EP0939384A2 - Frankiersystem mit sicherer Fehlerberichtung von einem Drucker - Google Patents

Frankiersystem mit sicherer Fehlerberichtung von einem Drucker Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0939384A2
EP0939384A2 EP99102826A EP99102826A EP0939384A2 EP 0939384 A2 EP0939384 A2 EP 0939384A2 EP 99102826 A EP99102826 A EP 99102826A EP 99102826 A EP99102826 A EP 99102826A EP 0939384 A2 EP0939384 A2 EP 0939384A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
printer
postage meter
postage
memory
printing system
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Withdrawn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
EP99102826A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0939384A3 (de
Inventor
Brad L. Davies
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 Inc
Original Assignee
Pitney Bowes Inc
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 Inc filed Critical Pitney Bowes Inc
Publication of EP0939384A2 publication Critical patent/EP0939384A2/de
Publication of EP0939384A3 publication Critical patent/EP0939384A3/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Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current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
    • G07B17/00016—Relations between apparatus, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office, in a franking system
    • G07B17/0008—Communication details outside or between apparatus
    • 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
    • G07B17/00016—Relations between apparatus, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office, in a franking system
    • G07B17/0008—Communication details outside or between apparatus
    • G07B2017/00153—Communication details outside or between apparatus for sending information
    • G07B2017/00169—Communication details outside or between apparatus for sending information from a franking apparatus, e.g. for verifying accounting
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B17/00—Franking apparatus
    • G07B17/00016—Relations between apparatus, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office, in a franking system
    • G07B17/0008—Communication details outside or between apparatus
    • G07B2017/00153—Communication details outside or between apparatus for sending information
    • G07B2017/00177—Communication details outside or between apparatus for sending information from a portable device, e.g. a card or a PCMCIA
    • 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
    • G07B2017/00201—Open franking system, i.e. the printer is not dedicated to franking only, e.g. PC (Personal Computer)
    • 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
    • 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
    • G07B2017/00338—Error detection or handling

Definitions

  • This invention relates to value dispensing systems, such as postage printing systems.
  • the invention is applicable to a postage printing system comprising a mailing machine base, a secure accounting meter detachably mounted to the base and a printer also detachably mounted to the base wherein the meter and the printer are manufactured to be interchangeable while still providing for secure mutual authentication.
  • a value printing system is a postage printing system including an electronic postage meter and a printer for printing a postal indicia on an envelope or other mailpiece.
  • Electronic postage meters for dispensing postage and accounting for the amount of postage used are well known in the art.
  • the postage printing system supplies proof of the postage dispensed by printing a postal indicia which indicates the value of the postage on an envelope or the like.
  • the typical postage meter stores accounting information concerning its usage in a variety of registers.
  • An ascending register tracks the total amount of postage dispensed by the meter over its lifetime. That is, the ascending register 15 incremented by the amount of postage dispensed after each transaction.
  • a descending register tracks the amount of postage available for use.
  • the descending register is decremented by the amount of postage dispensed after each transaction.
  • the postage meter inhibits further printing of indicia until the descending register is resupplied with funds.
  • the accounting module and the printer portion of a postage printing system have been located within a single secure housing.
  • Examples of this type of postage printing systems are PostPerfect® and model 6900 Postage Meter available from Pitney Bowes, Inc. of Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
  • the communications between the accounting module and the printer may be either secure or nonsecure.
  • the accounting module and the printer are contained within the same secure housing, they are dedicated to each other and are not interchangeable with other postage meters.
  • Recent efforts have been undertaken to a provide postage printing system including a detachable postage meter (accounting module) and a printer which are physically separated from each other. This configuration provides some benefits to the customer.
  • the printer since the printer is not incorporated into the postage meter, the printer may be purchased by the customer (some postal authorities require that postage meters be rented only). As another example, customers may use interchangeable postage meters with the same printer to provide increased operational flexibility and advantages. Since this type of postage printing system does not locate the postage meter and the printer within the same secure housing, the communication lines between the postage meter and the printer are generally nonsecure. Using nonsecure communication lines between the postage meter and the printer creates a risk of loss of postal funds through fraud. For example, when data necessary to print a valid postal indicia is transferred over the nonsecure communication lines from the postage meter to the printer, it is susceptible to interception, capture and analysis.
  • the data may be retransmitted at a later time back to the printer in an attempt to fool the printer into believing that it is communicating with a valid postage meter. If successful, the result would be a fraudulent postage indicia printed on a mailpiece without the postage meter accounting for the value of the postage indicia.
  • postage meters are regulated by a controlling postal authority, they are subject to periodic inspection. During a physical inspection, the postage meter may be scrutinized for physical evidence of tampering, such as: broken security seals, scratches on the accounting printed circuit board, etc. Additionally, a remote inspection of the postage meter may be performed by having the postage meter store fault information for subsequent uploading to a data center.
  • a postage printing system including a postage meter and a printer in communication with but physically separate from the printer that allows for the interchangeability of postage meters with printers and detects fraudulent attempts to print postage with the printer.
  • the postage printing system includes a printer and a postage meter.
  • the printer includes a memory, a print device for printing a postal indicia and a controller in operative communication with the printer memory and the print device.
  • the postage meter includes a memory and is physically separable from and in operative communication with the printer.
  • the printer controller detects a fault condition, stores a record of the fault condition in a history file within the printer memory and, following a successful mutual authentication between the printer and the postage meter, uploads the history file from the printer memory to the postage meter memory for subsequent reporting to a data center.
  • a method of reporting error conditions in a postage printing system including a printer and a postage meter, the printer including a memory, a print means for printing a postal indicia and a control means in operative communication with the printer memory and the print means, the postage meter physically separable from and in operative communication with the printer.
  • the postage evidencing system 100 includes a mailing machine base 110, a postage meter 120 and a printer 160.
  • the mailing machine base 110 includes a variety of different modules (not shown) where each module performs a different task on a mailpiece (not shown), such as: singulating (separating the mailpieces one at a time from a stack of mailpieces), weighing, moistening/sealing (wetting and closing the glued flap of an envelope) and transporting the mailpiece through the various modules.
  • singulating separating the mailpieces one at a time from a stack of mailpieces
  • weighing moistening/sealing
  • moistening/sealing wetting and closing the glued flap of an envelope
  • the postage meter 120 (smart card, housing containing a circuit board, or the like) is detachably mounted to the mailing machine base 110 by any conventional structure (not shown) and includes a microprocessor 130 having a memory 132, a clock 122 and a vault or accounting unit 140 having a non-volatile memory (NVM) 142.
  • the clock 122 is in communication with the microprocessor 130 for providing real time clock data.
  • the vault 140 holds various accounting and postal information (not shown), such as: an ascending register, a descending register, a control sum register and a postal identification serial number in the NVM 142.
  • the vault 140 is also in communication with the microprocessor 130 for receiving appropriate read and write commands from the microprocessor 130.
  • the microprocessor 130 is in operative communication with the mailing machine base 110 over suitable communication lines (not shown). Additionally, the microprocessor 130 of the postage meter 120 is in operative communication with a remote data center 50 over suitable communication lines, such as a telephone line 70. The data center 50 communicates with the postage meter 120 for the purposes of remote inspection, downloading of postal funds to the vault 140 and other purposes described in more detail below.
  • the printer 160 is also detachably mounted to the mailing machine base 110 by any conventional structure (not shown) and includes a controller 162 having a memory 164, a print mechanism 166 and a clock 168.
  • the controller 162 is in operative communication with the microprocessor 130 of the postage meter 120 and the print mechanism 166 over suitable communication lines.
  • the memory 164 has stored therein an identification serial number that is unique to the printer 160.
  • the clock 168 is in communication with the controller 162 for providing real time clock data.
  • the print mechanism 166 prints a postal indicia (not shown) on a mailpiece (not shown) in response to instructions from the postage meter 120 which accounts for the value of the postage dispensed in conventional fashion.
  • the print mechanism 166 may be of any suitable design, such as: rotary drum, flat impression die, thermal transfer, ink jet, electrophotographic or the like.
  • the postage meter 120 and the printer 160 are provided with secret cryptographic keys which are necessary for mutual authentication to ensure that: (i) the postage meter 120 will only transmit postal indicia print information to a valid printer 160; and (ii) the printer 160 will only execute postal indicia print information received from a valid postage meter 120.
  • a mutual authentication routine involves the encryption and decryption of secret messages transmitted between the postage meter 120 and the printer 160. An example of such a routine can be found in aforementioned European Patent Publication No.
  • the postage meter 120 is enabled to transmit postal indicia print information and the printer 160 is enabled to print a valid postal indicia.
  • the postal indicia print information may also be encrypted or subject to error checking so as to discourage fraudulent attempts to manipulate the information, such as: printing a higher value postal indicia than was authorized by the postage meter 120.
  • FIG. 2 in view of the structure of Fig. 1, an inspection routine 200 for identifying faults in the printer 160 of the postage printing system 100 of the present invention is shown.
  • the controller 162 monitors the activity of the printer 160 and detects when a fault occurs in the printer 160.
  • a fault may be any unanticipated or undesireable event, such as: the printer 160 being unable to authentic a postage meter 120 during a communication session (due to a fraudulent postage meter) or differences between the print information sent by the postage meter 120 and what was received by the printer 160.
  • a suitable technique is described in concurrently filed copending European Patent Application No.
  • the controller 162 stores a record in memory 164 indicative of the fault.
  • the record contains: (i) a date/time stamp obtained from the clock 168 indicating when the fault occurred; (ii) an indication of the type of fault encountered; and (iii) the identification serial number of the printer 160.
  • the associated records accumulate in a file so that a historical log of faults is kept by the printer 160.
  • the records are stored in encrypted form or in protected memory to prevent tampering.
  • the historical file is uploaded from the printer 160 to the postage meter 120 and stored in the NVM 142 at the occurrence of a predetermined event such as: system initialization after successful mutual authentication, or a given time of the day or week. In this manner, the historical file is only uploaded to a valid postage meter 120.
  • the NVM 142 is structured to accumulate multiple historical files from a plurality of different printers.
  • the historical file in the printer 160 is erased. This may be achieved either by the postage meter 120 issuing an appropriate command or by the printer controller 162 itself.
  • the postage meter 120 uploads the historical file to the data center 50 at the occurrence of a predetermined event, such as: downloading of postal funds or remote inspections.
  • a predetermined event such as: downloading of postal funds or remote inspections.
  • appropriate action if necessary, can be taken, such as: reporting the historical file to the postal authority, sending a representative to perform a physical inspection at the customer's location, mailing a warning to the customer's location, or communicating to the population of postage meters that the identification serial number of the printer is no longer a valid printer so that any subsequent attempts at mutual authentication with the offending printer fail.
  • the history file may be reported to more than one postage meter 120.
  • the records stored within the printer 160 need not contain the indentification serial number of the printer 160 because the postage meter 120 knowns the indentification serial number of the printer 160 through the mutual authentication process.
  • the postage meter 120 could attached the printer indentification serial number to the historical file when received.
  • postage meter processor 130 and the printer controller 162 can be of any conventional design incorporating appropriate electronic hardware components and software.

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  • 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)
  • Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
EP99102826A 1998-02-27 1999-02-26 Frankiersystem mit sicherer Fehlerberichtung von einem Drucker Withdrawn EP0939384A3 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US3239198A 1998-02-27 1998-02-27
US32391 1998-02-27

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0939384A2 true EP0939384A2 (de) 1999-09-01
EP0939384A3 EP0939384A3 (de) 2000-10-11

Family

ID=21864725

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP99102826A Withdrawn EP0939384A3 (de) 1998-02-27 1999-02-26 Frankiersystem mit sicherer Fehlerberichtung von einem Drucker

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0939384A3 (de)
JP (1) JPH11328463A (de)
CN (1) CN1236146A (de)
AU (1) AU750360B2 (de)
CA (1) CA2263246A1 (de)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR100424449B1 (ko) * 2002-03-23 2004-03-25 에스케이 텔레콤주식회사 이동 통신망에서의 멀티미디어 광고 서비스 제공 방법 및그 서비스를 위한 이동 단말기의 멀티미디어 컨텐츠 제어장치 및 방법
US7424458B2 (en) * 2003-11-21 2008-09-09 Pitney Bowes Inc. Method and system for generating characterizing information descriptive of printed material such as address blocks and generating postal indicia or the like incorporating such characterizing information
DE102004046051A1 (de) * 2004-09-21 2006-03-30 Deutsche Post Ag Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Frankieren von Postsendungen

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2256396B (en) * 1991-05-29 1995-03-29 Alcatel Business Systems Method of remote diagnostics for franking machines
US5781438A (en) * 1995-12-19 1998-07-14 Pitney Bowes Inc. Token generation process in an open metering system
US5799093A (en) * 1996-08-23 1998-08-25 Pitney Bowes Inc. Process and apparatus for remote system inspection of a value dispensing mechanism such as a postage meter

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU750360B2 (en) 2002-07-18
CA2263246A1 (en) 1999-08-27
CN1236146A (zh) 1999-11-24
AU1848099A (en) 1999-09-09
JPH11328463A (ja) 1999-11-30
EP0939384A3 (de) 2000-10-11

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