Francotyp-postalia Ag & Co. Kg

Francotyp-postalia Gmbh

Francotyp-postalia Ag & Co.

Torsten Schlaaff

Dirk Rosenau

Peter Post

Joachim Jauert

Tilmann Schilling

Andreas Wagner

Ulrich Hetzer

Axel Ortmann

Olaf Turner

Uwe Huebler

Christoph Kunde

Axel Kieser

Sabine Roth

George G Gelfer

Dieter Wölm

Rainer Ehresmann

Thomas Kux

Jan Keunecke

A dynamic scale has multiple weighing units, each equipped with a weighing cell and a weighing pan, the weighing pan lying in an upper plane and the weighing cell between a lower plane spaced from the upper plane in the direction of gravity. A transport device has a motor encoder and sensors, with the encoder and sensors being electrically connected with the inputs of a control unit. The multiple weighing units are serially adjacent in a transport path, with simultaneous cascaded arrangement of the weighing cells in the direction of gravity. The control unit simultaneously starts the weighing processes in all weighing cells in a dynamic weighing mode and controls a transport motor depending on signals of the sensors and the encoder and controls the dynamic scale depending on signals from the weighing cells.

Dynamic scale with multiple, cascaded weighing pans, and method to operate the dynamic scale with cascaded weighing of items moving therethrough

In a method and an apparatus for exchanging customer data of a franking machine, a data processing device is in communication with a first memory that is permanently connected therewith, and is also in communication with a security module for implementing security-relevant services associated with franking. The data processor stores user data in the first memory that are predetermined by a user. A second memory is connected to the data processor in a manner allowing the second memory to be readily detached. The data processor stores the user data in the second memory for data backup.

Arrangement for exchange of customer data of a franking machine

An arrangement for installing a communication unit in an apparatus having a security housing, such as a mail processing apparatus, including a cavity bay located at a non-secure region of the apparatus that is accessible by a cover that is non-destructibly detachable from the security housing. The bay receives a pluggable communication unit that has a connection element connectible by a plug-in movement with a connection element of a motherboard located in the secure region of the apparatus: The cavity has at least one further connection element that is electrically conductively and mechanically connected with a metal chassis part of the apparatus in the security housing. This further connection element protrudes into the cavity and establishes contact with the communication unit for grounding thereof.

Arrangement for installing a communication unit in an apparatus

In an arrangement for the power supply for a security domain of a device, a first battery is connected to a first input of a battery switchover device in the security region and a second battery is arranged in a non-security region of the device housing and is connected to a second input of the battery switchover device. The battery switchover device is coupled to a monitoring unit in the security region of the device. The monitoring unit is preferably composed of an analog-to-digital converter and a module processor for the evaluation of the connected battery voltages.

Arrangement for the power supply for a security domain of a device

In a method and arrangement for data follow-up for warmup cycles of an ink jet print head, a memory stores warmup data of an ink jet print head and a control unit is provided for the driving the ink jet print head and is programmed to implement at least one measurement of the ambient temperature and to access the memory dependent thereon and dependent on predetermined, stored conditions in order to implement a data follow-up corresponding to the temperature-related, history-related and/or user-related conditions for a fast start. Storage of warmup data and data for a first condition ensues upon new installation of an ink cartridge before the first use thereof, and parameter data for second conditions are determined for a fast start given repeated use, and the appertaining warmup data are computationally or tabularly determined given current second conditions.

Arrangement and method for data follow-up for warmup cycles of ink jet print heads

In a security module and a method for protecting a security module, wherein security-relevant data are stored in a memory in the module, proper insertion of the security module on a device motherboard is monitored with a first function unit and a second function in the security module. The first function unit signals the status of the security module. The second function unit detects improper use or improper replacement of the security module, and upon detection of improper use or improper replacement, the second function unit causes the security-relevant data to be erased.

Method for protecting a security module and arrangement for the implementation of the method

A method for protecting a security module includes the steps of monitoring proper insertion of the module on a device motherboard with first, second and third function units, erasing sensitive data due to an improper use or a replacement of the module with the second function unit, inhibiting the functionality of the module with the third function unit during a replacement of the security module, re-initializing the previously erased, sensitive data following proper use or replacement of the security module, and re-commissioning by enabling the function units of the security module. An arrangement implementation of the method has an unplugged status detection unit that has a circuit for resettable self-holding of a status indicator, the self-holding being triggered when the voltage level on a test voltage line deviates from a predetermined potential. A processor connected to the other function units and is programmed to identify and modify the status of the security module.

A security module with status signaling, has a battery, and function units that are interconnected with one another and are covered by a casting compound. The battery is replaceably arranged on the security module, with the casting compound surrounding a first part of the printed circuit board, and a second part of the printed circuit board for the replaceably arranged battery being free of casting compound. For signaling the module status, an optical or acoustic signal element is connected to the printed circuit board.

Security module with status signaling

A method for controlling the printing in a mail processing device proceeds on the basis of a word-by-word storage of binary pixel data in the pixel memory with a predefined number of successive data words forming a data string, and a predefined number of data strings representing at least one print image. This facilitates a modification of variable binary pixel data in the pixel memory when the sequence of the binary pixel data in at least a part of the respective data string coincides with the sequence of pixels in at least one corresponding print image column that is provided for the printing. After a word-by-word transmission of binary pixel data of a data string from the pixel memory by direct memory access (DMA), an intermediate storage of the data string ensues in a pixel data editing unit before a pixel data editing is implemented during the printing with an ink jet printhead. The ink jet printhead is supplied with selected binary pixel data grouped in a predefined sequence that is dependent on the type of the ink jet printhead that is employed.

Method for controlling printing in a mail-processing device

An arrangement for controlling the printing in a mail-processing device has a print data controller for pixel data editing while printing with a print heads. The print data controller is composed of a pixel data-editing unit and a circuit including a DMA controller, an address is generator and a printer controller. The DMA controller allows access to the binary pixel data stored in the pixel memory in order to make the data available to the pixel data-editing unit in data strings. The address generator generates addresses that are supplied to the pixel data-editing unit for the selection of the binary pixel data from an intermediately stored data string and for grouping in the required sequence. The printer controller drives the pixel data-editing unit in order to supply the binary pixel data in groups to a driver unit for the print head.

Arrangement for controlling printing in a mail-processing device

In an arrangement for a security module that is plugged via an interface onto a base plate of a postal device, particularly a postage meter machine, the battery is replaceably arranged on the security module, and the voltage monitoring unit includes a circuit for a resettable self-holding, the self-holding being triggered when the battery voltage drops below a predetermined threshold. The status can be interrogated by a processor. The resetting of the self-holding can only be triggered when the battery voltage has risen above the predetermined threshold.

Arrangement for a security module

In a method and arrangement for determining a requirement to replace a component in a device, the measurement of a first parameter that has an unbeneficial influence on the consumption or the service life of the component is replaced by the measurement of at least two parameters that represent the first parameter and whose changes allow the current condition of the component to be calculated. A count reading is thereby modified such that it approaches an outage threshold that is specific for the component and such that the device emits a warning before the end of use or end of the service life of the component part is reached. The invention can be advantageously utilized for the indirect measurement of parameters of components that are located in a security module or in its immediate proximity, for example for determining a requirement for battery replacement for security modules.

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Zepernick, Germany

Torsten Schlaaff