Electronic postage meter having power magnetically coupled to the meter

Abstract

A postage meter includes a printer adapted to print postage and a computer coupled to the printer to account for postage printed by the printer. A power supply is coupled to the computer for energizing the computer to operate. The power supply includes a winding adapted to energize the power supply when magnetic flux is caused to pass through the winding. The power supply further includes a magnetic circuit for coupling magnetic flux to the winding. A housing encloses the postage meter power supply, postage meter computer and postage meter printer. The housing includes a portion adapted to allow the passage of magnetic energy into the interior thereof to energize the magnetic circuit. The postage meter may operate in conjunction with a mailing machine. The mailing machine is adapted to engage the postage meter and includes a power supply system which energizes the mailing machine. The power supply generates magnetic energy and a magnetic circuit cooperates with the power supply to couple the magnetic energy such that when the postage meter is mounted on the mailing machine the magnetic energy will enter the postage meter. The postage meter is of the type which includes a non-volatile memory coupled to the postage meter computer. The non-volatile memory includes a plurality of locations for storing accounting data when said postage meter computer is not energized. The plurality of locations are in predetermined physical locations which are physically assessible. The locations are positioned in the memory so that they can be inspected to determine the orientation of bit patterns therein without electrically energizing the non-volatile memory or physically altering the memory structure.