System and Method for Managing Postal Accounting Data Using Transient Data Collectors

• US 20120022980A1
• Filed: 07/20/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quadient Technologies France
• Original Assignee: Neopost Technologies S.A. (Quadient SA)
• Inventors: Angelone, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• 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 2017/00145 via the Internet

Abstract

Methods and systems using a single centralized database to manage postal accounting data are provided. The central database may interface with remote postal meters by way of one or more transient data collectors, which cache data from associated meters and transmit the data to the central database. The data collectors also validate postage accounts to the associated meters. The use of local transient data collectors allows for a single centralized database to be used without requiring data replication among databases local to each computer that manages postal meters.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a single postal account database storing authoritative account data for a plurality of postal accounts, the authoritative account data defining an available postage budget for each of the postal accounts;

an application server in communication with the single postal account database;

a plurality of remote computer systems in communication with the application server, each remote computer system comprising;

a plurality of postal meters;

a processor in communication with the plurality of postal meters; and

a transient data collector to cache transaction data generated by the plurality of postal meters temporarily, the transient data collector configured to receive a list of one or more valid postal accounts from the application server, to validate each postal meter for use with at least one valid postal account received from the application server, and to provide the transaction data received from the postal meter to the application server;

said application server configured to receive cached transaction data from the transient data collector and to update the single postal account database based upon the received transaction data.

2. A method comprising:

executing a transient data collector on a local computer in communication with a postal meter;

retrieving, by the transient data collector, a list of one or more valid accounts and associated postage budgets from a remote application server, the remote application server storing authoritative account data for a plurality of postal accounts;

receiving, by the transient data collector, a plurality of franking transactions performed by the postal meter;

caching the plurality of franking transactions at the transient data collector;

sending the plurality of franking transactions to the remote application server;

removing the cached plurality of franking transactions from the transient data collector'"'"'s cache subsequent to sending the plurality of franking transactions to the remote application server; and

receiving, by the transient data collector, an updated postage budget for each valid account associated with one of the plurality of franking transactions sent to the remote application server, the updated postage budget reflecting a change due to at least one of the plurality of franking transactions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of removing is responsive to receiving, by the transient data collector, a message indicating successful receipt of the plurality of franking transactions at the remote application server.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending the plurality of franking transactions to the remote application server comprises sending a first batch of franking transactions to the remote application server via a first transaction thread, the method further comprising:

in response to completion of processing a second batch of franking transactions while the first transaction thread is active, initiating a second transaction thread; and

sending the second batch of franking transactions to the remote application server via the second transaction thread.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each franking transaction of the first batch of franking transactions and the second batch of franking transactions comprises a unique reliability identifier.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the steps of sending the first batch of franking transactions and sending the second batch of franking transactions are performed concurrently.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first transaction thread corresponds to a first postal meter of the plurality of postal meters and the second transaction thread corresponds to a second postal meter of the plurality of postal meters.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request to verify that a postage account is valid from the postal meter; and

providing, from the transient data collector to the postal meter, an indication that the postage account is valid.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the indication that the postage account is valid is provided to the postal meter within about 10 ms of receiving the request.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the indication that the postage account is valid is provided to the postal meter within not more than 30 ms of receiving the request.

11. A method of communicating between a postal meter and a remote application server, comprising:

removing stored data from a transient data collector cache, the cache being stored in a computer-readable medium in a computer system in communication with a postal meter and a remote application server;

validating an account in use at the postal meter with the remote application server;

requesting a current postage balance for the account from the application server;

receiving a budget amount for the account from the application server;

opening a persistent connection to the application server from the transient data collector;

receiving transaction data at the transient data collector from the postal meter; and

providing the transaction data to the application server from the transient data collector.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of removing is responsive to receiving, by the transient data collector, a message indicating successful receipt of the plurality of franking transactions at the remote application server.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the transaction data to the application server comprises sending a first batch of franking transactions to the remote application server via a first transaction thread, the method further comprising:

in response to completion of processing a second batch of franking transactions while the first transaction thread is active, initiating a second transaction thread; and

sending the second batch of franking transactions to the remote application server via the second transaction thread.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the steps of sending the first batch of franking transactions and the sending the second batch of franking transactions occurs at the same are performed concurrently.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first transaction thread corresponds to a first postal meter o and the second transaction thread corresponds to a second postal meter.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a response indicating that the account is valid from the remote application server within about 10 ms of requesting confirmation that the account is valid.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a response indicating that the account is valid from the remote application server within not more than about 30 ms of requesting confirmation that the account is valid.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote application server stores authoritative postage balance information for the account.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of receiving confirmation from the remote application server that a current postage balance for the account is successfully updated based upon the transaction data provided to the remote application server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the confirmation is received over the persistent connection.