Pitney Bowes Inc.

Other

Charles F Murphy, Iii

Jerome E Jackson

Robert A Cordery

Donald T Dolan

Joseph L Gargiulo

David W Hubbard

Claude Zeller

Danilo P Buan

Patrick Murphy

Morton Silverberg

Steven A Supron

Wallace Kirschner

Richard A Bernard

William A Salancy

Joseph M Mozdzer

Patrick M Brand

Ralph A Rapillo

Craig J DeFilippo

William T Lefebvre

Beth A Jennings

Betty A Terry

Henry A Mayeski

Laura A Hill

A method of collecting a payment from a postage meter customer having a past due account including receiving a service request from the postage meter, requesting that the customer provide credit card information through the postage meter for purposes of charging the payment, and performing the service if the customer provides the credit card information, and denying the service if the customer does not provide the credit card information. Also, a method of updating payment method information for a customer including receiving a request from the postage meter for a postage refill to be charged to default credit card, attempting to charge payment for the refill to default credit card and determined that the charge has been rejected, receiving new credit card information from the postage meter and thereafter providing the postage refill and storing the new credit card information for use in the future trasactions.

System and method for meter enabled payment functionality

A method of printing a composite image composed of a postage indicia image and an adjacent nondescript image on an image receiving medium is disclosed. The postage indicia image contains alpha-numeric data which must be machine readable and therefore must be printed with a high quality water fast ink, and is printed with a printing device utilizing ink jet technology. The nondescript image is merely a flag image containing fluorescent material and does not contain alpha-numeric data that must be machine readable, and therefore can be printed by any other suitable printer using commercially available fluorescent ink.

Method of printing postage indicia using ink jet technology

An ink sensing apparatus for a value dispensing device having a printhead which prints an indication of value includes a device for determining a total amount of ink consumed by the value dispensing device based on a total number of indications of value printed by the printhead and a total number of maintenance actions performed on the printhead; a device for ascertaining that the total amount of ink consumed by the value dispensing device has exceeded a predetermined amount; and a device for providing an indication that the total amount of ink consumed by the value dispensing apparatus has exceeded the predetermined amount. A method associated with the above device includes the steps of: determining a total amount of ink consumed by the value dispensing device based on a total number of indications of value printed by the printhead and a total number of maintenance actions performed on the printhead; ascertaining that the total amount of ink consumed by the value dispensing device has exceeded a predetermined amount; and providing an indication that the total amount of ink consumed by the value dispensing apparatus has exceeded the predetermined amount.

Device and method for sensing low ink level in an ink cartridge of a

A postage metering system which performs a plurality of different functions including printing of postage and exchange of data with a remotely located data center to accomplish a postage fund refill of the postage metering system, a remote postage metering system inspection, and a download of location data into the postage metering system is provided and further includes a portable vault having first data indicative of location stored therein, the portable vault accounting for the value of postage printed; and a terminal which houses structure for removably receiving the portable vault, a printing mechanism for printing postage, apparatus for communicating with the data center to perform the remote postage metering system inspection, the postage fund refill of the postage metering system, and the download of location data into the postage metering system, structure for storing second data indicative of location, and apparatus for comparing the first and second data at times when the portable vault is inserted in the receiving means, for permitting operation of all of the plurality of different functions if the first and second data match, and for preventing the printing of postage while permitting the operation of at least some of the other of the plurality of different functions if the first and second data do not match. A method associated with the postage metering system is also provided.

Method and apparatus for ensuring for the correct accounting of postage

A postage meter includes a printhead for printing an indicia; a device for determining a total amount of ink consumed by the postage meter and for ascertaining when the total amount of ink consumed by the postage meter has exceeded a predetermined amount; and a controller having first structure for automatically performing maintenance on the printhead on a recurring basis in accordance with a normal maintenance program, and second structure, operative at times when the first structure determines that the total amount of ink consumed by the postage meter has exceeded the predetermined amount, for performing maintenance on the printhead in accordance with an ink conservation maintenance program instead of the normal maintenance program to reduce the quantity of ink consumed during maintenance of the printhead.

Device and method for conserving ink consumption in an ink cartridge of

A postage meter for printing an indicia image on a print surface of a mailpiece includes a print head having a plurality of nozzles through which ink is ejected to print the indicia image on the print surface during relative movement between the print head and the mailpiece; a registration plate having a registration surface against which the mailpiece is registered to define an operative gap between the nozzles and the print surface, the registration plate having an opening therein to expose the print surface to the nozzles to permit printing of the indicia image on the print surface; and a stop mechanism connected to the print head so that at times when the print surface of the mailpiece extends through the opening the stop mechanism prevents contact between the print surface and the nozzles during printing of the indicia image.

Print head stop mechanism for a postage meter

A method for printing a postal indicia on a mailpiece includes moving a printing mechanism and the mailpiece relative to each other during a plurality of passes; and printing with the printing mechanism at least a corresponding portion of the postal indicia during each of the plurality of passes, each of the corresponding portions being in overlapped relationship to the other corresponding portions so that the combined effect of the corresponding overlapped portions is a postal indicia which is detectable by a facer/canceler machine as a valid postal indicia. Furthermore, during no more than one of the plurality of passes is its corresponding portion of the postal indicia detectable by the facer/canceler machine as the valid postal indicia. An apparatus incorporates the above method.

Method and apparatus for securely printing a machine detectable postal

A method for printing an enhanced postal indicia image on a mailpiece utilizing a postage meter having a printing mechanism including a plurality of nozzles that deposit an ink in a dot-matrix pattern includes moving the printing mechanism and the mailpiece relative to each other over a first swath area on the mailpiece; selectively energizing the nozzles during step A) thereby printing a dot-matrix pattern of a postal indicia within the first swath area; moving the printing mechanism and the mailpiece relative to each other over a second swath area on the mailpiece, the second swath area in overlapping relationship with the first swath area; and selectively energizing the nozzles during step C) for printing a dot-matrix pattern of selected portions of the postal indicia which is complimentary to the dot-matrix pattern of the postal indicia such that a dot-matrix pattern of the enhanced postal indicia is produced by a combination of the dot-matrix pattern of the postal indicia and the dot-matrix pattern of selected portions of the postal indicia.

Method and apparatus for securely printing an indicia image in multiple

A method for printing a high resolution postal indicia image includes printing with a printing mechanism a first low resolution indicia image on a mailpiece during a first pass between the printing mechanism and the mailpiece; printing with the printing mechanism a first portion of a second low resolution indicia image on the mailpiece during a second pass between the printing mechanism and the mailpiece; and printing with the printing mechanism a second portion of the second low resolution indicia image on the mailpiece during at least a third pass between the printing mechanism and the mailpiece, the second portion being complementary to the first portion to create therewith the second low resolution image, the second low resolution image being complementary to the first low resolution image to create therewith the high resolution postal indicia image. An apparatus incorporates the above method.

Method and apparatus for securely printing a postal indicia image by

A value printing system having a printing mechanism; a device for moving the printing mechanism in a first predetermined manner during printing by the printing mechanism to record an indication of value on a recording medium; and apparatus, remote from the printing mechanism and the moving device, for effecting the moving device to change the movement of the printing mechanism from the first predetermined manner to a second predetermined manner different from the first predetermined manner during printing by the printing mechanism to record the indication of value on the recording medium. A second value printing system includes a printing module which prints an indication of value on a recording medium; apparatus for accounting for the indication of value printed, the accounting apparatus and printing module communicating with each other to effectuate printing by the printing module; an authorizing device for authorizing the authenticity of the communication between the accounting apparatus and the printing module as a prerequisite to printing the indication of value on the recording medium, the authorizing device including the use of at least one secret key stored in the value printing system; and structure, remote from the printing module and the accounting apparatus and the authorizing device, for initiating changing of the at least one secret key. A method includes the steps of sending a code from a computer, remotely located from the printing mechanism, the accounting apparatus and the authorizing apparatus, to the value printing system; and utilizing the code to change the stored secret key.

Method and apparatus for remotely changing security features of a

A mail handling apparatus having a printing mechanism; a device for moving the printing mechanism along a path of travel between a printing mechanism printing position and a printing mechanism maintenance position; a maintenance station positioned lateral to the path of travel; and a device for rotating the printing mechanism along the path of travel to align the printing mechanism for engagement with the maintenance station as the printing mechanism moves into the maintenance position.

Apparatus and method for positioning a printing mechanism between

A method for printing a postal indicia includes printing a first dot-matrix ink pattern of the postal indicia; and printing a second dot-matrix ink pattern of a portion of the postal indicia in overlapping relationship to the first dot-matrix ink pattern such that a combination of the first and second dot-matrix ink patterns results in a combined dot-matrix pattern of the postal indicia having a first dot density along its length and a second dot density along its height, the first and second dot densities being different from each other but sufficient in combination to permit detection of the combined dot-matrix ink pattern by a facer/canceler machine. An apparatus incorporates the above method.

Method and apparatus for securely printing a postal indicia image having

An ink priming device for an ink jet printing apparatus is disclosed which includes a housing adapted to fit over the nozzle plate of the print head when the print head is in a non-printing position, the housing having a substantially air tight connection to the nozzle plate. A vacuum generating pump having means defining a variable volume chamber is connected to the housing, and includes an actuator for sequentially decreasing and increasing the volume of the chamber to expel air to ambient atmosphere but not back to the housing and to draw air and ink pockets in the print head into the chamber as a result of the vacuum created when the volume of the chamber is increased, so that the print head is reprimed with ink to maintain proper operation

Ink priming device for ink jet printer

An apparatus for buffering transport of inked, distorted documents is comprised of an upper deck oriented at an acute angle. The apparatus has a plurality of opposite, parallel, threaded screw conveyers orthogonal to the upper deck. The screw conveyers are positioned in close proximity to provide a support surface for an inked document fed into the buffer apparatus. The individual threads of the screw conveyers are adapted to simultaneously support, advance, and lower the individual sheets incident to rotation of the respective screw conveyers thereby depositing the inked, distorted documents successively onto lower threads. A lower deck is provided for receiving inked documents.

Apparatus for feeding distorted documents

An ink pad device for a high speed mailing machine is disclosed. The ink pad device includes an ink pad and an ink chamber in which the ink pad is at least partially disposed to sorb ink therefrom. The ink pad device may also comprise an ink reservoir and/or a pump for pumping ink from the reservoir to the ink chamber. The ink pad device is attachable to a drive for moving the ink pad horizontally and vertically from a horizontal home position to a horizontal inking position in which the ink pad is tamped against a printing device which imprints postage indicia. The ink pump comprises a deformable chamber which is compressed to pump ink from the reservoir to the ink chamber. In one embodiment, the ink pad and the ink chamber are provided as a disposable, non-replenishable, non-refillable unit containing a limited amount of ink for limited use. In another embodiment, the ink chamber, the ink pad, the reservoir and the pump form a unit in which ink is replenished from the reservoir to the ink chamber. In that embodiment, the entire unit may be made disposable and may be moved by the drive to the inking position. In still another embodiment, the ink pad and the ink chamber form a disposable, replenishable unit, and the reservoir is replaceable. In that embodiment, only the ink pad and the ink chamber are movable by the drive to the inking position.

Growing community of inventors

Milford, CT, United States of America

Charles F Murphy, Iii