EP0225068A2 - Elektronische Frankiermaschine - Google Patents

Elektronische Frankiermaschine Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0225068A2
EP0225068A2 EP86308638A EP86308638A EP0225068A2 EP 0225068 A2 EP0225068 A2 EP 0225068A2 EP 86308638 A EP86308638 A EP 86308638A EP 86308638 A EP86308638 A EP 86308638A EP 0225068 A2 EP0225068 A2 EP 0225068A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
postage
postage meter
hybrid circuit
circuit
meter according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP86308638A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0225068A3 (de
Inventor
Ray L. Bannister
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Pitney Bowes PLC
Original Assignee
Pitney Bowes PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Pitney Bowes PLC filed Critical Pitney Bowes PLC
Publication of EP0225068A2 publication Critical patent/EP0225068A2/de
Publication of EP0225068A3 publication Critical patent/EP0225068A3/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
    • G07B17/00193—Constructional details of apparatus in a franking system
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
    • G07B17/00314—Communication within apparatus, personal computer [PC] system, or server, e.g. between printhead and central unit in a franking machine
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
    • G07B17/00193—Constructional details of apparatus in a franking system
    • G07B2017/00258—Electronic hardware aspects, e.g. type of circuits used
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00185—Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office
    • G07B17/00314—Communication within apparatus, personal computer [PC] system, or server, e.g. between printhead and central unit in a franking machine
    • G07B2017/00322—Communication between components/modules/parts, e.g. printer, printhead, keyboard, conveyor or central unit

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an electronic postage meter, particularly such a meter under the control of a microprocessor.
  • Postage meters including microprocessor control circuits are known, and such meters can theoretically be smaller than conventional mechanical postage meters since certain functions such as value setting, display and accounting can be performed electronically rather than by means of complex mechanical linkages. In principle, such postage meters can also be constructed more cheaply since, assuming a sufficiently large volume of production, electronic components (even if some need to be custom-made) and their assembly should be less expensive than the complex mechanical counterparts and their assembly.
  • an electronic postage meter comprising: means whereby data can be fed into the meter, said data including at least numerical information relating to the valve to be franked; means for printing postage; microprocessor means within the meter for controlling the printing of postage; accounting means for keeping an account of postage printed; an electronic memory for storing therein digital values corresponding to the total of postage that has been printed; a program memory incorporating a postage meter program to enable the microprocessor means to control the operation of the meter; a clock circuit for generating timing signals for the microprocessor means; and circuitry connecting the aforesaid parts together; characterised in that the microprocessor means, the accounting means, the program memory, the electronic memory, or a socket arrangement for retaining at least the electronic memory, the clock circuit, and at least part of the interconnecting circuitry are mounted together to form a so-called hybrid circuit.
  • the hybrid circuit is preferably fabricated by a technique in which thin ceramic plates have the microprocessor and peripheral circuits mounted thereon in layers, electrical connections between these components being made during the hybridisation process, pins being provided for electrical connection to circuits outside the hybrid circuit.
  • all the circuits of the postage meter which would normally be provided on a control circuit printed circuit board can be arranged within the hybrid circuit.
  • the service engineer merely needs to replace the faulty hybrid circuit with another, and there is no need for the postage meter to be removed from the customer's premises.
  • the hybrid circuit has mounted thereon a socket for receiving the microprocessor or at least a non-volatile memory storing the cumulative total of postage printed.
  • the memory component can be unplugged from the socket and its stored data unloaded for recording and subsequent inputting to a replacement component.
  • the hybrid circuit may be mounted as the sole electronic component on a mother board; alternatively, switching devices such as field effect transistors (FETs) for activating external components, e.g., solenoids of the postage meter can also be mounted on the mother board.
  • FETs field effect transistors
  • electronic components of a postage meter include a hybridised control circuit 10 with conductive pins 12 for mounting within apertures 14 of a mother board 16 and for electrical connection thereto, for example by soldering. Details of the components within the hybrid circuit 10 will be given below in connection with Figure 2, but at this stage it is sufficient to say that the hybrid circuit 10 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, preferably mounted on ceramic plates, layer by layer, with interconnections being made between the parts by conventional hybridisation techniques.
  • the mother board 16 preferably carries just the hybrid circuit 10 and input/output connectors such as a power supply connector 18, a membrane keypad connector 20, a connection port 22 and a display connector 24.
  • the connection port 22 is provided to allow signals to be sent to actuating devices for changing the positions of print wheels in order to change print wheel values.
  • actuating devices could be solenoids but alternatively could be stepper motors or DC motors.
  • Any electrical-mechanical transducer could be used which produces from an electrical signal a linear motion of a rack or the like, which is then used to change a print wheel value.
  • Connection between the hybrid circuit 10 and these connectors can be achieved by any suitable conventional means, such as conductive tracks underneath the mother board 16.
  • the mother board 16 can be connected to external parts such as a power supply and filters 26, a membrane keypad 28, solenoid (not shown) and LCD display device 30 via the appropriate connectors and ribbon cable.
  • the connectors can be in the form of IDC (insulation displacement connection) headers which are particularly suitable for use with ribbon cable.
  • switching devices such as field effect transistors (FETs), for the actuating devices can be included within the hybrid circuit 10; in another arrangement, the FETs are instead mounted on the mother board.
  • FETs field effect transistors
  • the hybrid circuit 10 can include a socket mounted thereon, the socket being arranged to carry at least a non-­volatile memory component of the control circuit.
  • the memory component can be unplugged and its data unloaded so as to preserve the cumulative accounting information.
  • Figure 2 shows a circuit diagram of a postage meter control circuit, parts of which can be included within the hybrid circuit 10 of Figure 1.
  • the main component of the circuit is a microcontroller 40, shown as a Motorola MC68HC11A8 device.
  • This is a particularly powerful HCMOS (high-density high-performance silicon gate) 8-bit device, including, as well as the processor, 8K bytes of ROM, 512 bytes of EEPROM and 256 bytes of static RAM.
  • the accounting means i.e., circuits affecting the arithmetic operations involved in accounting for postage, the program memory, and the electronic memory.
  • the microcontroller 40 is connected to the power supply and filter 26 (only the filter part being shown in Figure 2), to the membrane keypad 28 via four signal diodes 42, to the solenoids via four inverting buffers 44 (in association with four pull-up resistors 46) and via appropriate switching FETs (not shown), and to the LCD display device 30.
  • the remaining circuits shown in Figure 2 that is other than the power supply 26, keypad 28, print actuators and LCD display device 30), including logic circuits and a 4MHz crystal oscillator 48 providing clock or timing signals for the microcontroller, form part of the hybrid circuit 10 and, as previously mentioned, are mounted with the microcontroller 40 in a layer structure on ceramic plates.
  • an integrated circuit type socket can be incorporated in the circuit 10 during hybridisation and the microcontroller 40 simply plugged in.
  • the advantage of this arrangement is that should there be a malfunction of any other circuit within the hybrid circuit 10, the microcontroller 40 can be unplugged and the relevant data, including the cumulative accounting data, can be unloaded for records purposes and for subsequent entry into a replacement component.
  • Operation of the circuit is conventional, postage values to be printed being input by means of the membrane keypad 28.
  • the appropriate data is then fed to the microcontroller 40 along the matrix lines from the keypad 28.
  • the postage value information is displayed on the LCD display device 30 and the appropriate accounting operations are performed by the microcontroller 40 in known manner, which also controls the actuating devices, e.g., solenoids, associated with the electromechanical parts of the postage meter, such as the printing head 41.
  • the Figure 1 operation can be broadly similar to that described in UK Patent No. 2 062 312.
  • a powerful microprocessor such as the MC68HC11A8 permits current account mode operation, as well as maintaining the usual ascending and descending accounts. Also, a batch account capability can be provided, as well as automatic date change if required.
  • non-volatile memory could be removably mounted with the hybrid circuit 10 using a socket arrangement similar to that described above.
  • the power supply is shown external to the hybrid circuit 10
  • parts of the power supply 26 could be incorporated within the hybrid circuit.
  • the voltage regulator referenced by its type number 7805
  • associated filter resistor/capacitor components could be hybridised within the circuit 10 as long as the regulated supply was only fed to the microcontroller and associated components. The relatively heavy current requirements of the solenoids would then be met directly from the unregulated supply.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Devices For Checking Fares Or Tickets At Control Points (AREA)
EP86308638A 1985-11-29 1986-11-05 Elektronische Frankiermaschine Withdrawn EP0225068A3 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8529425 1985-11-29
GB08529425A GB2183546A (en) 1985-11-29 1985-11-29 Electronic postage meter

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0225068A2 true EP0225068A2 (de) 1987-06-10
EP0225068A3 EP0225068A3 (de) 1987-10-14

Family

ID=10588981

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP86308638A Withdrawn EP0225068A3 (de) 1985-11-29 1986-11-05 Elektronische Frankiermaschine

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0225068A3 (de)
JP (1) JPS62156796A (de)
GB (1) GB2183546A (de)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0336589A3 (de) * 1988-04-06 1990-08-08 W & T Avery Limited Frankiermaschine
EP0343915A3 (en) * 1988-05-23 1990-08-16 Alcatel Business Systems Limited Franking machine
DE4018166A1 (de) * 1990-06-01 1991-12-05 Francotyp Postalia Gmbh Frankiermodul
EP0465236A3 (de) * 1990-07-04 1992-01-29 Neopost Limited Frankiermaschine
DE4105497A1 (de) * 1991-02-19 1992-08-20 Francotyp Postalia Gmbh Einweg-frankiervorrichtung

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4858138A (en) * 1986-09-02 1989-08-15 Pitney Bowes, Inc. Secure vault having electronic indicia for a value printing system

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3500428A (en) * 1967-08-30 1970-03-10 Gen Electric Microwave hybrid microelectronic circuit module
GB1221914A (en) * 1969-06-13 1971-02-10 Standard Telephones Cables Ltd Manufacture of integrated circuits
US4301507A (en) * 1979-10-30 1981-11-17 Pitney Bowes Inc. Electronic postage meter having plural computing systems
US4629871A (en) * 1979-12-28 1986-12-16 Pitney Bowes, Inc. Electronic postage meter system settable by means of a remotely generated input device
US4381441A (en) * 1980-10-30 1983-04-26 Western Electric Company, Inc. Methods of and apparatus for trimming film resistors
US4472781A (en) * 1981-09-29 1984-09-18 Pitney Bowes Inc. Power supply system
US4525786A (en) * 1982-07-12 1985-06-25 Pitney Bowes Inc. Electronic postage meter having a one time actuable operating program to enable setting of critical accounting registers to predetermined values

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0336589A3 (de) * 1988-04-06 1990-08-08 W & T Avery Limited Frankiermaschine
EP0343915A3 (en) * 1988-05-23 1990-08-16 Alcatel Business Systems Limited Franking machine
DE4018166A1 (de) * 1990-06-01 1991-12-05 Francotyp Postalia Gmbh Frankiermodul
EP0465236A3 (de) * 1990-07-04 1992-01-29 Neopost Limited Frankiermaschine
US5283744A (en) * 1990-07-04 1994-02-01 Alcatel Business Systems Limited Franking machine
DE4105497A1 (de) * 1991-02-19 1992-08-20 Francotyp Postalia Gmbh Einweg-frankiervorrichtung

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0225068A3 (de) 1987-10-14
JPS62156796A (ja) 1987-07-11
GB8529425D0 (en) 1986-01-08
GB2183546A (en) 1987-06-10

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Inventor name: BANNISTER, RAY L.