Electronic postage meter operating system

Abstract

A postage meter system includes a nonvolatile memory and program store coupled to a microcomputer. Postage meter transactional accounting data records are stored in the nonvolatile memory. Each transactional accounting data record includes a header portion having piece count related data and a piece count data field. The most current stored transactional accounting record header includes piece count related data which differs from the piece count data in the piece count field. Other stored transactional accounting records have headers with piece count related data which are the same as the piece count data stored in the piece count field. In this way, the most current record can be rapidly identified. A ring buffer organization of nonvolatile memory locations are utilized for storing postage value setting prior to the commencement of a postage dispensing transaction. By utilizing the ring buffer postage setting data and the most current postage transactional accounting record, a postage meter transaction can be reconstructed and written into a new postage transactional accounting record should a fault occur during a transaction which would preclude the writing of valid data. A program store causes the microcomputer to write a full set of critical postage accounting data into a random access memory, a second full set of critical accounting data and a set of abbreviated critical accounting data into the nonvolatile memory. The program store further causes the microcomputer, when an error is detected in at least one of the nonvolatile memory records, upon a comparison of data, where data in the random access memory is used as the accurate reference data, to rewrite data into both the full record and the abbreviated data record stored in the nonvolatile memory.