storing a postal rate table and an associated date defining a date when the postal rate table comes into effect.

8. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein said at least one region is a plurality of regions, each region being provided for at least one postal rate table and an associated date.

9. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined memory regions of said memory of said chip card include memory regions for a postal rate, supplementary function tables and supplementary information to be loaded via said receiving means, and including input means for allowing operator input of information selected from country of origin, place of origin, country and local time.

10. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the transmission means is a cellular communications network, and including a memory in the cellular communications network having memory segments;

and mobile radio means associated with said receiving means for receiving input from the memory in the cellular communications network of information associated with a geographic origin and with a local time.

11. The assembly according to claim 10, wherein said receiving means includes means for automatically transferring into said memory means the information received from the cellular communications network, when said mobile radio means is turned on.

12. The assembly according to claim 10, wherein the memory segments of the memory of the cellular communications network include memory segments for the postal rate, supplementary function tables and supplementary information to be loaded via said receiving means, and including input means for allowing input of information selected from country of origin, place of origin, country and local time, when the assembly is switched on.

13. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the data transmitted via the transmission means include postal rate tables being divided into zones, and including input means for inputting a weight of the postal matter, a class of service and a type of mail for each zone of the postal rate tables which can be downloaded into the assembly.

14. The assembly according to claim 13, wherein said input means allow direct manual input by an operator for ascertaining a postage.

15. The assembly according to claim 13, wherein said input means allow automatic input for ascertaining a postage.

16. The assembly according to claim 13, wherein said input means include a scales for weighing the postal matter.

17. The assembly according to claim 16, wherein said scales are in the form of an integrated weighing module.

18. A method of franking postal matter with an assembly for franking postal matter, wherein the assembly comprises a control module, memory means having predetermined memory regions connected to the control module, receiving means communicatingly connected with the memory means for receiving data transmitted via transmission means;

the method which comprises;

downloading, with receiving means, at least one table of data from the transmission means, wherein the table of data contains information linked to at least one condition;

putting the assembly into operation and immediately storing, with the control module, the at least one table of data received by the receiving means into one of the predetermined memory regions of the memory means;

subsequently selecting, with the control module, from the at least one table of data a relevant table of data and information regarding specific functions to be available in the assembly for franking postal matter as a function of the at least one condition;

monitoring an expiration date associated with the table of data with the control module;

automatically downloading with the control module, on or after the expiration date, an updated table of data from the memory means when the updated table of date is available in the memory means; and

downloading with the control module and the receiving means the updated table of data from a carrier when no updated table of data is available in the memory means for allowing continuous service during a period of changing carrier rates.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the receiving means include means for reading a chip card and the transmission means is a chip card, and wherein the method further comprises inserting a chip card into the chip card reading means for downloading with the receiving means, and removing the chip card prior to franking postal matter with the assembly.

20. An assembly for determining shipping costs for items to be shipped with a carrier selected from a plurality of carriers, comprising:

a printer module;

input means;

a programmable clock module operating independently of whether the assembly is in an operating or non-operating state, said programmable clock module being programmed with an applicable local time of a specified geographic location;

display means;

a control module connected with said input means, said programmable clock module, said display means and said printer module;

an internal memory having predetermined memory regions connected to said control module, receiving means communicatingly connected with said internal memory for receiving data tables transmitted via transmission means;

said receiving means having means for downloading at least one data table from the transmission means, the at least one data table containing information linked to at least one condition;

said control module being programmed to load the at least one data table from the transmission means via said receiving means into said predetermined memory region of said internal memory upon the occurrence of said at least one condition, said receiving means downloading a plurality of the data tables from said transmission means and each of the data tables being associated with a respective shipping carrier;

said control module having means for storing the at least one data table received by said receiving means into one of said predetermined memory regions of said internal memory means at least when the assembly is put into operation or turned on, said control module for a least one of the carriers automatically selecting relevant data tables and automatically downloading an updated relevant data table;

said control module being programmed to compute a final mailing cost for the various carriers from inputs received from the data tables; and

said control module including a comparator for comparing the mailing costs derived from the plurality of data tables and means for displaying a result of the comparison.

21. The assembly according to claim 20, wherein each of the data tables includes an associated expiration date and said control module, on or after the expiration date, automatically downloads the updated relevant data table with said receiving means.

22. The assembly according to claim 20, wherein each of the data tables contains information linked to at least one condition, and said control module selects from said data tables a relevant data table and information regarding specific functions to be available in the assembly for franking as a function of the at least one condition.

23. The assembly according to claim 20, wherein the plurality of data tables includes at least two relevant shipping rate tables;

said control module, when the assembly is put into operation, loading the two relevant shipping rate tables from the transmission means, via the receiving means, into one of said predetermined memory regions of said memory means; and

said control module selecting an applicable shipping fee from the relevant shipping rate tables, in dependence on a place of origin of the item to be shipped and on a current date.

24. A method of determining shipping costs for items to be shipped with one of a plurality of carriers, with a franking assembly comprising a control module, a memory having predetermined memory regions connected to the control module, and a receiver communicatingly connected with the memory for receiving data transmitted via transmission means;

the method which comprises;

inputting shipping information into the franking assembly, recalling, with the control module, data tables each associated with a different shipping carrier from the memory;

selecting appropriate data tables from the recalled data tables in accordance with the shipping information;

monitoring expiration dates associated with each of the data tables with the control module;

automatically downloading with the control module, on or after the expiration date, an updated data table from the memory when the updated data table is available in the memory;

downloading with the control module and the receiver, the updated data table from a carrier when the updated data table is not available from the memory for allowing continuous service during a period of changing carrier rates; and

calculating, with the control module, shipping costs for the items to be shipped from the respective data tables and as a function of the shipping information.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the assembly further comprises a display module, and the method further comprises comparing the shipping costs calculated in the calculating step, and displaying the shipping costs in ascending order.