Ascom Hasler Mailing Systems Ag

Ascom Autelca Ag

Daniel Fluckiger

Martin Muller

Christian Moy

Christian Gillieron

Philippe Chollet

Peter Stutz

Kurt Nast

Benedikt Widmer

Heinz Wuthrich

A postage meter has an improved means of monitoring the position of the cover providing access to the print rotor. A mechanical latch and associated mechanism is provided responsive to a cam on the print rotor and responsive to the movement of the cover, and the mechanism has an electrical sensor output to the processor of the postage meter. In the event that the cover is opened at a time when the rotor is away from its home position, for example at a time when the power to the meter has failed, the latch enters a latched state. Upon the restoration of power the meter determines if the rotor is away from its home position, and if it is, the meter inspects the sensor output to determine if the latch has been caused to enter its latched state. This condition is annunciated, for example by rendering the meter incapable of printing postage. The meter has a hardware circuit external to the processor which receives as an input at least one signal indicative of rotation of the print rotor, and which counts the rotations. The circuit also receives a reset signal from the processor which, it is assumed, will be provided if the processor is functioning normally but will not be provided in the event of processor malfunction. If the counter reaches a predetermined threshold the circuit halts the print motor.

Postage meter with rotor movement and die cover sensor

A postage meter has a secure housing, an accounting register within the secure housing, and a print rotor the rotation of which defines a paper path. The rotor axle is formed of two halves, and within the two haves is a lengthwise cavity along which setting racks are capable of axial movement. The racks engage with print wheels at one end and are accessible to the main body of the postage meter at the other end. Each rack engages with its value wheel in a rack-and-pinion engagement. The axle halves are made of plastic and they snap together. The racks slide within grooves, and are held in place with pins. The axle has journal bearings and a thrust bearing defining its movement relative to the secure housing. A worm gear in the housing engages a worm wheel in the rotor to bring about rotation of the rotor for the printing of postage.

Postage meter with hollow rotor axle

A computer system for protecting memory comprising a processor having address outputs and executing a stored program, a memory having a control input, an address-decoder for providing a control signal to the control input of the memory in response to associated address outputs from the processor, and a window circuit. The window circuit comprises a range detector responsive to the address outputs for generating a range-detection signal indicative of an address from the processor being within a protected range, the protected range non-identical to the entirety of the space of addresses within the memory. Access to memory locations within the protected range is permitted only if a request signal is received from the processor. If the request signal is asserted for an unexpectedly long time an error condition is annunciated, for example the processor is reset.

Protection system for critical memory information

A self-contained postage meter does not have a base separable from a main body. The single secure housing contains everything that would be in the main body of a prior art postage meter and everything that would be in a prior art meter base. Despite containing all these things, the single secure housing is small enough and light enough in weight to permit the entire meter to be readily transported to the post office for inspection or resetting. Within the single secure housing are the print rotor with value wheels, all the mechanisms for setting the print wheels, the descending and/or ascending register and associated microprocessor, and all the mechanisms for transport of the mail piece through the meter. Only a handful of controlled elements are required, chiefly a single inexpensive DC motor for franking and value wheel setting and a few electromagnets. Two one-way clutches are used so that rotation of the motor in one direction accomplishes a setting cycle for the value wheels and rotation of the motor in the other direction accomplishes a printing (franking) cycle.

Single-motor setting and printing postage meter

A rotor movement sensing system in a postage meter permits detection of the printing of postage even if power is lost during the printing cycle. A sensor senses a magnet on a disk when the rotor is substantially past its home position. A second sensor has a magnetic memory element. When the magnet on the disk passes near the memory element, that element is magnetized. A Hall-effect sensor at the memory element provides an interrupt to a processor to indicate magnetization of the memory element. A winding is provided around the memory element. The processor has an output which, when asserted, causes current flow through the winding, demagnetizing the memory element. Alternatively a reed switch senses rotor rotation, a flip-flop provides a bistable latch and its output provides a datum for the processor. An interrupt routine provides that during a routine franking cycle the processor responds to the interrupt, makes record in nonvolatile memory of the occurrence of the printing cycle, and energizes the winding or flip-flop reset. This interrupt routine is executed for each franking cycle when power is continuously available.

Growing community of inventors

Zaziwil, Switzerland

Daniel Fluckiger