Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
13'28927
POST~L CHARGE ACCOUNTING SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to electronic postage meter systems and, more
particularly, to a multiple smart card accounting system for use with electronicpostage meters.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
~ . .
A postage meter typically includes a printer to print postal indicia on a
mail piece and a so-called ~ault for securely holding the postal meter funds.
Ascending and descending registers are provided within the vault to record totalmeter usage and remaining funds, respectivel~. The vault is securel~ connected
to the printer so that any use of the meter to print postage will be added to the
ascending register to increase the record of total life cycle meter usage and
will be charged against the descending register to reduce the amount of
available funds remaining. -The vault is recharged in a known manner, as b~
being taken to authorized postal authorities to have the descending register
reset to reflect a corresponding pa~ment.
Extensive effort has heretofore been made to ensure the securit~ of the
postal funds within the vault. Thus, many alternative vault recharging systems
have been proposed and extensive efforts have been directed at ensuring that
postage cannot be fraudulently or accidentally printed without being added or
charged respectively to the ascending and descending registers within the vault.See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,011 entitled "Coupon Controlled
Metering Device," U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,871 entitled "Electronic Postage Meter
System Settable By Means of a Remotely Generated Input Device", United
Kingdom Pat. No. 2,173,738A, entitled "Secure Transport of Information
Between Electronic Stations", Japanese Patent disclosure Nos. 1986-[Showa-
61]-240,360 and 1986-[Showa 61]-24û,369 both entitled "Postage Processing
Machine", and Japanese public disclosure No. 172493/1987 entitled "Mail
Charge Processing Apparatus". However, no significant effort has heretofore
1328927
been directed to accounting for postage meter use other
than to provide the cumulative information recorded in
the ascending and descending meter registers as to total
life cycle meter usage and available funds remaining.
Thus, where a single postage meter is used by several
persons or departments there is no convenient method of
accurately accounting for meter usage for internal or
external accounting purposes.
One proposed system for controlling a network of
postage meters is disclosed in European Patent
Application No. 86 108929.0 or SMH Alcatel Ltd. entitled
"Process and System for Controlling Postage Meters",
published January 7th, 1987 under publication No.
0,207,492. At present, the prospect of obtaining
regulatory approval of such a system by the Postal
Authorities of U.K. or U.S.A. is questionable. The
proposed SMH Alcatel system cannot readily be retro-
fitted to existing postage meters and obtaining
regulatory approval of the redesigned SMH Alcatel
postage meter, if obtainable, would be costly and time
consuming. In short, the SMH Alcatel system does not
provide a satisfactory postage meter accounting system.
Similar systems are disclosed in some of the previously
mentioned British patent and Japanese disclosure
documents. A similar system not involving use of
integrated circuit cards is disclosed in an SMH Alcatel
European Patent Application No. 86108930.8 published on
January 14th, 1987
1328927
under publication No. 0,208,231, entitled "Remote
Control System for Postage Meters".
Therefore, it is an object of an aspect of the
present invention to provide a convenient postal charge
accountlng system.
It is an obj ect of an aspect of the present
invention to provide a convenient postal charge
accounting system which can be used in conjunction with
the existing security feature~ of an electronic postage moter.
It i9 an object of an aspect of the present invention to
provide a po~tal charge accounting sy~tem which may be retro-
fitted to existing electronic postage meter~ in the field.
An object of an aspect of the invention is to
provide a postal charge accounting system which provides
detailed departmental accounting.
These and other highl~ desirable objects and ad~antages are obtained in
a con\ enient yet secure postal charge accounting system.
Objec~s and ad~antages of the in\ ention are set forth in part herein and
in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practice with the
in~ ention the same being realized and attained by means of the
instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present in~ention a postage meter charge
accounting system is provided in which a control unit is connected to an
electronic postage meter and to a card read-write unit adaptPd to receive one
or more integrated circuit cards having memor~ and a microprocessor (so called
"smart cards"). One example of a "smart card" is described in European
Published Patent App!ication No. 19~642.
In the preferred embodiment the control unit inhibits operation of the
postage meter unless a valid smart card carrying appropriate identifying
information rendering it capable of use with the corresponding meter is placed
in the card read-write unit. The smart card recei~es a signal indicating the
postage ~alue setting from the meter and a confirmation that the postage ~alue
has been printed. The smart card sorts collates and stores the information
recei~ed from the meter as to monetary amount and quantity of particular
1328927
items of postage printed, all in a predetermined manner for later display and/orprinting. Preferably, one smart card is provided to each account having access
to the meter, such as each of several corporate departments, in order to
monitor departmental postage meter use. Alternatively, one postage meter
could be shared between se~eral persons or separate businesses, and each person
or business would have his/its own smart card. In this way, small businesses andindi~iduals for whom the capital or maintenance expense of a postage meter is
undesirably high could share use of a meter with no loss of individual control
over their own funds and would enjo) accurate and secure accountability in
their mailing or despatch activities.
In addition, it is contemplated that a personal computer could be
attached to the postage meter in communication with the control unit and/or
card read-write unit in order to provide detailed periodic summary accounting
information.
Using the same general concepts, it is also possible for the Postal
Authorities, or a pri~ate courier or deli~ery service, to make available to its
customers the use of a postage meter on a 24-hours-a-day basis. In this
advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the courier service or Post
Office makes a postage meter of the kind herein described a~ailable 24 hours a
day to its customers in a room to which access is gained through a door opened
by insertion of a suitable coded token. The smart card referred to could ser~ e
additionally as an identifying token by providing each customer's card with a
suitable identif~ing code part of which opens the access door.
In operation, a smart card for dedicated use with a particular postage
meter is assigned to each user of postage meter services, such as an internal
corporate department. To activate the postage meter a user places a card in
the read-write unit and, if necessary, enters an identification code into the
control unit keyboard in a known manner. After confirming that the card is
v alid for use with the postage meter the control unit acti~ ates the postage
meter. The card, via the controller and appropriate interfaces, then
interrogates the postage meter for postage value setting information and
confirmation that postage has been printed. The card then sorts, collates and
. . . . . . . . . .. . ... . . .. . . .
~328927
stores the postage meter use information recei\ ed from the meter in a preset
format appropriate for the user's needs. The card ma~ be left in the card read-
write unit to collect information throughout a given mail processing session,
and removed at the end of the session. Upon removal of the card the control
unit disables the meter until another valid smart card is placed in the read-
write unit.
Through the control unit keyboard the user may request a displa~ of the
postal use information stored on the card. This information ma~ simpl~ be
displayed on the meter displa~. In the preferred embodiment including a
personal computer it is contemplated that the information stored in the card
may be read from the card and written into the memor~ of the personal
computer. In practice, it is contemplated that all of the indhidual cards
distributed to departments could be read in this manner, such as at the end of agiven accounting period, so that the personal computer obtains from the cards a
record of all postage meter use during that accounting period. It is further
contemplated that computer software for the personal computer could display
and print the postage meter use information in a variety of formats. E3~ way of
example only, the personal computer could display andlor print desired details
or summaries of postage meter use b~ each card holder, during the accounting
period. This might Include details of daily meter use, the quantity of particular
postage values printed on a dail~ or period basis, or total meter usage by day or
period.
As an extra (optional) check that the card system accounts for all
postage meter use in a given accounting period, it is also contemplated that an
additional card could be used to monitor comprehenshe "item count" and "total
setting" meter values at the beginning and end of each accounting period.
These v alues could then be cross-checked against the cumulative information
collected from the cards.
Advantageously, since the v ault remains at all times within the postage
meter, the control unit and associated card read-~rite unit forming part of the
present in\,ention can be retro-fitted to existing electronic postage meters in a
known manner through a communications link. Of course, it is also
.
. .
1328927
6 --
contemplated that future ele~tronic meter~ could be designed and built to
include the control unit and card read-write unit in one integrated structure.
However, since the traditional appro~,ed vault-printer arrangement within the
meter is maintained, both the stand alone and integrated postage meter
accounting system according to the in\ ention should comply with existing
regulatory provisions.
Thus, there is disclosed herein a po3tal charge accounting system which
provides accounting for postage meter use by any desired number of separate
users. In addition, the system according to the present invention
advantageously can be retro-fitted to existing electronic postage meters and
can be expanded to include a personal computer to generate comprehensive
accounting reports.
Other aspects of this invention are as follows:
A postal charge accounting system comprising:
a) an electronic postage meter including internal
accounting registers;
b) control unit means connected to said postage
meter for controlling said meter;
c) at least one user smart card programmed for
processing postage meter use information, wherein said
user smart card is dedicated for use with said postage
meter and said postage meter use information includes
data entries made to said internal accounting registers;
and
d) card read-write unit means connected to said
control unit means for reading said postage meter use
information from and writing said postage meter use
information into said user smart card.
A postage charge accounting system comprising:
a) an electronic postage meter including internal
accounting registers;
- b) control unit means connected to and
communicating with said postage meter;
1328927
- 6a -
c) at least one user smart card programmed for
processing postage meter use information, said user
smart card being dedicated for use with said postage
meter, said postage meter use information including data
entries made to said internal accounting registers;
d) first card read-write unit means connected to
said control unit means for receiving said postage meter
use information from said control unit and writing said
postage meter use information into said card;
e) computer means for generating accounting
reports; and
f) second card read-write unit means connected to
said computer means for reading said postage meter use
information from said card and providing said
information to said computer means, such that said
computer means generates said accounting reports based
upon said postage meter use information.
A postal charge accounting system comprising:
a) an electronic postage meter including internal
accounting registers;
b) control unit means connected to said postage
meter for controlling said postage meter;
c) a plurality of user smart cards dedicated for
use with said meter, each of said cards being programmed
for processing postage meter use information, said
postage meter use information including data entries
made to said internal accounting registers;
d) card read-write unit means connected to said
control unit means for reading said postage meter use
information from and writing said postage meter use
information into any one of said cards inserted into
said card read-write unit means;
e) said control unit means being arranged to
activate said meter for use when said one card is
inserted into said card read-write unit means, wherein
,~
132~927
- 6b -
said postage meter use information is transmitted by
said meter, said control unit means and said read-write
unit means to said one card, said one card storing said
postage use information; and
f) means for displaying said postage meter use
information read from said one card.
A postage charge accounting system comprising:
a) an electronic postage meter including internal
accounting registers;
b~ user terminal means connected to said meter;
c) an electronic weighing scale connected to said
terminal means;
d) printer means coupled to said terminal means
for printing information generated by the accounting
system;
e) a plurality of user smart cards programmed for
processing postage meter use information, wherein each
of said cards is dedicated for use with said postage
meter and said postage meter use information includes
data entries made to said internal accounting registers;
and
f) card read-write unit means connected to said
user terminal means for reading said postage meter use
information from and writing said postage meter use
information into said card.
It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the
following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the
invention but are not restrictive thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING5.
The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part
hereof, illustrate principles and preferred embodiments of the present
invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principle~ of
the imention, in which:
Figure 1 i8 a block diagram of the postage meter accounting system in
accordance ~ystem in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
, --
1328927
-- ~C
Figure 2 is a block diagram of part of a second embodiment of the
postage meter accounting system in accordance with the invention including a
computer for generating accounting reports;
Figure 3 is a first example of a postage meter accounting report;
Figure 4 is a second example of a postage meter accounting report;
Figure 5 is a third example of a postage meter accounting report.
Figure 6 is a fourth example of a postage meter accounting report; and
Figure 7 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of a sy~tem
according to the inv,ention.
Ii'
.~ :
;~
1328927
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in block diagram form
one example of a postal charge accounting system 10 in accordance with the
invention having an electronic postage meter 12 connected to a control unit 14,
a card read-write unit 16, and at least one integrated circuit card 1a. Postage
meter use information is stored on cards 18 and can be displayed when desired.
In the preferred embodiment, the system according to the invention further
includes a personal computer 20 (see Fig. 2) and an associated read-write unit
22 for reading the cards 18 to obtain postage meter use information and
generate accounting reports such as illustrated in Figures 3 to 5.
Referring more specifically to Figure 1, electronic postage meter 12
includes a display 24. Examples of electronic postage meters appropriate for
use with the present in~ention include electronic postage meters available from
the assignee of the present application, Pitney 80wes Inc. of Stamford,
Connecticut, under the model designation numbers 6500 or 6900. The foregoing
postage meters need not be modified other than by being connected to control
unit 14 in a known manner through a communications link 26. Control unit 14 is
provided with a keyboard 28 which is used in place of the keyboard of the
control panel provided on meter 12. The meter display 24, on the other hand,
remains active. Control unit 14 is connected to an integrated circuit card read-write unit 16 b~- a communications link 30 and at least one integrated circuit or
so-called "smart" card 18 is provided. The preferred smart card is a non-
contact integrated circuit card containing memory space and available from
The General Electric Company p.l.c., Chelmsford, Essex. Advantageously, the
General Electric smart card may readily be provided with security features
useful in the present invention for restricting use of the postage meter to
designated accountable entitites, e.g. specific persons, specific businesses or
corporate departments, and/or for restricting use of any given card to a
specified postage meter. In addition, the General Electric smart card
advantageously derives its power from the card read-write unit. Appropriate
smart card read-write units are available from the smart card manufacturer.
1328927
In practice, a set of smart cards 18 dedicated for use with a given
rneter 12 are distributed to those accountable entities authorized to use postage
meter 12. To use the meter, a person placeQ smart card 1~ in the ~ard read-
write unit 16 and, if the system is so equipped, enters an authorization code
into ke~board 28 of control unit 14. The control unit, which inhibits use of
meter 12 in the absence of an authorized card, confirms that the card inserted
into the card read-write unit is \,alid for use with postage meter 12 and, if
appropriate, confirms that the authorization code entered by the user onto
keyboard 28 is proper.
Upon presentation of ~alid user card control unit 14 acti~ates postage
meter 12 for use. The postage meter is used in the normal fashion to print
postage indicia with the appropriate data entries being made in a traditional
manner to the ascending and descending registers in the meter vault. In
addition, during each postage printing transaction the postage meter use
information, e.g. the value and quantity of postage items is printed, is
transmitted via communication links 26 and 30, control unit 14, and card read-
write unit 16 to card 18 disposed the card read-write unit. The card is left in
the card read-write unit throughout the postage processing session to record thevalue and quantity of all items of postage processed. Upon removal of the card
from read-write unit 16, the control unit 14 deactivates meter 12.
The card stores the value and number of postal items printed in a
format designed to conform to the user's needs. For example, the card could be
programmed to store the quantity of particular item values printed, such as the
most common postage values, with a running total of all such items printed.
The card may also be programmed to record the number and total of all other
items printed, i.e. those item v alues which are not routinely printed, and a
running total of all items printed by the user. Since the smart card is readily
pro~,ided with a clock, all of the foregoing information can be monitored for any
giv,en p~riod, i.e. day, week, month, etc. The data stored on the smart card canbe accessed b~ entering a display instruction into keyboard 28 to display the
postage meter use information of the accountable entit~ owning that smart
card on the postage meter display 24.
., . . . . . . . . ............... . . . .. .. .. ..... . . . . . ~
'
1328927
In a preferred alternativ,e embodiment of the in\ention shown in Figure
2, a computer 20, such as a personal computer~ is connected in a known manner
b~ a communications link 32 to a second card read-write unit 22. Of course, it
is contemplated that card read-write units 16 and 22 could be one and the same.
The computer is provided with an appropriate program within the skill in the artenabling the computsr to interact with the card read-write unit 22 to receive
postage meter use information from a card 18 inserted into card read-write unit
22. In this manner, if desired, all cards may be periodically collected from
accountable entities and read in card reader 22 to transfer the postage meter
use information from the cards to the computer memory. It is contemplated
that the cards could simultaneously be cleared during this information transfer
process so that they are ready to commence another accounting period.
The information transferred from the cards to computer 20 thus
constitutes an accounting for all use of meter 12 for the given accounting
period. Ad~antageouslS, the computer ma~ be programmed to store, displa~
and/or print the postage meter use accounting information in a v ariety of
formats. Toward this end, computer 2û is connected to displa~ 33 and/or
printer 35 by communication links 37 and 39, respectivel~, and a ke~board 41.
By way of example onl~ and not b~ way of limitation, three accounting formats
for displaying and/or printing the postage use information for a given
accountable entity are shown in Figures 3 through 5. In each of these
illustrations the accountable entity is shown as a hypothetical "Department
123-Credit Control".
As shown in Figure 3, computer 20 may be programmed to generate an
accounting report showing the type and value of postage transactions
undertaken by the accountable entity during the accounting period. As shown
at 34, for example, the identity of the hypothetical accountable entityis given.The accounting period 36, here "October 1986", is given and columns 38, 4û, 42
respectively identify the value, quantity and total cumulative value of each
type of postage item printed. In column 30, designated "Print Value", the ~alue
of each t~pe of postage item of postage being monitored is listed. In column 40
the quantity of items
1328927
-10-
corresponding to the item types listed in column 3a is given, with a total valuefor each type of item set forth in column 42. As shown, at the bottom of each
column totals 44 are given.
A second example accounting report is shown in Figure 4. In this
example a daily summary of activity is given. Columns 46, 4~, 50 indicate the
date, quantity and total value of postage items printed by the hypothetical
Department 123 during the accounting period, here October 19~6. This
configuration takes advantage of the clock provided within card 18 to store
information on a daily basis. For any given date listed in column 48, the total
quantity of items printed and their total money ~alue are shown in columns 48
and 50, respectively. Of course, the period total can be gi\en as shown on line
52.
Referring now to Figure 5, there is shown a third example of an
accounting report in accordance with the invention. This more comprehensive
reporting format gi~ es a daily summar~ of all postage meter usage for the
period, including the quantity of specific postage item values printed on any
given da~ during the period. In addition, cumulative ~ ear to date usage
information is provided. Once again in Figure 5 the usage of the hypothetical
Department 123 for the period October 1986 is shown. In column 54 each date
on which use of the postage meter occurred is displayed. In columns 56 and 58
the quantity of particular postage value items of interest printed on the
corresponding date of column 54 is shown. Column 60 shows the quantity of
other types of postage items making up the remaining value of postage printed
on that day is shown. Column 62 lists the total monetary value of all postage
printed on each day listed in column 54. ~:)nce again, the total quantity and
monetary value figures for the period are shown on line 52. As shown on line
64, it is contemplated that the computer could be programmed to pro~ide, on a
year to date basis, a running total of the quantity and total monetary value of
postage printed. Programming for a year to date tabulation based on prior
periodic reports within the computer memorS is within the skill in the art.
Of course, it is contemplated that item values, etcO, other than those
shown in the foregoing illustrations may be desired. It is also contemplated
1328927
-11-
~hat other report formats m~ prov~ desirable or us2ful such a~, for example,
monthly or ~ear end reports of meter usage b~ all departments.
Preferably~ an additional smart card iS provided to colle~t and store
from meter 12 the "item count" and "total setting" \,alues kept within the
meter. Thus, where this data is collected at the beginning and end of each
accounting period this information can be cross-checked to ensure that all
meter usage has been accounted for. In addition to a cross check of total meter
usage, this information would permit calculation of usage information for a
single lost card.
In an ad~ antageous embodiment of the in~ entiorl, which can be
emplo~ed when several departments of a single firm have their own smart cards
and these departments share a single postage meter pro~ ided with the card
read-write facility outlined above, each card may have set therein a credit
limit. That is, when a user inserts a card into the meter and attempts a
franking operation which, if carried out, would result in the total funds
expended b~ that user exceeding the credit limit, the postage meter is disabled.This facilit~ could also be useful when several businesses share use of a singlepostage meter.-
In another ad~antageous embodiment of the in~ention, each card ma~ha~ e preset therèin a budget figure. This can be exceeded as it is not a credit
limit. The card is programmed so that when inserted into the card read-write
unit, there is displayed (or can be printed out) a report which includes ~ariances
from the budget figures. One example of such a report is shown in Figure 6. It
will be appreciated that the different users identified in Figure 6 by the I.D.
0011 to 00i6 could be different departments of a single firm, or different
persons or businesses who are sharing use of the same postage meter equipment.
Referring now to Figure 7, this illustrates a relatively sophisticated
postage meter accounting system according to the invention. The illustrated
system includes a postage meter 100 connected to a user terminal 102 via a
conventional communications link. An electronic weighing scale 104 and,
optionally, a printer 106 are also connected to the terminal 102. Instead of theprir~ter 106, an administration unit 108 may be connected to the user terminal
102, the unit 10S including a desk top microcomputer 110, its VDU 112 and a
printer 114. The user terminal 102 includes a keyboard 120, a display 122, and acard read-write unit 124. Also shown are smart cards SC1, SC2 and SC N. It
will be appreciated that the system can accommodate a plurality of users each
ha~,ing their own smart card.
.. ... .. .. ..
- \
1328927
-12-
In another alternative embodiment of the invention, not illustrated, the
smart card of one or more particular users may be programmed to operate in a
way particularly desired by that user. For example, a smart card could carr~
therein extra programming which obtains and maintains a separate but
subsidiary total for the postage expanded on all those items upon which the
postal cost was more than a predetermined limit. As another example, if one
particular user required his reports to be displayed or printed in a particular
format, then a program would be Incorporated in his smart card which, when
the card is inserted into the card read-write unit, is read into terminal unit 102
to instruct the display portion thereof to US8 the required format.
-Thus, the present invention provides a v ersatile multi-user postage
meter accounting system. The system in accordance with the invention
advantageousl~ may be retro-fitted to existing electronic postage meters in the
field. Indeed, since the vault always remains within the meter and only an
external electrical connection to the supplemental accounting s~ stem is
provided, the present s~ stem is consistent with and should not conflict with
existing postage meter regulations. Of course, it is contemplated that in the
future it may be desirable to provide the meter, control unit and card read-
write unit as a single integrated meter. However, since the v,ault and postage
printing functions remain within the meter in a traditional manner, integrating
the control unit and card read-write unit into the meter housing should still
comply with existing postal regulations.
In addition, the preferred embodiment including a computer connected
to a card read-write unit permits more extensive accounting than could be
achieved with a stand-alone card accounting system and provides added
versatility to the types of accounting reports that can be generated.
To the extent not alread~ indicated, it will be understood that the
invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiments
herein shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the
scope of the accompanying claims, without departing from the principles of the
invention and without sacrificing its chief ad~antages.
: ' ' "
. .
1~28927
As the principles of the present invention are applicable to making
payment for a variety of delivery services, the words "postage" and "postal"
when used herein are to be construed broadly, and not as limited to the
activities of the Postal Authorities.
