GB2213102A

GB2213102A - Postal franking meter

Info

Publication number: GB2213102A
Application number: GB8728329A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dennis Thomas Gilham
Original assignee: Alcatel Business Systemes SA; Alcatel Business Systems Ltd
Current assignee: ALE International SAS; Nokia UK Ltd
Priority date: 1987-12-03
Filing date: 1987-12-03
Publication date: 1989-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 2007-12-03
Also published as: GB2213102B; GB8728329D0; DE8814946U1

Abstract

A franking machine is provided with means to print one record of franking transactions on a paper strip for retention within the machine and another record on another paper strip which is issued from the machine. The means for printing these records is housed in an open topped housing having a hinged cover, in which the cover when closed provides an extension of a feed bed of the franking machine along which mail items for franking are passed. The housing is provided to the rear of the feed bed extension with a semi-cylindrical receptacle for supply rolls of paper strip and a vertical wall of the cover closes the receptacle. The franking machine and means for printing records may be formed as an integral unit or as two interconnected modules. <IMAGE>

Description

POSTAL FRANKING MACHINE This invention relates to apparatus for franking mail items and in particular to such apparatus which can be used at a counter for the issue and sale of labels equivalent to postage stamps indicative that a value of postage has been paid.

When a member of the public wishes to send an item by mail, the postage rate for the item has to be prepaid.

Postage stamps to the value of the postage rate are issued, in exchange for payment, for attachment to mail items to thereby indicate during subsequent handling of the item by the postal authority that a value of postage, as shown by the value of the postage stamps, has been paid in respect of that item. The use of postage stamps in this manner requires that stamps are printed with a high degree of security in order to inhibit fraudulent counterfeiting of postage stamps. In addition since such stamps represent money it is necessary to handle the stamps securely and to account for the issue of such stamps. Since the stamps are issued manually by a counter clerk, accounting for the issue of stamps has to be carried out manually. The value of the postage rate applicable to a postage item is usually dependent not only upon its size or weight but also upon its destination.As a result a large number of different values of postage rate is required and therefore it is necessary to print and handle a relatively large number of different values of postage stamps and each value of stamp needs to be accounted for separately.

In order to overcome inconvenience associated with the use of stamps, commercial and other large entities often use franking machines to frank their mail items instead of attaching postage stamps to the items. Franking machines are constructed to print a franking impression of a form predetermined by the postal authority to indicate a value of postage rate for that item. The franking machine includes means to carry out accounting functions including maintaining the value of accumulated postage used and in the case of authorities which require prepayment for such franking the accounting functions include maintaining the value of credit available for use in franking. When prepayment is required, use of the machine for further franking is inhibited when the value of credit has decremented to a predetermined value.The machine then needs to have its credit updated by a further payment to the postal authority and the authority, upon receipt of the payment, enters the new value of credit in the machine and it is then available for use in further franking. The credit updating may be effected by returning the meter of the machine to the postal authority or it may be effected remotely for example by use of a credit updating module sent through the mail to the user of the franking machine as described in our U.K.Patent specification No.2173738.

While known franking machines are convenient for use when relatively large quantities of mail are being handled and when the mail items are under the control of the user of the franking machine. However they are not suitable to provide for use by individual members of the public who use the mail system to a much lesser extent. Usually franking machines print the franking impression directly on the face of the envelope. However, the material from which some envelopes are manufactured does not allow printing of a sufficiently lasting impression as to endure during handling of the mail item in its transit to its destination address.

It would be desirable to be able to provide a franking machine which could be available for use at the counter of a postal authority for franking mail items for despatch by members of the general public and which would provide the postal authority with means for providing a record of the use of the machine for franking.

According to the invention a franking machine includes a franking meter operable to print a franking impression including a desired value of postage rate on a mail item or label and means operative in response to printing of each franking impression to print a record relating to the value of the franking effected by said franking meter.

The franking machine may include first means to print a first record retained in the franking machine and second means to print a second record which is issued from the machine.

Preferably the franking meter includes electronic accounting and control circuits operable to control printing of the franking impression and printing of the record relating to the value of franking effected by the meter.

The franking machine may be constructed as two modules, a first module comprising the franking meter and a second module containing the means operative in response to printing of each franking impression to print a record relating to the value of the franking effected by said franking meter.

The second module may include means to supply labels, to receive a franking impression, to the franking meter.

A franking machine in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference by way of example to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a franking machine Figure 2 is a view partly in section on the line 2 - 2 of Figure 3 Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 - 3 of Figure 2 and Figure 4 is a section on the line 4 - 4 of Figure 2.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, a franking machine consists of two modules 10 and 11 which fit alongside each other and are mechanically and electrically interconnected. The module 10 comprises a franking meter including a base unit 12 housing electronic accounting and control circuits and a cover unit 13 overlying the base unit and bounding a slot 14 extending between an upper wall of the base unit and the cover unit. The franking meter 10 is provided with a pair of feed rollers 15, 16 for feeding mail items or labels through the slot 14 in a direction from left to right as seen in Figure 2. The feed roller 15 is mounted in the base unit and the feed roller 16 is mounted in the cover unit.One of the feed rollers is selectively driven by a drive motor (not shown) and the second feed roller acts as a pressure roller and is resiliently urged toward the first feed roller to form a nip located in the slot 14 to receive and feed mail items or labels.

The franking meter includes a printing device (not shown) which is controlled by the accounting and control circuits to print a franking impression on mail items or labels fed through the slot 14. Preferably the printing device is a non-mechanical type of printing device and may comprise, for example, a thermal printing head or an ink jet printing head.

The module 11 comprises a base unit 17 secured to the base unit 12 of the franking meter and a platform 18 extending over the base unit 17 at a height such that its upper surface is at the same height as the upper wall of the base unit 12 so that an item placed on the platform can be fed into the slot 14. The platform 16 is hinged adjacent its rear edge 19 to enable the platform to be lifted for access to the interior of the base unit 15. The base unit 15 has a compartment to receive a roll 20 of self adhesive labels in strip form. A pair of feed rollers 21 are provided adjacent the compartment to feed the strip of labels from the roll 20 through an exit slot 22 in the side wall of the base unit 17 to the nip between the feed rollers 15, 16 of the franking meter.

The franking meter may be connected as a peripheral device to a computer whereby the operation of the franking meter is control led from the keyboard of the computer.

Alternatively the franking meter may be provided with a data input keyboard for controlling operation of the meter and a display device for displaying data for relating to the operation of the meter. When it is desired to print a franking impression, the value of the postage rate required is entered on the keyboard and signals are transmitted to the control circuits to cause the feed rollers 15, 16 to be driven to feed a mail item through the slot 14. As the mail item passes along the slot, the printing device is operated by the control circuits to print the franking impression showing the desired postage rate on the mail item. If the mail item is too thick to pass through the slot 14, or is otherwise unsuitable to receive directly a franking impression, an appropriate input on the keyboard causes selection of a label to be fed to receive the franking impression.The feed rollers 21 for feeding the labels to the feed rollers 15, 16 of the franking meter are driven by an electric motor (not shown) controlled by control signals from the control circuits of the franking meter such that the strip of labels is fed to the nip between the rollers 15, 16 when a franking impression is to be applied to a label and after feeding of a length of strip equal to the length of a label, the feed rollers 21 are stopped such that the leading label is broken from the strip at a predefined position determined by perforations extending across the strip by continued drive applied to the feed rollers 15, 16. The franking impression is printed on the label as it passes the printing device in the franking meter and the franked label is ejected from the right hand end of the slot 14. The franked label is then applied manually to the mail item.A sensor means (not shown) is provided to detect feeding of an envelope and time control means is provided to control the feeding of the label strip.

The module 11 is also provided with means to provide a tally of franking operations carried out by the franking meter and to provide a customer with a receipt of payment for the franking. The rear of the base unit 17 of the module 11 has a semi-cylindrical extension 23 to receive a pair of rolls 24, 25 of paper strip. Access to the interior of the extension 23 to insert the rolls of paper strip is provided by lifting the platform 18. When the platform is returned to its horizontal position, a vertical wall 26 at the rear of the platform acts as a closure for the interior of the extension 23 to retain the rolls 24, 25 therein. Referring especially to Figure 3, paper strip 27 is drawn from the roll 24 and is guided along a path by feeding means (not shown) past a printing device 28 to a slot 29 between the base unit 17 and the platform 18.When a franking operation is effected by the franking meter module 10, the feeding means for the paper strip from roll 24 is operated to feed the paper past the printing device 28 which latter is operated to print a receipt in respect of payment for the franking transaction. If desired the printer may print not only the cost of the franking but also the amount of money tendered and the change to be given. The receipt may be printed with the amounts of a number of frankings and the total cost of the frankings. The platform, adjacent the slot 29, carries a serrated edge 30 to enable the receipt fed out through the slot 29 to be torn from the paper strip 27.

Referring now to Figure 4, paper strip 31 is drawn from the roll 25 and is fed past a printing device 32 over a platen or support plate 33 and thence to a take up roll 34 by feeding and guiding means (not shown). The feeding means and the printing device 32 are controlled by the control circuit of the franking meter to cause a tally of franking operations effected by the meter to be printed on the paper strip 31. The paper strip is wound onto the roll 34 and is retained as a record of the franking transactions. An area of the platform 17 lying immediately above the platen 33 is formed of transparent material to provide a window 35 for viewing the paper strip 31 immediately after printing on it.

The printing devices 28 and 32 may be thermal printing devices and the paper strips 27, 31 may be sensitised paper which is sensitive to the application of heat. If the printing device in the franking meter for printing franking impressions is a thermal printing head, the labels may consist of sensitised paper sensitive to the application of heat.

While the franking meter 10 and the module 11 for printing a record of the franking transactions effected by the meter have been described as being separate modules secured together, it will be appreciated that if desired the two modules may be combined into a single integral unit.

A franking machine constructed as described hereinbefore is particularly advantageous for use on the counter of a postal authority for the franking of mail items brought to the counter by customers, or for the supply labels bearing a franking impression for affixing to mail items too large to pass through the franking machine.

Claims

1. A franking machine including a franking meter operable to print a franking impression including a desired value of postage rate on a mail item or label and means operative in response to printing of each franking impression to print a record relating to the value of the franking effected by said franking meter.

2. A franking machine as claimed in claim 1 including first means to print a first record to be retained in the franking machine and second means to print a second record which is issued from the machine.

3. A franking machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first means includes means to feed a paper strip past a first printing device and to wind the strip after printing into a roll.

4. A franking machine as claimed in claim 2 including a viewing window and in which the strip after printing is fed past the viewing window.

5. A franking machine as claimed in any preceding claim including means operable to feed a label of a perforated strip of labels to the franking meter to receive the franking impression.

6. A franking machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the franking meter includes electronic accounting and control circuits operable to control printing of the franking impression and printing of the record relating to the value of franking effected by the meter.

7. A franking machine as claimed in any preceding claim including a first module comprising the franking meter and a second module containing the means operative in response to printing of each franking impression to print a record relating to the value of the franking effected by said franking meter.

8. A franking machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the second module includes means to supply labels to the franking meter.

9. A franking machine constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS 1. A franking machine including a franking meter operable to print a franking impression including a desired value of postage rate on a mail item or label and first means operative in response to printing of each franking impress ion to print a first record retained in the franking machine and second means operative to print a second record which is issued from the machine, said first and second records relating to the value of the franking effected by said franking meter.

2. A franking machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first means includes means to feed a paper strip past a first printing device and to wind the paper strip after printing into a roll.

3. A franking machine comprising:franking printing means; a feed bed extending adjacent the franking printing means feed means to feed a mail item along the feed bed in printing relationship with the franking printing means; electronic accounting and control means operable to control the franking printing means to print a franking of desired value on a mail item; an open topped base housing and an openable cover extending over the top of the base housing, said cover being aligned with and forming an extension of the feed bed; said housing containing first printing means; a receptacle to house a roll of paper strip; means to wind the paper strip into a take-up roll; and guide means to guide and feed a paper strip from a roll thereof housed in said receptacle past the first printing means to the takeup roll and said electronic accounting and control means being connected the first printing means to control the first printing means to print, for each franking printed by the franking printing means, a record of the desired value of franking printed on mail items.

4. A franking machine comprising:a first module including franking printing means; a feed bed extending adjacent the franking printing means; feed means to feed a mail item along the feed bed in printing relationship with the franking printing means; electronic accounting and control means operable to control the franking printing means to print a franking of desired value on a mail item; a second module including an open topped base housing and an openable cover extending over the top of the base housing, said cover being aligned with and forming an extension of the feed bed; said housing containing first printing means; a receptacle to house a roll of paper strip; means to wind the paper strip into a take-up roll; and guide means to guide and feed a paper strip from a roll thereof housed in said receptacle past the first printing means to the take-up roll and said electronic accounting and control means being connected the first printing means to control the first printing means to print, for each franking printed by the franking printing means, a record of the desired value of franking printed on mail items.

5. A franking machine as claimed in claim 3 or 4 wherein said housing contains a second printing device; the receptacle houses a second roll of paper strip; said housing is provided.with an exit slot for paper strip from said second roll; and including means to feed and guide the paper strip from the second roll past the second printing means to the exit slot.

6. A franking machine as claimed in claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein the receptacle comprises a wall of generally semicylindrical form extending upwardly from a rear wall of the base housing, the semi-cylindrical form of the wall having a horizontal axis and providing a forwardly facing access opening extending in a vertical plane; and wherein the cover comprises a first wall and a second wall extending substantially perpendicular to the first wall, the first wall being aligned in a substantially horizontal plane with and forming an extension of the feed bed of the first module and the second wall extending substantially vertically and closing the access opening to the receptacle when the cover is in a closed position.

7. A franking machine as claimed in any preceding claim including a viewing window and in which the first paper strip after printing is fed past the viewing window.

8. A franking machine as claimed in claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein the cover has a transparent window therein and the guide means is operative to guide the first paper strip from the first printing means past the window to the takeup roll.

9. A franking machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein the cover has a transparent window in the first wall thereof and the guide means is operative to guide the first paper strip from the first printing means past the window to the take-up roll.

10. A franking machine as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein an upper free edge of the second wall of the cover is hingedly mounted to an upper free edge of the semicylindrical wall of the receptacle.

11. A franking machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each printing means comprises a separate thermal printing head.

12. A franking machine as claimed in any preceding claim including means operable to feed a label of a perforated strip of labels to the franking meter to receive the franking impression.

13. A franking machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein the second module includes means operable to feed a label of a perforated strip of labels to the first module to receive a franking impression.

14. A franking machine as claimed in any claim 3, 4, 5 or 6 wherein the base housing includes a slot communicating with the feed bed of the first module; and a pair of first feed rollers operable to feed a label from the interior of the housing through the slot to the feed bed; and drive means operable to drive the feed rollers.

15. A franking machine as claimed in claim 14 wherein the feed means for feeding a mail item includes second feed rollers positioned to receive a label fed through the slot and wherein the control means is operative to terminate drive to the first feed rollers while maintaining drive to the second feed rollers whereby a label received by the second feed rollers is detached from a strip of labels.

16. Apparatus for operative connection to a franking machine including franking printing means; a feed bed extending adjacent the franking printing means; feed means to feed a mail item along the feed bed in printing relationship with the printing means and electronic accounting and control means and franking impression means controlled by said accounting and control means operable to control the franking printing means to print a franking impression having a desired franking value on the mail item; said apparatus comprising:a module including an open topped base housing and an openable cover extending over the top of the base housing, said cover being aligned with and forming an extension of the feed bed; said housing containing first printing means; a receptacle to house a roll of paper strip; means to wind the paper strip into a take-up roll; and guide means to guide and feed a paper strip from a roll thereof housed in said receptacle past the first printing means to the take-up roll; means operative to carry print control signals from said electronic accounting and control means in the franking machine to the first printing means to control the first printing means to print, for each franking printed by the franking printing means, a record of the desired value of franking printed on mail items.

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the housing contains second printing means; the receptacle houses a second roll of paper strip; the housing includes an exit slot for paper strip from said second roll and including means to feed paper strip from the second roll roll past the second printing means to the exit slot.

18. A franking machine constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

19. Apparatus as claimed in claim 16 and constructed and arranged to operate as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.