Platform independent rate data and method of calculating a rate for a carrier manager using platform independent rate data

• US 6,286,009 B1
• Filed: 12/11/1998
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Rauh, Edward M., Carroll, Terri A., Njo, Angela M., Mattioli, John R. Jr., Hasbani, Jacques, Nunnally, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/209,715
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 705/401
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00362 Calculation or computing within apparatus, e.g. calculation of postage value
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00145 via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00161 from a central, non-user location, e.g. for updating rates or software, or for refilling funds
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00379 Calculation of different sending options for a mail piece
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00419 Software organization, e.g. separation into objects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a platform independent rate data structure for representing a rate chart for a carrier manager system and a method of calculating a rate using the platform independent rate data structure and carrier rate calculation software of the carrier manager system. The rate data structure represents the rate chart, and comprises a header and a data area. The header contains information which describes the content of the rate data structure. The data area may comprise a collection of expressions and a collection of subtables. The expressions are mathematical formulas representing rates. The subtables are formats representing rate chart data. A rate chart may be represented by a combination of subtables and/or expressions in a rate data structure. The amount of space required to represent the rate chart is reduced by the rate data structure representation of the present invention. The rate data structure representation is also platform independent.

Claims

1. A rate data structure for a carrier manager comprising:

(a) a rate data structure header containing information about the rate data structure and information about the functions of the rate data structure further comprising;

(i) a number of subtables indicator for indicating the number of subtables in the rate data structure;

(ii) a number of expressions indicator for indicating the number of expressions in the rate data structure; and

(iii) information regarding number and type of expected input parameters corresponding to each subtable in the rate data structure; and

(b) at least one subtable comprising;

(i) a subtable header comprising information about the subtable and the information contained in the subtable;

(ii) a parameter control data block comprising information corresponding to a parameter of the subtable; and

(iii) a subtable value control data block comprising value information corresponding to a set of one or more rates;

whereby the rate data structure is platform independent.

2. The rate data structure claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one expression for expressing rates.

3. The rate data structure claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one subtable further comprises a corresponding parameter control block comprising information corresponding to another parameter of the subtable.

4. The rate data structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the subtable header comprises:

(a) a subtable format indicator indicating the format of the subtable;

(b) information for decimal point placement in a rate;

(c) value usage and value size information corresponding to values in the subtable value control data block;

(d) comparison operators for use when searching for a subtable containing parameters corresponding to the input parameters;

(e) a minimum rate available from the subtable; and

(f) a maximum rate available from the subtable.

5. The rate data structure claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameter control data block further comprises:

(a) a segment containing parameter information;

(b) a number of segments indicator for indicating the number of segments of parameter information that are contained in the subtable;

(c) a segment flag indicating linearity of the data contained in the segment; and

(d) a size of segment indicator indicating the size of the segment.

6. The rate data structure claimed in claim 5, wherein the parameter information in the segment comprises:

(a) a number of entries indicator indicating the number of entries in the segment;

(b) a maximum number indicator indicating the maximum value of the entries in the segment; and

(c) a segment value control data block comprising segment parameter data information.

7. The rate data structure as claimed in claim 6 wherein the segment value control data block parameter data comprises:

(a) a number of entries indicator indicating the number of entries in the segment value control data block; and

(b) a segment flag indicating the linearity of entries in the segment value control data block.

8. The rate data structure as claimed in claim 7 wherein the segment value control data block parameter data further comprising:

(c) a start value indicating the starting value of the parameter information; and

(d) an increment indicator indicating the increment of parameter information entries from the start value.

9. The rate data structure as claimed in claim 7 further comprising a set of entries where the number of entries in the set is equal to the number of entries indicator.

10. The rate data structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the subtable value control data block comprises:

(a) a number of entries indicator indicating the number of entries in the subtable value control data block; and

(b) a segment flag indicating the linearity of the entries in the segment value control data block.

11. The rate data structure as claimed in claim 10 wherein the subtable value control data block further comprising:

(c) a start value indicating the starting value of the entries in the subtable value control data block; and

(d) an increment indicator indicating the increment of parameter information entries from the start value.

12. The rate data structure as claimed in claim 10 wherein the subtable value control data block further comprising a set of entries where the number of entries in the set is equal to the number of entries indicator.

13. The rate data structure as claimed in claim 3 wherein the corresponding parameter control data block further comprises:

(a) a set of values corresponding to another input parameter; and

(b) a value string containing rate mantissas corresponding to the other input parameter.

14. A rate data structure for a carrier manager comprising:

(a) a header describing the content of the rate data structure further comprising;

(i) a length indicator indicating the length of the rate data structure;

(ii) a signature indicating that the data area comprises the rate data structure;

(iii) a table identifier identifying a the rate data structure;

(iv) at least one flag for describing a number of subtables in the data structure;

(v) offset value corresponding to each flag for identifying the location of a data area in the data structure; and

(b) the data area for rate data comprising one or more subtables comprising data formats, the number of subtables corresponding to the flag in the header describing the number of subtables in the data structure;

whereby the rate data structure is platform independent.

15. The rate data structure claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one subtable comprises fixed rate values.

16. The rate data structure claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one subtable comprises information regarding one or more rate parameters.

17. The rate data structure as claimed in claim 14 wherein the data area further comprises a formula for expressing a rate.

18. An method of calculating a rate for a carrier manager comprising the steps of:

a) inputting a rate data structure name, a date of shipment and at least one input parameter into the carrier manager;

b) retrieving from memory a rate data structure corresponding to the rate data structure name, the date of shipment, and at least one input parameter, the rate data structure comprising a rate data structure header and at least one rate data structure subtable;

c) reading the rate data structure header, the rate data structure header comprising a number of subtables in the rate data structure, a number of expressions in the rate data structure, an expected input parameters indicator for the rate data structure, and a rounding instruction for rounding the input parameters;

d) decoding the rate data structure;

e) verifying whether each input parameter corresponds to the expected input parameter for the retrieved rate data structure;

f) rounding each input parameter in accordance with instructions in the rate data structure header;

g) reading the subtable header to obtain information regarding subtable format, decimal position, entry usage and entry of values in the rate data structure, comparison operator, minimum rate and maximum rate;

h) decoding the subtable header;

i) searching a subtable parameter control block comprising at least one segment, in order to find a segment containing a rate data structure parameter corresponding to an input parameter in a relationship defined by the subtable header comparison operator;

j) calculating the increment number corresponding to the input parameter;

k) searching a subtable value control block for a rate mantissa corresponding to the calculated increment number; and

l) inserting a decimal into the rate mantissa to obtain a rate amount.

19. The method claimed in claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

m) comparing the rate amount to the minimum rate and the maximum rate in the subtable header to obtain the appropriate rate; and

n) outputting the appropriate rate.

20. The method claimed in claim 19, wherein subsequent to step (a), the rate data structure name, date of shipment and at least one input parameter stored in an input/output data structure and the input/output data structure is transmitted to the rate data structure.

21. The method claimed in claim 20, wherein after step (m) and prior to step (n) the appropriate rate is stored in the input/output data structure and transmitted to the carrier manager.

22. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the rate data structure retrieved in step (b) further comprises at least one expression.

23. The method claimed in claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

m) calculating a rate using an expression, which is a function of the rate amount, and input parameters;

n) comparing the calculated rate to the minimum rate and the maximum rate in the subtable header to obtain an appropriate rate; and

o) outputting the appropriate rate.

24. An method of calculating a rate for a carrier manager comprising the steps of:

a) inputting a rate data structure name, a date of shipment and at least one input parameter into the carrier manager;

b) retrieving from memory a rate data structure corresponding to the rate data structure name, the date of shipment and at least one input parameter, the rate data structure comprising a rate data structure header and at least one rate data structure subtable;

c) reading the rate data structure header, the rate data structure header comprising a number of subtables in the rate data structure, a number of expressions in the rate data structure, an expected input parameters indicator for the rate data structure, and a rounding instruction for rounding the input parameters;

d) decoding the rate data structure header;

e) verifying whether each input parameter corresponds to the expected input parameter for the retrieved rate data structure;

f) rounding each input parameter in accordance with instructions in the rate data structure header;

g) reading the subtable header to obtain information regarding subtable format, decimal position, entry usage and entry of values in the rate data structure, comparison operator, minimum and maximum rate;

h) decoding the subtable header;

i) searching a subtable parameter control block comprising at least one segment, in order to find a segment containing a rate data structure parameter corresponding to the input parameter in a relationship defined by the subtable header comparison operator;

j) calculating the increment number corresponding to the input parameter;

k) searching a subtable value control block corresponding to another input parameter for a rate mantissa corresponding to the calculated increment number;

l) inserting a decimal into the rate mantissa to obtain a rate amount.

25. The method claimed in claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

m) comparing the rate amount to the minimum rate and the maximum rate in the subtable header to obtain the appropriate rate; and

n) outputting the appropriate rate.

26. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein the rate data structure retrieved in step (b) further comprises at least one expression.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26 further comprising the steps of:

m) calculating a rate using an expression, which is a function of the rate amount, and input parameters;

n) comparing the calculated rate to the minimum rate and the maximum rate in the subtable header to obtain the appropriate rate; and

o) outputting with the carrier manager system the appropriate rate.

28. The method claimed in claim 24, wherein subsequent to step (a) the rate data structure name, date of shipment and at least one input parameter stored in an input/output data structure and the input/output data structure is transmitted to the carrier rate calculation software.

29. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein after step (n) and prior to step (o) the appropriate rate is stored in the input/output data structure and transmitted to the carrier manager.

30. A rate data structure containing information for calculating a rate in a carrier manager comprising:

A) a rate data structure header comprising;

a) a number of subtables indicator indicating that the rate data structure contains one subtable;

b) a number of expressions indicator indicating that the rate data structure contains no expressions;

c) information regarding number and type of expected input parameters corresponding to the rate data structure subtable;

B) a subtable comprising;

a) a subtable header comprising;

i) a subtable format indicator indicating the format of the subtable;

ii) a number of entries indicator;

iii) information for decimal placement in a rate;

iv) entry usage information; and

v) entry size information;

b) an entry representing a rate mantissa and corresponding to the entry usage and entry size information contained in the subtable header.

31. A rate data structure containing information for calculating a rate in a carrier manager comprising:

A) a rate data structure header comprising;

a) a number of subtables indicator indicating that the rate data structure contains one subtable;

b) a number of expressions indicator indicating that the rate data structure contains one expression;

c) information regarding number and type of expected input parameters corresponding to the rate data structure subtable;

B) a subtable comprising;

a) a subtable header comp rising;

i) a subtable format indicator indicating the format of the subtable;

ii) a number of entries indicator;

iii) information for decimal placement in a rate;

iv) entry usage information; and

v) entry size information; and

b) an entry representing a rate mantissa multiplier and other information corresponding to the entry.