System and method for communications with postage meters
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A postage meter device for printing postage of various values comprising:
- an electro-mechanical element for processing mail items;
an input for selecting a value of postage for each of said mail items;
a processing element for defining at least one charge class with a first postage value being an upper bound and a second postage value being a lower bound;
said processing element associating a subset of said mail items with said at least one charge class based on postage values selected for said subset;
a counter for determining the number of mail items in said subset;
a memory buffer for storing statistical data including data representative of the number of said mail items; and
a communications element for directly and electronically transmitting signals representative of said statistical data to an external data center.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a communications system, a host computer in a data center communicates with a multiplicity of electronic postage meters via telephone dial-up lines to conduct telemeter setting (TMS) transactions. Through the communications, the host computer may collect statistical data from each meter, and may impose a cumulative postage amount limit, a time limit and/or a piece limit on the meter. To ensure security and data integrity, the communicated data between the meters and the host computer is selectively encrypted and/or authenticated.
140 Citations
88 Claims
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1. A postage meter device for printing postage of various values comprising:
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an electro-mechanical element for processing mail items; an input for selecting a value of postage for each of said mail items; a processing element for defining at least one charge class with a first postage value being an upper bound and a second postage value being a lower bound; said processing element associating a subset of said mail items with said at least one charge class based on postage values selected for said subset; a counter for determining the number of mail items in said subset; a memory buffer for storing statistical data including data representative of the number of said mail items; and a communications element for directly and electronically transmitting signals representative of said statistical data to an external data center. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A postage meter device for printing postage of various values comprising:
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an electro-mechanical element for processing mail items; a communications element for directly receiving at least one signal from an external data center, said signal representative of a piece limit restricting a number of mail items to be processed; a memory buffer for storing the piece limit restricting a number of said mail items to be processed; and a mechanism responsive to the piece limit for stopping the processing of said mail items when said piece limit is reached.
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8. A postage meter device for printing postage comprising:
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an electro-mechanical element for dispensing postage; a first memory buffer for providing a pre-selected value as a maximum postage limit up to which cumulative postage dispensed by the meter reaches; a second memory buffer for storing a second value higher than said pre-selected value after non-zero postage has been dispensed; a communications element for directly receiving at least one signal from an external data center, said signal representative of said second value; and a processing element for increasing said maximum postage limit from said pre-selected value to said second value.
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9. A communications system comprising:
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a plurality of postage meters for printing postage; a data center comprising a communications element for directly communicating to a selected one of said postage meters at least one signal representative of at least a first postage value and a second postage value for defining at least one class in the selected meter, said meter further comprising; an electro-mechanical element for processing mail items; an input device for selecting postage for said mail items; and a processing element for associating a subset of said mail items with said at least one class based on postage values selected for said subset; a counter for counting the number of items in said subset; and a memory buffer for storing statistical data reflecting the amount of said mail items processed by said postage meter which are associated with said at least one charge class. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A communications system comprising:
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at least one postage meter for processing mail items; and a data center comprising; a communications element for directly communicating to said postage meter at least one signal representative of at least a time limit restricting a time period during which said mail items are processed by said meter, said meter further comprising a mechanism responsive to said signal for stopping processing of said mail items when said time limit is reached; and a processing element for determining whether the time limit previously communicated to said meter has been reached; whereby when the previous time limit is determined to have been reached, said data center communicates a new time limit directly to said meter by said communications element to disengage the stopping means of said meter to resume processing of said mail items upon a satisfaction of one or more predetermined conditions. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A communications system comprising:
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at least one postage meter for processing mail items with varying amounts of postage; and a communications element for directly communicating to said at least one postage meter at least one signal representative of a piece limit restricting the number of mail items to be processed thereby, said meter further comprising a mechanism responsive to said limit for stopping processing of said mail items when said limit is reached. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A communications system comprising:
at least one postage meter for dispensing postage comprising a register for storing an available postage amount for dispensation; and a communications interface for directly transmitting to an external data center at least one signal representative of a request for a postage amount to be added to said available postage amount, the requested postage amount being less than zero; and a data center comprising a communications interface for directly receiving from said at least one postage meter said at least one signal representative of the requested postage amount; and a processor responsive to the received requested postage amount for refunding to a user of said postage meter an absolute value of the requested postage amount. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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36. A communication system comprising:
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at least one postage meter comprising an electro-mechanical element for dispensing postage; a memory buffer for providing a pre-selected value as a maximum postage limit up to which cumulative postage dispensed by the meter reaches; and a communications interface for directly transmitting at least one signal representative of a request for an additional postage amount for dispensation after non-zero postage has been dispensed; and a data center comprising a communications interface for directly receiving from said at least one postage meter said at least one signal representative of the requested additional postage amount said communications interface responsive to the requested additional postage amount for directly communicating to said postage meter at least one signal representative of a second value higher than said pre-selected value for causing said maximum postage limit to increase from said pre-selected value to said second value. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A method for use in a postage meter device for printing postage of various values comprising the steps of:
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processing mail items; selecting values of postage for said mail items; defining at least one charge class with a first postage value being an upper bound and a second postage value being a lower bound; associating a subset of said mail items with said at least one charge class based on postage values selected for said subset; counting the number of processed mail items associated with said subset; and storing statistical data reflecting the amount of said mail items processed by said postage meter which are associated with said at least one charge class; and directly electronically transmitting at least one signal representative of said statistical data to an external data center. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A method for use in a postage meter device for printing postage comprising the steps of:
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processing mail items including the application of postage of varying amounts; receiving at least one signal from an external data center, said signal representative of a piece limit restricting a number of mail items to be processed; and stopping, in response to the received limit, the processing of said mail items when said limit is reached.
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54. A method for use in a postage meter device for printing postage comprising the steps of:
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dispensing postage; providing a pre-selected value as a maximum postage limit up to which cumulative postage dispensed by the meter reaches; directly receiving from an external data center at least one signal representative of a second value higher than said pre-selected value after non-zero postage has been dispensed; and increasing said maximum postage limit from said pre-selected value to said second value.
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55. A method for use in a communications system including a data center in direct communication with a plurality of postage meters for printing postage, said method comprising the steps of:
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directly communicating to a selected one of said postage meters at least one signal representative of at least a first postage value and a second postage value for defining at least one class in the selected meter; storing said first and second postage values; processing by the selected postage meter mail items; selecting postage for said mail items; associating a subset of said mail items with said at least one class based on postage values selected for said subset; counting the number of mail items associated with said subset; and storing statistical data reflecting the amount of said mail items processed by said postage meter which are associated with said at least one charge class. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. A method for use in a communications system including at least one postage meter for processing mail items, said method comprising the steps of:
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directly communicating to said postage meter by an external data center at least one signal representative of a time limit restricting a time period during which said mail items are processed by said meter; stopping, in response to said limit, processing of said mail items by said postage meter when said time limit is reached; determining whether the time limit previously communicated to said meter has been reached; and when the previous time limit is determined to have been reached, directly communicating a new time limit to said meter to resume processing of said mail items upon a satisfaction of one or more predetermined conditions. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. A method for use in a communications system including at least one postage meter for processing mail items with varying postage, said method comprising the steps of:
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directly electronically communicating to said at least one postage meter at least one signal representative of a piece limit restricting a number of mail items to be processed thereby; and stopping, in response to said piece limit, processing of said mail items when said piece limit is reached. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A method for use in a communications system including at least one postage meter for dispensing postage, said method comprising the steps of:
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storing by said at least one postage meter an available postage amount for dispensation; requesting a postage amount to be added to said available postage amount, the requested postage amount being smaller than zero; and receiving from said at least one postage meter the requested postage amount; and refunding, in response to the received requested postage amount, to a user of said postage meter an absolute value of the requested postage amount. - View Dependent Claims (78)
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79. A method for use in a communications system including at least one postage meter, said method comprising the steps of:
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dispensing postage by said postage meter; providing a pre-selected value as a maximum postage limit up to which cumulative postage dispensed by said postage meter reaches; directly communicating to an external data center by said postage meter at least one signal representative of a request for an additional postage amount for dispensation after non-zero postage has been dispensed; directly receiving by said data center from said postage meter the requested additional postage amount; and directly communicating to said postage meter by said data center, in response to the requested additional postage amount, at least one signal representative of a second value higher than said pre-selected value for causing said maximum postage limit to increase from said pre-selected value to said second value. - View Dependent Claims (80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88)
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Specification