The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 21, 1992
Filed:
Mar. 23, 1989
John G Haines, Oakland, CA (US);
Tracy F Slaughter, Grass Valley, CA (US);
Charles P Barker, Pleasanton, CA (US);
F.M.E. Corporation, Hayward, CA (US);
Abstract
A technique for reconfiguring in the field external devices in communication with postage meters, the external devices having an external device feature set that may be selectively enabled or disabled by software. The technique provides security so that any changes to the feature set is authorized. The meter is capable of being put into an I/O configuration mode by suitable entries from the keyboard, in which mode it is inhibited from printing postage. The meter has a storage register for a current or old I/O configuration number (IOCN), and can receive a desired new IOCN via keyboard entry. The meter calculates an encrypted I/O configuration request code that depends on the new IOCN. The I/O configuration request code, when communicated to a data center computer along with other validating identification information, is checked by the data center computer which computes the I/O configuration request code using the same algorithm. If the two values agree, the data center computer calculates an encrypted I/O configuration enable code that depends on the meter serial number. This is communicated to the meter, which receives the I/O configuration enable code and also calculates a I/O configuration enable code using the same algorithm as the data center computer. If the I/O configuration enable codes agree, the meter overwrites the old IOCN with the new IOCN, thereby reconfiguring the meter and the external devices.