LU85586A1 - METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR franking mail - Google Patents

Description

Method and arrangement for franking mail

The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for franking mail.

5 Known franking machines are uneconomical for a small amount of mail. Likewise, hand stamp devices can only be used economically with a relatively large volume of mail. For low mail volume, printed Post-rO 10 stamps are therefore preferably used.

From DE-OS 27 01 072 a miniature franking machine with a microcomputer is known, the dimensions of which are such that it can be held and operated by hand and can be carried at any time. At a central Porto-r 15 distribution point, the smallest franker is given a specific value.

The disadvantage of such franking devices is that prepaid cards or postage stamps have to be purchased from an authorized agency or a postage memory must always be reloaded 20_______.

(9 The invention is based on the object of developing a franking system and a corresponding franking device which allows simple value setting and / or postage accounting for a small amount of mail, 25 is easy to handle, and is suitable for a wide distribution of the franking device also in private use Households are suitable and a high level of postal security is guaranteed both for the customer and for the postage calculation point.

This object is achieved by the invention as shown in 30 the characterizing parts of the claims r »- 2 -

Using a drawing consisting of two figures, the invention is explained in more detail below, the

Fig. 1 with a telephone station 5 integrated franking device and

Fig. 2 show a franking device as an addition to a telephone station.

f 10 In both figures, the same functional elements have the same reference numerals.

The franking system is based on the coupling of a franking device to a telephone station. Two * different billing procedures are provided for the 15 postage amounts used, depending on the preferred method of billing for the postal administration.

In a known manner, a value can be specified by the clearing house via the telephone connection lines, the value being stored by the franking device and the postage inventory being billed internally via register and memory (^ P.

Another solution provides for the direct settlement of postage consumption with the clearing house. The postage value is transmitted by the franking device after each value print 25 directly to a totalizer in the clearing house via the telephone lines.

For both solutions, the existing toll counter of the telephone exchange, which is assigned to each telephone subscriber, is suitable. On the part of this charge counter 30 ^, it is possible to specify a value, for example in each case Λ - 3 - ten billing units of the telephone charges, and also to register in smaller charge units after printing a value. Transfers or remaining amounts due to the different values of the fee units compared to-5 over the postage amounts are stored in a memory

Given franking device and offset against the following security print.

The advantage of such a franking system can be seen in the low cost of invoicing, convenient procurement ^ 10 and the postage available to the customer at all times. Even when using a special postage meter in a telephone exchange or a postage clearing house, the postage settlement can be coupled with the telephone charge settlement.

- 15 The franking device is either integrated with a telephone station (Fig. 1) or coupled as an additional device with a telephone station via an adapter connection (Fig. 2). The embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are only examples. For example, the franking device 20 can also be arranged on the side, in front of or under the telephone station and, if applicable, in the case of an additional device. hand display display of the telephone station shared.

- will.

The franking device 10 has a slot 11, 25 in which the letter 20 to be franked or a card or an adhesive strip is pushed. Thanks to the upside down pressure, practically all envelope formats are no problem. and securely frankable. The franking device 10 also has buttons 12 to 15 for controlling the various functions. A franking button 12 is used to switch the telephone station for franking. The telephone station is blocked in the outgoing direction.

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Incoming calls can be queried at any time. The switchover by the franking button 12 also causes the switchover of the dialing keypad 30 or the dial of the remote; 'Intercom station, which are now used for franking value entry.

i I 5 The entered postage value appears on the display; 16. If an incorrect value is entered, i is corrected by re-entering, an internal logic, for example from the * fourth entered number, causing the display to be reset to zero, so that no additional delete key 10 has to be pressed. The franking imprint is triggered via the command key 13 and, at the same time, the franked value is registered in the clearing house or transmitted to the telephone charge meter or offset internally with the value specification. Once the desired numbers of frankings 15 have been made, a delete key 14 is to be pressed, which resets the devices in their initial positions and thus switches the dialing keypad 30 to telephone dialing mode.

If the franking device has a memory for the 20 value specification, a value specification key 15 is required. By actuating the franking button 12 and the value setting button 15, a multiple of the telephone charges is in each case. units entered into the memory by means of the keypad 30 by displaying the value to be entered on the display 25 16 and pressing the command key 13, storing and parallel to this the registration in the accounting office or the advancement of the telephone - ^^^ fee counter is triggered.

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Claims (11)

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in a manner known per se over the telephone lines 15 at the request of the user from the clearing house predetermined charge values are stored in the franking device and each franking value used is subtracted from the stored value. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the franking values used are transmitted directly to the totalizer of the clearing house after each value print by the franking device. 4. The method according to claims 1 and 3, characterized in that the franking values used by the 25 telephone charge counters can be registered and billed. w * 5. The method according to claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that a value is stored as a multiple of a jj telephone fee in the franking device 30 fp. v tt, - 6 - 6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the remaining amounts are recorded in a memory and added to the next value. 4 * 7. The method according to claims 1 to 6, characterized marked 5 that the billing of the postage fees is coupled with the telephone billing. 8. Arrangement for the method according to claim 1, characterized in that the franking device (10) is integrated with a telephone station. r 9. Arrangement for the method according to claim 1, characterized in that the franking device (10) is connected as an additional device by means of an adapter to the telephone station. 10. The arrangement according to claim 9, characterized in 15 that the franking device (10) has a display (16). 11. The arrangement according to claim 9, characterized in that the franking device (10) shares an existing display (16) of the telephone station. © 20 12. Arrangement according to claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the franking device (10) has control buttons (12 to 15), by means of which the blocking of outgoing connections by the telephone station when using the franking device (10), 25 the switching the selection device (30), the pressure value triggering and the request for the value specification are controlled. Λ