Pitney Bowes Inc.

Robert B McFiggans

Alton B Eckert, Jr

Ronald P Sansone

John H Soderberg

Howell A Jones, Jr

Lynnwood Lowe

Arno Muller

Frank T Check, Jr

Richard A Malin

Raymond R Lupkas

Leonard M Pengue

Bruce E Hinman

A system that tracks when normal digital postage meter mail or digital processor mail is received by an addressee. The foregoing is accomplished by connecting a scanner and control software to a digital postage meter or digital processor that would read incoming digitally metered mail. Instead of printing an indicia, the scanner would read the already existing indicia and other information on the mail piece and then extract the sender data fields that are contained in the indicia or on the mail piece. The extracted mail data would be periodically uploaded to a data center. The data center would compare the extracted data with mail sender data that has previously been uploaded from sending meters and processors to determine if fraud has been committed in the production of the postal indicia.

Metering incoming mail to detect fraudulent indicia

A system in which originating mail processors would upload pertinent mail piece information on addressees, pointers or other identifiers automatically and periodically to a data center. The recipient addressee of the mail piece would temporarily configure his digital postage meter or mail processor as a mail receiver so that the postage meter or mail processor would read the digital indicia that was affixed to the currently delivered incoming mail. The incoming mail would be date/time stamped, opened (optionally) and the unique identifier that was placed in the postal indicia would be read. The recipient meter or mail processor would periodically upload to the data center raw data on the unique identifiers or codes that have been received. If the received unique identifiers or codes match with the sender unique identifiers or codes in a reasonable amount of time, as would normally be the case, the sent and received codes cancel out, or are kept for statistical information on delivery times, etc. Non-matched codes could be flagged and reported to the originator for further investigation. Thus, the data center may be able to locate mis-sent or mis-routed mail and automatically feed back information on undelivered or undeliverable mail.

Metering incoming deliverable mail

A system that allows a third party, such as a postage meter manufacturer or PSD manufacturer, to collate data, process the data and report localized delivery delays on a nationalized basis. The foregoing is accomplished by connecting a scanner and control software to a digital postage meter or PSD processor that would read incoming digitally metered mail. Instead of printing an indicia, the scanner would read the already existing indicia and other information on the mail piece and then extract the sender data fields that are contained in the indicia or on the mail piece. The extracted mail data would be periodically uploaded to a data center. The data center would compare the extracted data with mail sender data that has previously been uploaded from sending meters and processors to determine unexpected delivery delays in the delivery network.

Metering incoming deliverable mail to identify delivery delays

A system that allows a third party such as a postage meter manufacturer or PSD manufacturer to collate data, process the data and use this information to identify delayed mail pieces that may have been incorrectly addressed. The apparatus of this invention may be utilized by organizations or people who mail invoices, bills, letters, or other items. The foregoing is accomplished by connecting a scanner and control software to a digital postage meter or PSD that would read incoming digitally metered mail. Instead of printing an indicia the scanner would read the already existing indicia and other information on the mail piece and then extract the sender data fields that are contained in the indicia or on the mail piece. The extracted mail data would be periodically uploaded to a data center. The data center would compare the extracted data with mail sender data that has previously been uploaded from sending meters and processors to determine if the unexpected delivery delays and delays are caused by incorrectly addressed mail pieces so that appropriate action may be taken.

Metering incoming deliverable mail to automatically enable address

In an electronic postage meter having a program for updating accounting memory in a printing cycle, flags are set in the accounting memory at each of a plurality of steps during the updating of the accounting registers, the flags providing an indication in a power-up cycle following a loss of power, of the steps necessary, if any, to complete an accounting that had not been completed prior to the previous loss of operating power.

Postage meter using a flag to indicate interuption of accounting

An electronic postal meter has a control unit, an accounting unit and a printing unit, each incorporating a CPU having a separate crystal controlled clock. Communication between the units is serial character asynchronous, bit synchronous, in message form, with the bits of the messages being timed in accordance with a given schedule for synchronous control. The messages themselves, upon receipt by a receiver, are returned bit by bit to the transmitter, for checking, whereupon the transmitter sends a no-error pulse upon successful comparison of the transmitted message and the message received from the receiver. All control and data signals utilize the same pair of conductors in each direction with precisely defined timing for control.

Electronic postage meter having plural computing system

An electronic postage meter system includes a postage meter in a secure housing enclosing only an electronic accounting system having registers and a printer. All control for the postage meter is effected by way of a connector on the housing for connecting a mailing machine or service unit to the postage meter. In operation, a sole input to the meter is by way of a keyboard of the mailing machine and a sole signal output is to the mailing machine, for example, to a display. The postage meter has a program to continuously read out its registers to the connector upon an initial application of power to the connector and a service unit which may be adapted solely to display such signals.

Electronic postage meter controllable by mailing machine

A secured housing for an electronic device having an electronic memory mounted therewithin is provided which has as access aperture which provides tamper proof security and electro-magnetic interference protection while permitting access to the memory for reading the information maintained in the memory. Opening of the access aperture disables the electronic device from further operation by unlatching a switch which disconnects the electronic device from its power supply while preventing relatching of the switch to reactivate the electronic device. Use of the access aperture provides a visible indication of access to the interior of the housing. In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic device is an electronic postage meter and the electronic memory is a nonvolatile memory containing postage accounting information.

Accessible housing for electronic system

Electronic postage meter having plural computing systems

A system for detecting the presence of mail in a post office box. A post office box holder calls a telephone number which accesses a computer. The computer contains data representative of the presence or absence of letters in a plurality of post office boxes. If the box to which the caller refers is occupied, a series of tone pulses is transmitted to the caller by a tone generator under the direction of the computer.

Post office box monitoring system

A printing control system includes a printing mechanism having settable print members. A gear is rotatably mounted and operably connected for selectively setting the print members. The gear is connected to control inhibiting the printing mechanism from being energized to print. The gear may also be connected to control inhibiting the selective setting of the print members.

Printing control system

An electronic postage meter has a keyboard with numeric keys for entering postage values, a display, a set key and an arithmetic key. Circuitry within the postage meter is responsive to the depression of the arithmetic key for modifying a displayed amount in accordance with the next value entered on the keyboard, and is responsive to depression of the set key for enabling the printing of postage in accordance with the displayed value. The arithmetic function key may effect the simple addition of the old value in the display and the newly keyed-in function.

Postage meter having interactive arithmetic operation capability

A postal meter includes a postal meter assembly adapted to be driven from a base, for in turn driving the drum of a settable printing mechanism. The meter has an electronic accounting system with a register, and means setting the register during the printing cycle. A mechanical latch is positioned to stop rotation of the gear assembly at a home position if an electronic accounting has not occurred during the previous printing cycle. The gear assembly further includes a cam surface for driving the mechanical latch to this position following initiation of a printing cycle. A detent has a tooth selectively engageable with a pair of notches on the lever corresponding to the two lever positions, the detent being displaced in one case by a cam surface of the gear assembly and in the second case by a lever system responsive to the operation of the accounting system.

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Stamford, CT, United States of America

Robert B McFiggans