Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Business processing using cryptography – Postage metering system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-15
2002-11-05
Trammell, James P. (Department: 2161)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Business processing using cryptography
Postage metering system
C705S061000, C705S062000, C705S401000, C705S410000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06477511
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method and to a postal apparatus, particularly a postage meter machine, of the type having a chip card write/read unit for reloading change data by chip card into the postage meter machine or into a postal scale.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The reloading of postage fee tables into a postage meter machine by chip card via a chip card write/read unit is already disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,508 for postage meter machines and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,706 for scales. The control unit of the postage meter machine performs a monitoring function with respect to the conditions for data updating and controls the reloading.
Modern postage meter machines such as, for example, the thermal transfer postage meter machine disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,234 utilize fully electronic digital printer devices. It is thus fundamentally possible to print arbitrary texts and special characters in the postage stamp printing area and to print an arbitrary advertizing slogan or one allocated to a cost center. For example, the postage meter machine T1000 of Francotyp-Postalia AG & Co. (Postalia, Inc. in the U.S.) has a microprocessor that is surrounded by a secured housing having an opening for the delivery of a letter. Given delivery of a letter, a mechanical letter sensor (microswitch) communicates a print request signal to the microprocessor. The franking imprint contains a previously entered and stored postal information for dispatching the letter.
It is also known to store data specific to cost centers on chip cards in order to make the user-specific information mobile (portable) and to avoid an intentional misuse of other cost centers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,606,508 (corresponding to German OS 42 13 278) and 5,490,077 disclose a data entry with chip cards for the aforementioned thermal transfer postage meter machine. One of the chip cards loads new data into the. postage meter machine, and a set of further chip cards allows a setting of correspondingly stored data to be undertaken by plugging in a chip card. Loading data and setting the postage meter machine are thus possible in an easier and faster manner than via a keyboard input. The keyboard of the postage meter machine remains small and surveyable because no additional keys are required in order to load or set additional functions. A plug-in slot of a chip card write/read unit, in which the respective chip card is to be plugged by the customer within a time window, is located on the back side of the postage meter machine. Due to the lack of direct visual contact, an unpracticed user often does not always succeed in inserting the required chip cards in immediate succession, which then leads to unwanted delays. The plug-in slot of a chip card write/read unit is only easily accessible when the user bends over the machine. The problems in producing visual contact increase given larger machines. The user often has a number of other chip cards that can be plugged in. One chip card type (size format), for example telephone cards, credit cards and the like, can be physically inserted into the postage meter machine but will not be accepted. Without visual contact, however, the error is not always immediately obvious. The postage meter machine only works with relatively expensive chip cards that are themselves equipped with a microprocessor (smart card) and are thus able to check whether the postage meter machine communicates a valid data word to the chip card before an answer is sent to the postage meter machine. When, however, no answer or user identification ensues, this is registered as an error in the postage meter machine and is displayed before a request to remove the chip card is displayed in the display. To register an erroneously inserted telephone card as attempted fraud, however, would not be reasonable given the not unlikely occurrence of an “innocent” mistake.
A modified technique for scales is disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,706. The chip card write/read unit of this postage meter machine is employed fro the additional purpose loading new postage fee tables into the corresponding non-volatile memories of the scale. The different fee schedule structure and fee schedules of further mail carriers also can be loaded. Since the available memory capacity on a chip card is limited, all required data are sequentially loaded into the scale via the postage meter machine with a series of chip cards which are successively inserted.
As an alternate way for solving the further problem that there is only limited memory capacity available on a chip card, U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,218 discloses that a number of chip cards be simultaneously employed, these being plugged into a number of write/read units. In addition to a user chip card for the recrediting and debiting whereby the postage fee value is subtracted from the credit, a master card and a further rate chip card with a stored postage fee table are simultaneously plugged in. By accessing a postage fee table, a postage fee value can be determined according to the input weight and shipping destination without loading an entire table into the machine. Since, however, a respective write/read unit is required for every chip card, the apparatus becomes too large and expensive. Moreover, a separate reloading terminal is required in order to replenish the credit in the user chip card, with the master card providing the authorization for this reloading function. A supervisor card has access to all master cards. Various security levels are accessible by appertaining key codes. Such a system with a number of slots for chip cards is very complex overall.
German OS 196 05 015 discloses an embodiment for a printer device (JetMail®) that, given a non-horizontal, approximately vertical letter transport, implements a franking imprint with an ink jet print head stationarily arranged in a recess behind a guide plate. For recognizing the start (leading edge) of a letter, a print sensor is arranged shortly before the recess for the ink jet print head and collaborates with an incremental sensor. The letter transport is free of slippage due to pressure elements arranged on the conveyor belt, and the incremental sensor signal derived during the transport has a positive influence on the quality of the print image. Given such a postage meter machine exhibiting larger dimensions, however, a chip card write/read unit would have to be arranged and operated such that sequentially pluggable chip cards can be unproblematically used.
The chip cards are usually initialized by the chip card manufacturer and the postage meter machine manufacturer, however, it is complicated for the postage meter machine manufacturer to take specific customer wishes into consideration. Although information with respect to the postage fees matched to the current fee schedules must be communicated to the individual user of a postage meter machine, it affects all users of postage meter machines. A non-personalized chip card would have the advantage of being able to be produced on a mass production basis which could be implemented on short notice immediately before a fee schedule change. Given a freely purchasable non-personalized reloading card, however, there is the possibility that users of postage meter machines may have received the reloading information from other users without adequately compensating the actual service vendor. A universal requirement to purchase reloading cards cannot be implemented because some users would then be required to purchase unneeded information. This would be the case, for example, when only details of the reloading information that are not relevant to all users are modified. Finally, it is also technically unnecessary to replace an entire table only because of a few modified details. Moreover, commercially available programming devices exist with which a new chip for a chip card can be burned-in. A final consideration is that a data bank with expensive data bank security would only be required to prevent a misus
Francotyp-Postalia AG & Co.
Hayes John W.
Schiff & Hardin & Waite
Trammell James P.
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