Pitney Bowes Inc.

Karen F Hills

Howell A Jones, Jr

Paul H Mitchell

A computerized partial shipping system wherein transactions related to a plurality of carriers are recorded in a single file. The file has a pair of counters for each carrier, with the first counter storing the total number of transactions recorded for that carrier and the second counter storing the number of closed transaction records for that carrier. The programs enable the archiving of the records, and updating the records of the file.

Computerized parcel shipping system

Efficient insertion of alternate carrier (AC) PROM boards and drop ship (DS) PROM boards into a limited number of slots in the rate rack of a microprocessor-based weighing scale is achieved by providing a distinguishing characteristic on the PROM board indicative of whether the PROM board is an AC or a DS-PROM board, and by programming the microprocessor to recognize the distinguishing characteristic and to access the proper PROM board in response to keyboard inputs by the scale user. In one embodiment disclosed, the distinguishing characteristic is data at a particular address on a PROM resident on the PROM board. In another embodiment of the invention, the distinguishing characteristic is a physical and/or electrical characteristic of the PROM board itself. Method and apparatus are disclosed.

Prom card arrangement for postal/shipping scale

A system is provided for locating and displaying a most recently written record in an electronic postage meter to sequentially store accounting data associated with the transactions of the electronic postage meter. The meter includes a first non-volatile memory (NVM) and a second non-volatile memory (NVM). The system includes apparatus for locating an accurate piece count within the second NVM, for utilizing the accurate piece count within the second NVM to locate a written transaction in the first NVM, and means for providing an external message generated by a keyboard or the like. Accordingly, the written transaction represents the most recently written record in the postage meter. The system also includes a means for determining whether the record is accurate. Accordingly, check values are provided as part of the record in the first NVM. If the check value and a value corresponding to the written transaction agree, the record within the first NVM will be displayed to a user. If the values disagree, an error indication will be displayed to the user. A key sequence on a keyboard or the like within the electronic postage meter can be depressed to either display ascending or descending register information, as the case may be, depending upon which portion of the first NVM the user would like to access. This system can be utilized in a repetitive manner to access and display sequentially stored information within the first NVM and to verify the accuracy of the stored information.

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Norwalk, CT, United States of America

Karen F Hills