Arrangement for loading rate tables
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An arrangement for loading rate table data comprising:
- an external scale having a postage calculator requiring rate table data to calculate a monetary postage value for a postal item weighed by said scale;
a postage meter that prints said monetary postage value on said postal item, said postage meter having a processor therein;
a serially-operating modem which receives said rate table data from an external source other than said postage meter; and
a switchover module connected between said potage meter, said scale and said modem, said switchover module being configured, upon receiving a control signal from the postage calculator via a control line, to be switched from among a plurality of switching states of said switchover module to a serial connection state to thereby produce a serial connection between said external source and said postage calculator in said scale to serially conduct data downloading of said rate table data from said external source to said postage calculator in said scale via said modem and said switchover module with no internal processing or storage of said rate table data by said processor of said postage meter.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An arrangement for loading rate tables has a switchover module that is connected between a meter of a postage meter machine and a modem, between a postage calculator of an external scale and the modem. A control line drives the switchover module, so that the modem and the postage calculator can be functionally directly connected to one another for the purpose of loading rate tables.
47 Citations
14 Claims
-
1. An arrangement for loading rate table data comprising:
-
an external scale having a postage calculator requiring rate table data to calculate a monetary postage value for a postal item weighed by said scale; a postage meter that prints said monetary postage value on said postal item, said postage meter having a processor therein; a serially-operating modem which receives said rate table data from an external source other than said postage meter; and a switchover module connected between said potage meter, said scale and said modem, said switchover module being configured, upon receiving a control signal from the postage calculator via a control line, to be switched from among a plurality of switching states of said switchover module to a serial connection state to thereby produce a serial connection between said external source and said postage calculator in said scale to serially conduct data downloading of said rate table data from said external source to said postage calculator in said scale via said modem and said switchover module with no internal processing or storage of said rate table data by said processor of said postage meter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
Specification