GB1581680A - Postal franking machine - Google Patents

Description

(54) POSTAL FRANKING MACHINE (71) I, HARMANJIT SINGH BHAR, a British Subject, of 71 Hurlingham Court, Ranelagh Gardens, London SW6 3UR, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The present invention relates to an electronically operated postal franking machine.

In postal franking machines of conventional type postal credit is controlled by means of a mechanical calculating and logic system. A credit register stores an accumulated money value which declines as the machine is used until fresh credit is purchased for the Post Office. A feature of the credit register is that it is "secure" i.e. locked so that only authorised personnel (most usually employees of the respective national Post Office) can gain access thereto to alter the money value recorded.

Input gears are rotatable by levers to set a money value to be franked onto an envelope, paper tape to be adhered to an envelope, or the like, and actuation thereof moves type wheels of a printing drum to an appropriate position to enable the required sum to be franked. Insertion of an envelope into the machine and actuation of a control lever energises an electric motor which drives the print drum to print the franking onto the envelope and simultaneously a gear train of the mechanical calculating system subtracts the amount franked from the accumulated credit in the credit register. Display means may be provided for showing (a) the credit remaining in the credit register and (b) an accumulated money total franked onto the register.There is also normally. a locking mechanism for locking the machine against further operation thereof when the credit in the credit register falls below a preset minimum value.

Known postal franking machines are heavy because of the weight of the mechanical calculating and logic system. Furthermore they are relatively expensive because they contain a large number of gears and other parts which have to be manufactured and assembled to precise tolerances if the machine is to operate smoothly. It is an object of the present invention to provide a postal franking machine which may be made lighter and more compact than existing machines and which is inexpensive to manufacture.

Broadly stated, the present invention provides a postal franking machine wherein electronic control means is provided for performing the arithmetical and logic functions and a printer is arranged to respond to a. signal from the electronic control means to print an appropriate franking onto an envelope or other article.

More particularly, the invention provides a postal franking machine which comprises in combination: an input device for entering into the machine a money value to be franked; electronic memory adapted to receive credit from an authorised source and to provide a credit register secure against unauthorised access; electronic control means including arithmetical and logic elements arranged in electrical connection to the input device and to the electronic memory; means for comparing the amount to be franked with the credit in the electronic memory and providing a first ON signal when the amount of credit remaining after franking has taken place will be above a preset sum; a ready means whereby an operator can cause a second ON signal to be supplied;; a print station comprising a receiving space for an article to be franked, a printer for printing the franking onto the article, and a detector for detecting when the. article to be franked is in correct relative position to the printer and supplying a third ON signal; and an actuator arranged to receive the first, second and third ON signals and then cause the printer to print the required franking onto the article and to signal the memory to deduct the appropriate sum from the credit recorded therein.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which diagrammatically illustrates an electronic postal franking system.

In the drawing, a memory which acts as a secure credit register is provided by part of an integrated circuit or microprocessor or other known memory device. The memory may be accessed by an appropriate authorised person such as a Post Office official to alter the total credit stored therein and appropriate security means such as a key operated input lock or a code operated input lock is provided to prevent unauthorised people from gaining access thereto. A further desirable feature of the credit register is that it should be secure against power failure or disconnection i.e. in the event that power is withdrawn it should retain a record of the sum recorded therein or should be arranged to write the sum recorded onto magnetic record means so that the sum recorded in the memory may be retrieved when power is restored.

Also provided is an item input device for entering into the machine the monetary sum to be franked at the next operation of the machine. The input device may comprise a dial or keyboard and it may further include one or more digital displays of the lightemitting diode or liquid crystal kind for displaying said sum to the operator. The input device and the memory are in electrical connection with a logic element having arithmetical and logic functions and arranged to compare the sum keyed in by the operator with the accumulated credit remaining in the memory. If the credit remaining is sufficient the logic element supplies a first ON signal, otherwise it may if desired be arranged to illuminate a warning light drawing the attention of the operator to the fact that the credit in the machine has been exhausted.The first ON signal is then passed to an actuator which may also be part of the same integrated circuit or microprocessor as the memory and the logic element. The actuator also receives a second ON signal from a "ready" button which the operator is required to press before he wishes to start one or a series of franking operations.

A print station 10 is adapted to receive an envelope 11 or gummed paper tape or the like article to be franked and has a printer arranged to print the required postal franking on to the article. The printer is arranged to receive either directly or via the logic element a signal significant of the amount to be printed and responds thereto by selecting appropriate print characters. As with a conventional franking machine, the printer may be arranged to print the operator's slogan as well as the normal seals. The printer may be a conventional electromechanical printer or it may operate electrostatically or electrophotographically or by other suitable means.The printing face is disposed in operative relation to the article when the article is correctly positioned in the print station and a detector is provided in the print station for supplying a third ON signal to the actuator when an article to be franked is present in the print station in the correct position. The detector may operate by mechanical displacement of a sensing finger or by interruption of a light beam or it may operate ultrasonically. On receipt of all three ON signals the actuator causes the printer to print the required franking onto the envelope and simultaneously it sends a deduct signal to the memory to cause and appropriate reduction in the credit recorded therein. The machine will continue to print a franking onto a second and subsequent articles each time the detector registers the presence of an article to be franked until such time as the machine is deactivated.After deactivation a fresh amount to be franked has to be keyed into the machine.

Various modifications and additions may be made to the arrangement described above without departing from the invention. A further memory and associated liquid crystal or light-emitting diode display may be provided for counting and displaying the accumulated total of postage franked. The meter portion of the machine may be separable from a base portion containing the printer so that only the meter portion need be taken to the Post Office. An interlocking arrangement between the meter case and the case of the base portion may be formed so that only one meter may be fitted to any particular base portion. The machine may be arranged to operate from mains or from batteries.

The casing may be made from injection moulded plastics materials which are inexpensive and light in weight. An alternative way of operating the machine is to arrange the logic element to give an OFF signal actuator (which is normally ON) in the event that the credit recorded in the memory is inadequate.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A postal franking machine which comprises in combination: an input device for entering into the machine a money value to be franked; an electronic memory adapted to receive credit from an authorised source and to provide a credit register secure against unauthorised access; electronic control means including arithmetical and logic elements arranged in electrical connection to the input device and to the electronic memory; means for comparing the amount to be franked with the credit in the electronic memory and providing a first ON signal when the amount of credit remaining after

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (4)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. to the accompanying drawing which diagrammatically illustrates an electronic postal franking system. In the drawing, a memory which acts as a secure credit register is provided by part of an integrated circuit or microprocessor or other known memory device. The memory may be accessed by an appropriate authorised person such as a Post Office official to alter the total credit stored therein and appropriate security means such as a key operated input lock or a code operated input lock is provided to prevent unauthorised people from gaining access thereto. A further desirable feature of the credit register is that it should be secure against power failure or disconnection i.e. in the event that power is withdrawn it should retain a record of the sum recorded therein or should be arranged to write the sum recorded onto magnetic record means so that the sum recorded in the memory may be retrieved when power is restored. Also provided is an item input device for entering into the machine the monetary sum to be franked at the next operation of the machine. The input device may comprise a dial or keyboard and it may further include one or more digital displays of the lightemitting diode or liquid crystal kind for displaying said sum to the operator. The input device and the memory are in electrical connection with a logic element having arithmetical and logic functions and arranged to compare the sum keyed in by the operator with the accumulated credit remaining in the memory. If the credit remaining is sufficient the logic element supplies a first ON signal, otherwise it may if desired be arranged to illuminate a warning light drawing the attention of the operator to the fact that the credit in the machine has been exhausted.The first ON signal is then passed to an actuator which may also be part of the same integrated circuit or microprocessor as the memory and the logic element. The actuator also receives a second ON signal from a "ready" button which the operator is required to press before he wishes to start one or a series of franking operations. A print station 10 is adapted to receive an envelope 11 or gummed paper tape or the like article to be franked and has a printer arranged to print the required postal franking on to the article. The printer is arranged to receive either directly or via the logic element a signal significant of the amount to be printed and responds thereto by selecting appropriate print characters. As with a conventional franking machine, the printer may be arranged to print the operator's slogan as well as the normal seals. The printer may be a conventional electromechanical printer or it may operate electrostatically or electrophotographically or by other suitable means.The printing face is disposed in operative relation to the article when the article is correctly positioned in the print station and a detector is provided in the print station for supplying a third ON signal to the actuator when an article to be franked is present in the print station in the correct position. The detector may operate by mechanical displacement of a sensing finger or by interruption of a light beam or it may operate ultrasonically. On receipt of all three ON signals the actuator causes the printer to print the required franking onto the envelope and simultaneously it sends a deduct signal to the memory to cause and appropriate reduction in the credit recorded therein. The machine will continue to print a franking onto a second and subsequent articles each time the detector registers the presence of an article to be franked until such time as the machine is deactivated.After deactivation a fresh amount to be franked has to be keyed into the machine. Various modifications and additions may be made to the arrangement described above without departing from the invention. A further memory and associated liquid crystal or light-emitting diode display may be provided for counting and displaying the accumulated total of postage franked. The meter portion of the machine may be separable from a base portion containing the printer so that only the meter portion need be taken to the Post Office. An interlocking arrangement between the meter case and the case of the base portion may be formed so that only one meter may be fitted to any particular base portion. The machine may be arranged to operate from mains or from batteries. The casing may be made from injection moulded plastics materials which are inexpensive and light in weight. An alternative way of operating the machine is to arrange the logic element to give an OFF signal actuator (which is normally ON) in the event that the credit recorded in the memory is inadequate. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A postal franking machine which comprises in combination: an input device for entering into the machine a money value to be franked; an electronic memory adapted to receive credit from an authorised source and to provide a credit register secure against unauthorised access; electronic control means including arithmetical and logic elements arranged in electrical connection to the input device and to the electronic memory; means for comparing the amount to be franked with the credit in the electronic memory and providing a first ON signal when the amount of credit remaining after

franking has taken place will be above a preset sum; a ready means whereby an operator can cause a second ON signal to be supplied; a print station comprising a receiving space for an article to be franked, a printer for printing the franking onto the article, and a detector for detecting when the article to be franked is in the correct relative position to the printer and supplying a third ON signal; and an actuator arranged to receive the first, second and third ON signals and then cause the printer to print the required franking onto the article and to signal the memory to deduct the appropriate sum from the credit recorded therein.

2. A postal franking machine according to Claim 1 further comprising a liquid crystal or light emitting diode display for counting and displaying the accumulated total of postage franked.

3. A postal franking machine according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the printer is housed in a base portion of the machine, from which a meter portion may be removed for insertion of credit.

4. A postal franking machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.