GB1486452A - Account metering system particularly for use in a computer-controlled postage meter - Google Patents

Account metering system particularly for use in a computer-controlled postage meter

Info

Publication number
GB1486452A
GB1486452A GB42109/74A GB4210974A GB1486452A GB 1486452 A GB1486452 A GB 1486452A GB 42109/74 A GB42109/74 A GB 42109/74A GB 4210974 A GB4210974 A GB 4210974A GB 1486452 A GB1486452 A GB 1486452A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
postage
printer
amount
accounting
computer
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
GB42109/74A
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Pitney Bowes Inc
Original Assignee
Pitney Bowes Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US05/406,898 external-priority patent/US3938095A/en
Application filed by Pitney Bowes Inc filed Critical Pitney Bowes Inc
Publication of GB1486452A publication Critical patent/GB1486452A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00459—Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system
    • G07B17/00467—Transporting mailpieces
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K15/00—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/04—Billing or invoicing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07C—TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
    • G07C9/00—Individual registration on entry or exit
    • G07C9/30—Individual registration on entry or exit not involving the use of a pass
    • G07C9/32—Individual registration on entry or exit not involving the use of a pass in combination with an identity check
    • G07C9/33—Individual registration on entry or exit not involving the use of a pass in combination with an identity check by means of a password
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
    • G07B17/00193—Constructional details of apparatus in a franking system
    • G07B2017/00233—Housing, e.g. lock or hardened casing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
    • G07B17/00193—Constructional details of apparatus in a franking system
    • G07B2017/00258—Electronic hardware aspects, e.g. type of circuits used
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
    • G07B17/00362—Calculation or computing within apparatus, e.g. calculation of postage value
    • G07B2017/00395—Memory organization
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00459—Details relating to mailpieces in a franking system
    • G07B17/00508—Printing or attaching on mailpieces
    • G07B2017/00612—Attaching item on mailpiece
    • G07B2017/0062—Label

Landscapes

  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Development Economics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
  • Economics (AREA)
  • Finance (AREA)
  • Marketing (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Devices For Checking Fares Or Tickets At Control Points (AREA)
  • Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)

Abstract

1486452 Accounting system PITNEYBOWES Inc 27 Sept 1974 [16 Oct 1973] 42109/74 Heading G4T [Also in Division B6] An accounting arrangement, e.g. for printing a postage amount on a label to be attached to an item of mail and for forming a total of the amounts printed, includes electronic input means for presenting a postage amount to a printer which prints the corresponding symbols, and includes electronic accounting means connected between the input means and the printer for forming an account of the amounts printed. The accounting means includes a memory which has a very small current drain so that stored data remains intact for a long time in the event of battery operation due to power failure. The embodiment disclosed employ a computer (not described) for determining the postage amount and presenting signals representing this amount to a postage printer and signals representing the addressee to an address printer. The address printer may also be in the tamper-proof housing containing the postage printer. The accounting means is connected to the postage printer via a tamper-proof cable if these parts are in separate housings. The electrical circuitry is so arranged that a print command can be generated by the computer only if the postage printer type wheels have been correctly set and if the user's credit balance is sufficiently large. When the print command is issued it causes the postage printer to print and causes (a) a register holding the credit balance to be decreased by the postage value, (b) a register holding the accumulated total to be increased by the postal value, and (c) an item counter to be incremented by one. The credit balance register is increased by a fixed amount when a normally looked switch is manually actuated. The switch can be unlocked by, for example, keying in a code that is supplied by the Post Office when the fixed amount is paid to it. Further circuitry senses operating voltages in the arrangement and causes shut-down if the voltages lie outside a certain range. Standby batteries ensure that stored data is not lost and that any operation involving change in the contents of the registers is completed prior to shut-down.
GB42109/74A 1973-10-16 1974-09-27 Account metering system particularly for use in a computer-controlled postage meter Expired GB1486452A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US05/406,898 US3938095A (en) 1971-11-04 1973-10-16 Computer responsive postage meter

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB1486452A true GB1486452A (en) 1977-09-21

Family

ID=23609822

Family Applications (3)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB42109/74A Expired GB1486452A (en) 1973-10-16 1974-09-27 Account metering system particularly for use in a computer-controlled postage meter
GB12481/75A Expired GB1486453A (en) 1973-10-16 1974-09-27 Electronic account metering system
GB9508/77A Expired GB1486454A (en) 1973-10-16 1974-09-27 Electronic postage meter

Family Applications After (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB12481/75A Expired GB1486453A (en) 1973-10-16 1974-09-27 Electronic account metering system
GB9508/77A Expired GB1486454A (en) 1973-10-16 1974-09-27 Electronic postage meter

Country Status (9)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS579095B2 (en)
BR (1) BR7408293D0 (en)
CA (1) CA1052910A (en)
CH (1) CH581870A5 (en)
DE (4) DE2438055C2 (en)
FR (1) FR2257963B1 (en)
GB (3) GB1486452A (en)
IT (1) IT1019494B (en)
ZA (1) ZA743969B (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4471441A (en) * 1978-10-16 1984-09-11 Pitney Bowes Inc. Electronic postal meter system
GB2173741A (en) * 1985-04-17 1986-10-22 Pitney Bowes Inc Unsecured postage applying system
GB2173742A (en) * 1985-04-17 1986-10-22 Pitney Bowes Inc System for detecting unaccounted for printing in a value printing system

Families Citing this family (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3978457A (en) * 1974-12-23 1976-08-31 Pitney-Bowes, Inc. Microcomputerized electronic postage meter system
FR2335002A1 (en) * 1975-12-11 1977-07-08 Secap ELECTRONIC METERING POSTAGE MACHINE
GB1566341A (en) * 1976-01-14 1980-04-30 Pitney Bowes Inc Micro computerized postage meter
CA1077171A (en) * 1976-07-14 1980-05-06 Frank T. Check (Jr.) Electronic postal meter having noise-rejecting input/output channel
FR2375670A1 (en) * 1976-12-21 1978-07-21 Vickers Ltd Electronic franking machine with digital registers - has print unit, postage paid value selector and tote register containing accumulated value and summing device
FR2377066A1 (en) * 1977-01-07 1978-08-04 Secap IMPROVEMENT OF SAFETY DEVICES IN AN ELECTRONIC POSTAGE MACHINE
US4246643A (en) * 1978-02-13 1981-01-20 Pitney Bowes Inc. Low cost postage applicator
DE2820658A1 (en) * 1978-05-11 1979-11-15 Pitney Bowes Remote postage meter accounting system - has digital computer for converting variable data into coded meter data fed to postage meter station
US4301507A (en) * 1979-10-30 1981-11-17 Pitney Bowes Inc. Electronic postage meter having plural computing systems
DE3684717D1 (en) * 1985-01-18 1992-05-14 Pitney Bowes Inc MACHINE MAIL MACHINE.
JPH06260274A (en) * 1991-02-13 1994-09-16 Okaya Electric Ind Co Ltd Microwave sensor
DE4217478A1 (en) 1992-05-22 1993-11-25 Francotyp Postalia Gmbh Arrangement for creating a flexible user interface for franking machines
DE19711998A1 (en) 1997-03-13 1998-09-17 Francotyp Postalia Gmbh Mail processing system with a printing machine base station controlled by a personal computer

Family Cites Families (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3057547A (en) * 1962-10-09 Decoder
DE1330105U (en)
US3039686A (en) * 1957-05-08 1962-06-19 Toledo Scale Corp Load measuring apparatus
NL276406A (en) * 1961-03-24
US3255439A (en) * 1961-07-13 1966-06-07 Gen Res Inc Postage metering system
US3428948A (en) * 1965-12-13 1969-02-18 Gen Res Inc Postage metering system
DE1549475A1 (en) * 1967-08-04 1971-02-04 Ibm Deutschland Information protection device in electronic data processing systems
US3635297A (en) * 1970-08-06 1972-01-18 Roger F Salava Postage calculator
DE2119320A1 (en) * 1971-04-21 1972-11-23 Daimler-Benz Ag, 7000 Stuttgart Device for checking control lamps in vehicles, in particular motor vehicles
US3757917A (en) * 1971-12-30 1973-09-11 Design And Dev Inc Logic system for a postal facility
US3750565A (en) 1972-01-10 1973-08-07 Pitney Bowes Inc Print-setting apparatus
US3761901A (en) * 1972-06-28 1973-09-25 Ncr Nonvolatile memory cell
US3801963A (en) * 1972-09-28 1974-04-02 Burroughs Corp Method and apparatus for transferring data from a volatile data store upon the occurrence of a power failure in a computer

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4471441A (en) * 1978-10-16 1984-09-11 Pitney Bowes Inc. Electronic postal meter system
GB2173741A (en) * 1985-04-17 1986-10-22 Pitney Bowes Inc Unsecured postage applying system
GB2173742A (en) * 1985-04-17 1986-10-22 Pitney Bowes Inc System for detecting unaccounted for printing in a value printing system
GB2173741B (en) * 1985-04-17 1989-07-05 Pitney Bowes Inc Unsecured postage applying system and method
GB2173742B (en) * 1985-04-17 1989-07-05 Pitney Bowes Inc System for detecting unaccounted for printing in a value printing system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2463404C2 (en) 1985-10-31
FR2257963A1 (en) 1975-08-08
JPS5068243A (en) 1975-06-07
AU7425174A (en) 1976-04-15
CA1052910A (en) 1979-04-17
FR2257963B1 (en) 1979-04-27
JPS579095B2 (en) 1982-02-19
DE2463221C2 (en) 1985-08-29
DE2463403C2 (en) 1986-07-31
GB1486454A (en) 1977-09-21
DE2438055A1 (en) 1975-04-30
GB1486453A (en) 1977-09-21
DE2438055C2 (en) 1984-11-22
BR7408293D0 (en) 1975-08-05
IT1019494B (en) 1977-11-10
CH581870A5 (en) 1976-11-15
ZA743969B (en) 1975-06-25

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PS Patent sealed
476C Application for amendment of specification now open to opposition (sect. 76/1949)
PE20 Patent expired after termination of 20 years

Effective date: 19940926