Method for statistics mode reloading and for statistical acquisition according to statistics classes in the storing of a dataset

• US 6,148,292 A
• Filed: 07/14/1998
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
• Original Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
• Inventors: Turner, Olaf, Reisinger, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US09/115,048
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 377/13, 377/14, 377/15, 377/16, 705/30, 705/401, 705/404, 705/410, 705/60, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• 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 17/00733 Cryptography or similar special procedures in a franking system
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00169 from a franking apparatus, e.g. for verifying accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00427 Special accounting procedures, e.g. storing special information
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00774 MAC (Message Authentication Code), e.g. DES-MAC

Abstract

In a method for statistics mode reloading and for the statistical acquisition in the storage of a dataset in an electronic postage meter machine, the statistics mode of the electronic postage meter machine created for the acquisition of pre-compressed data according to statistics classes (postal classes) is interchangeably installed. A formation of freely selectable, new statistics instruction data for a future statistics mode ensues in the data center for the purpose of a transmission in the form of an instruction dataset. The installation of the statistics mode ensues during a communication of the postage meter machine with the data center. A microprocessor of the postage meter machine is programmed to change the statistics mode by modem or with another suitable communication means at least periodically or when the mail carrier is changed, or within the framework of a reloading of the postage meter machine. Preceding transactions are provided in the communication mode in order to transmit data of the old statistics mode to the data center. A deletion of the old statistics data ensues after a successfully ended, error-free transaction for interrogating the old statistics data and after a transmission of valid, new statistics instruction data during a following transaction. The acquisition now ensues according to new statistics classes, whereby all check steps for membership in respective statistics classes are executed.

Claims

1. A method for statistics mode reloading and statistics acquisition according to statistics classes in storage of data in a postage meter machine which can communicate with a data center located remote from the postage meter machine, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) operating said postage meter machine to conduct frankings and causing said postage meter machine to enter into a statistics mode wherein data associated with said frankings are stored in respective statistics classes;

(b) forming freely selectable new statistics instruction data at said data center for a future statistics mode, said instruction data including instructions for forming new statistics classes and for pre-compression of statistics mode data;

(c) establishing communication between said postage meter machine and said data center and transmitting said data in said statistics classes from said postage meter machine to said data center, and transmitting said new statistics instruction data from said data center to said postage meter machine;

(d) transmitting an instruction from said data center to said postage meter machine to cause said postage meter machine to non-volatilely store said new statistics instruction data in said postage meter machine; and

(e) operating said postage meter machine to conduct further frankings and causing said postage meter machine to enter into said statistics mode wherein data associated with said further frankings are pre-compressed, stored in respective statistics classes, and interpreted according to said new statistics instruction data.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said data associated with said frankings in step (a) comprise old data, and wherein step (c) further comprises deleting said old data from storage in said postage meter machine upon transmittal of said new statistics instruction from said data center to said postage meter machine.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said data associated with said frankings in step (a) comprise old data, and wherein step (d) deleting said old data from storage in said postage meter machine upon receipt by said postage meter machine of said instruction to non-volatilely store said news statistics instruction data in said postage meter machine.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising conducting steps (c) and (d) automatically after expiration of a predetermined time.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises storing old statistics instruction data, defining the respective statistics classes employed in step (a), in a designated memory area of a memory in said postage meter machine, and wherein step (c) comprises a transaction between said postage meter machine and said data center, and said method comprising the additional steps of:

upon completion of said transaction, conducting an error routine in said postage meter machine to determine whether said transaction was successfully completed without error; and

upon a determination in said error routine that said transaction was successfully completed without error, deleting said old statistics instruction data in said designated memory area and storing said new statistics instruction data in said designated memory area in place thereof.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises pre- compressing said further data with a logic operation performed on respective statistics classes in which said further data are contained, and further comprising conducting a separate review step for determining membership of said further data in the respective statistics classes dependent on said new statistics instruction data.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises including verification data in said new statistics instruction data and storing said verification data at said data center, and wherein step (d) comprises:

following receipt of said new statistics instruction data by said postage meter machine in step (c), extracting said verification data from said new statistics instruction data at said postage meter machine;

transmitting said verification data from said postage meter machine to said data center;

comparing the verification information transmitted to said data center from said postage meter machine to the verification information stored at said data center; and

upon finding coincidence of said verification data transmitted from said postage meter machine to said data center with said verification data stored at said data center, transmitting said instruction from said data center to said postage meter machine to cause said postage meter machine to non-volatilely store said new statistics instruction data in said postage meter machine.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said news statistics instruction data has a version number uniquely associated therewith, and wherein said verification data comprise said version number.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data associated with said frankings in step (a) are stored in said respective statistics classes dependent on old statistics instruction data stored in said postage meter machine, and wherein step (d) comprises:

after receipt of said new statistics instruction data by said postage meter machine in step (c), intermediately, volatilely storing said new statistics instruction data in said postage meter machine;

forming a checksum over said intermediately, volatilely stored new statistics instruction data in said postage meter machine;

transmitting said checksum from said postage meter machine to said data center;

at said data center, comparing the checksum transmitted to said data center by said postage meter machine to a predetermined checksum value for said new statistics instruction data; and

upon coincidence of the checksum transmitted from said postage meter machine to said data center with said checksum value, transmitting said instruction from said data center to said postage meter machine to cause said postage meter machine to non-volatilely store said new statistics instruction data in said postage meter machine as a replacement for said old statistics instruction data.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 comprising the additional step of assigning a unique PIN to said postage meter machine, and wherein step (b) comprises including a PIN in said new statistics instruction data at said data center, and wherein step (c) comprises transmitting said new statistics instruction data from said data center to said postage meter machine as encrypted data, and said method comprising the additional steps of:

upon receipt of said encrypted data at said postage meter machine, before intermediately volatilely storing said new statistics instruction data, decrypting said encrypted data to obtained decrypted data and extracting said PIN from said decrypted data;

comparing the PIN extracted from the decrypted data to the PIN assigned to the postage meter machine and, only upon coincidence between the PIN extracted from the decrypted data and the PIN of the postage meter machine, then intermediately, volatilely storing said new statistics instruction data.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10 comprising providing a one-time programmable (OTP) processor in said postage meter machine, said OTP processor having an internal program memory containing an algorithm for forming a checksum and for encrypting said checksum, said OTP processor having an internal main memory, and providing a separate memory in said postage meter machine apart from said internal main memory of said OTP processor, and wherein step (d) comprises:

intermediately, storing said new statistics instruction data in a main memory of said postage meter machine;

forming a checksum over the new statistics instruction data contained in said main memory of said postage meter machine using said algorithm and forming an encrypted message containing said checksum in encrypted form;

transmitting said encrypted message from said postage meter machine to said data center;

decrypting said encrypted message at said data center and extracting said checksum therefrom;

comparing the checksum extracted from the decrypted message at said data center to a predetermined checksum value stored at said data center;

only upon coincidence of said checksum extracted from said decrypted message with said predetermined checksum value, transmitting said instruction from said data center to said postage meter machine to cause said postage meter machine to non-volatilely store said new statistics instruction data in said postage meter machine; and

upon receipt of said instruction from said data center to said postage meter machine to cause said postage meter machine to non-volatilely store said new statistics instruction data in said postage meter machine, transferring said intermediately, volatilely stored new statistics instruction data from said main memory of said postage meter machine and non-volatilely storing said new statistics instruction data in said separate memory of said postage meter machine.

5. A method as claimed in claim I wherein said frankings in step (e) are for transporting mail using a new carrier, not available for said frankings in step (a), and said method comprising conducting steps (c) and (d) when said new carrier becomes available.