Method for data input into a service device and arrangement for the implementation of the method

• US 7,103,583 B1
• Filed: 09/13/1999
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
• Original Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH
• Inventors: Kampert, Werner, Baum, Volker, Koschitzki, Henrik, Gelfer, Georg G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin L.
• Application Number:
  US09/394,840
• Time in Patent Office: 2,549 Days
• Field of Search: 705/400, 705/22, 705/1, 705/401, 705/409, 705/50
• US Class Current: 705/409
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• 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 2017/00161 from a central, non-user location, e.g. for updating rates or software, or for refilling funds
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00169 from a franking apparatus, e.g. for verifying accounting

Abstract

A method and apparatus for data input into a service device allow a loading and updating of service data, particularly postage fee schedule tables, separated from one another in time. The method and apparatus are suitable for postage meter machines as well as for scales containing postage computers or similar devices. The apparatus for implementation of the method contains a processor and a memory with memory areas for service data. After detecting the input and storage of a load requirement, a check for the presence of a load instruction, formation of a status report of the memory occupancy for service data and a transmission of the status report to the data center ensue. The data center forms recommendations for a future status of the memory occupancy in the service device on the basis of an analysis of the status report of the memory occupancy for service data that is implemented in the data center. The data center transmits the recommendations to the service device that, after evaluation thereof, sends corresponding request data before the actual loading.

Claims

1. A method for input of new service data into a service device, said new service data being available at a data center located remotely from said service device, comprising the steps of:

providing a memory for service data in a service device and forming in said service device, a status report of memory location occupancy by existing service data in said memory comprising a designation of available bytes in said memory;

establishing a communication between said service device and said data center and transmitting said status report from said service device to said data center;

based on said status report and the new service data available at said data center, forming recommendations in said data center for a future memory location occupancy in said service device, each recommendation designating a different memory location to be occupied by said new service data;

communicating a message from said data center to said service device containing said recommendations;

upon receipt of said message at said service device, checking said recommendations in said service device for feasibility as to memory location occupancy in said memory; and

loading said new service data available at said data center into said memory of said service device at a memory location according to one of said recommendations that has been checked to be feasible.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the step of providing a memory comprises providing said memory with at least one of a plurality of first memory areas in which said new service data which will be valid in the future, starting from a conversion date, are to be stored, and a second memory area in which said existing service data are stored;

wherein the step of forming recommendations comprises recommending storage of said new service data in at least one of said first memory areas, and wherein the step of checking said recommendations comprises conducting a check, in said service device, as to the feasibility of storing said new service data in at least one of said first memory areas;

and wherein said method further comprises forming request data in said service device, requesting said new service data, if said check indicates feasibility of storing said new service data in at least one of said first memory areas and transmitting said request data to said data center, and forming an error message if said check indicates non-feasibility of storing said new service data in any of said first memory areas and transmitting said error message to said data center;

and wherein the step of loading said new service data comprises, upon receipt of said request data at said data center, transmitting said new service data from said data center to said service device and loading said new service data into said one of said first memory areas together with said conversion date; and

automatically updating said existing service device independently of and separated in time from loading said new service data, by transferring said new service data from said one of said first memory areas into said second memory area at said conversion date.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said new service data available at said data center comprise a plurality of data tables, each data table having a table type and a table description associated therewith, and wherein the step of forming said request data comprises forming request data including one of said table types and one of said table descriptions, and wherein the step of forming said recommendations at said data center comprises forming said recommendations in a sequence dependent on the table type and table description contained in said request data and wherein the step of conducting a check comprises checking said recommendations for feasibility in an order determined by said sequence and wherein the step of selecting one of said first memory areas comprises selecting one of said first memory areas recommended in a first of said recommendations in said sequence which is found to be feasible, and wherein the step of loading said new service data comprises selectively loading, at a first point in time, at least the data table, and its associated conversion date, corresponding to the recommendation first found to be feasible in said check, and wherein the step of automatically updating said service device comprises periodically determining whether a current date precedes, equals or follows said conversion date and automatically updating said existing service data if said current date equals or follows said conversion date and continuing operation of said service device with the existing service data currently stored in said second memory area if said current date precedes said conversion date.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of providing a memory comprises providing a memory in said service device with a third memory area and wherein the step of loading said new service data comprises loading said conversion date into said third memory area and wherein the step of automatically updating said existing service data comprises providing an electronic calendar module in said service device which continuously emits a signal identifying said current date, and periodically comparing said conversion date in said third memory area with said signal from said calendar module.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3 comprising the additional step of providing a calendar module in said service device which emits a signal identifying said current date, and wherein the step of automatic updating comprises automatically requesting said current date from said calendar module.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3 comprising loading said conversion date into a separate memory area of said memory of said service device, separate from said first memory area.

7. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said service data comprise postage fee schedule table data, and comprising the additional steps of:

providing a postage calculator in said service device which calculates a franking value using said postage fee schedule table data;

providing a further memory area in said memory of said service device;

communicating from said data center to said service device information about new postage fee schedule table data available at said data center and making an entry in said further memory area dependent on said information;

generating a load code in said postage calculator and checking if and when said load code has a predetermined relationship to said entry in said further memory area;

switching to a load mode and loading said new postage fee schedule table data into said one of said first memory areas if and when said predetermined relationship exists.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the step of communicating information comprises communicating information from said data center about said new postage fee schedule table data comprising a plurality of proposals in a list.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising listing a most meaningful proposal first in said list.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of loading said new service data includes compressing said new service data.

11. An arrangement for input of new service data into a service device, said new service data being available at a data center located remotely from said service device, comprising:

a service device having a memory for existing service data, a computer which forms a status report of memory location occupancy by said existing service data in said memory comprising a designation of available bytes in said memory;

means for establishing a communication between said service device and said data center and for transmitting said status report from said service device to said data center;

means for forming recommendations in said data center, based on said status report and the service data available at said data center, for a future memory location occupancy in said service device, each recommendation designating a different memory location to be occupied by said new service data;

means for communicating a message from said data center to said service device containing said recommendations;

upon receipt of said message at said service device, said computer checking said recommendations in said service device for feasibility as to memory location occupancy in said memory;

said computer loading said new service data available at said data center into said memory of said service device at a memory location according to one of said recommendations that has been checked to be feasible; and

means in said service device for triggering updating of said existing service data in said memory, using said new service data, at a time separated from loading of said new service data into said memory.

12. An arrangement as claimed in claim 11,

wherein said memory comprises a plurality of first memory areas in which said new service data which will be valid in the future, starting from a conversion date, are to be stored, and a second memory area in which said existing service data are stored;

wherein said means for forming recommendations comprises means for recommending storage of said new service data in at least one of said first memory areas;

wherein said computer checks said recommendations by conducting a check, in said service device, as to the feasibility of storing said new service data in at least one of said first memory areas;

said computer forming request data in said service device, requesting said service data, if said check indicates feasibility of storing said new service data in at least one of said first memory areas and transmitting said request data to said data center, and forming an error message if said check indicates non-feasibility of storing said new service data in any of said first memory areas and transmitting said error message to said data center;

said computer, upon receipt of said request data at said data center, transmitting said new service data from said data center to said service device and loading said new service data into said one of said first memory areas together with said conversion date; and

said computer automatically updating said existing service data independently of and separated in time from loading said new service data, by transferring said new service data from said one of said first memory areas into said second memory area at said conversion date.

13. An arrangement as claimed in claim 12 wherein said new service data available at said data center comprise a plurality of data tables, each data table having a table type and a table description associated therewith, and wherein said computer forms said request data comprises forming request data including one of said table types and one of said table descriptions, and wherein said means for forming said recommendations at said data center forms said recommendations in a sequence dependent on the table type and table description contained in said request data, and wherein said computer conducts said check by checking said recommendations for feasibility in an order determined by said sequence and selects one of said first memory areas which is in recommended in a first of said recommendations in said sequence which is found to be feasible, and selectively loads, at a first point in time, at least the data table, and its associated conversion date, corresponding to the recommendation first found to be feasible in said check, and automatically updates said service device if a current date precedes, equals or follows said conversion date and automatically continues operation of said existing service device with the service data currently stored in said second memory area if said current date precedes said conversion date.

14. An arrangement as claimed in claim 13 wherein said memory has a third memory area and wherein said computer loads said conversion date into said third memory area, and said service device comprises an electronic calendar module which continuously emits a signal identifying said current date, said computer periodically comparing said conversion date in said third memory area with said signal from said calendar module.

15. An arrangement as claimed in claim 13 wherein said service device comprises a calendar module which emits a signal identifying said current date, and wherein said computer automatically requests said current date from said calendar module.

16. An arrangement as claimed in claim 13 wherein said computer loads said conversion date into a separate memory area of said memory of said service device, separate from said first memory area.

17. An arrangement as claimed in claim 13 wherein said new service data comprise postage fee schedule table data, and said arrangement comprising:

a postage calculator in said service device which calculates a franking value using said postage fee schedule table data;

a further memory area in said memory of said device;

means for communicating from said data center to said service device information about new postage fee schedule table data available at said data center and for making an entry in said further memory area dependent on said information;

said postage calculator generating a load code and checking, and informing said computer, if and when said load code has a predetermined relationship to said entry in said further memory area; and

said computer switching to a load mode and loading said new postage fee schedule table data into said one of said first memory areas if and when said predetermined relationship exists.

18. An arrangement as claimed in claim 17 wherein said means for information communicates information from said data center about said new postage fee schedule table data comprising a plurality of proposals in a list.

19. An arrangement as claimed in claim 18 wherein said means for communicating information lists a most meaningful proposal first in said list.

20. An arrangement as claimed in claim 11 comprising means compressing said new service data.