EP1443467A2 - Rate expiration alerting device for franking system - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a read-write memory for storing postal data and two tables of postal tariffs. A processing unit compares the tables and transmits a tariff expiration date alert message to an operator of a franking system. The processing unit transmits the message when date of application of the tariffs is equal to or precedes a required date of stamping and one of the compared tariffs has been modified. An independent claim is also included for a process for alerting expiration date of tariff for stamping system.

Description

Technical area

The invention relates exclusively to the field of mail processing and it relates more particularly to updating postal data in a postage system.

Prior art

It is known that franking systems can include a smart card reader module allowing exchange information by physical transport between this system and a center authorization, mainly to allow recharging in system backgrounds or updating postal data such as types of postal products or services, or more simply tariffs Postal.

However, with the exception of the reloading of funds to which the operator cannot escape if he wishes to print fingerprints news post once its credit has run out, updating the data is not an obligation for the operator who can therefore, without necessarily knowing it, continue to use expired postal rates for franking mail items. And, such use is not without risk for this operator whose articles of letters carrying a postal imprint at the expired rate are then likely to be rejected by the postal administration.

Object and description of the invention

The present invention therefore relates to a system postage which overcomes the aforementioned drawback by informing the operator of the need to use new postal rates. A object of the invention is to update at the request of the operator the postal rates necessary for printing a postal imprint. Another object of the invention is also to update the products and services associated with the postal imprint.

These goals are achieved by an expiration alert system tariff for franking system including a random access memory for recording postal data including a first table of postal tariffs relating to postal products and services and a unit of processing for updating these postal rates, characterized in that said random access memory further comprises a second tariff table and in that said processing unit includes means to compare said postal rates of the first and second tables and to issue a tariff expiration alert message for the operator of the franking system when a date of application of said rates of the second table is equal to or earlier than a date of postage requested and that one of said postal rates compared was modified.

Thus, with the invention, the operator will always be informed in the event use of expired rates but will keep the freedom to apply the new rates proposed.

The second postal rate table is loaded into the system postage according to a periodicity defined by the administration postal, for example during each reloading of funds. She may be loaded into the franking system from a center remote computing.

lorsqu'une date d'application de données postales nouvelles chargées préalablement dans le système d'affranchissement est égale ou antérieure à une date d'affranchissement demandée par un opérateur du système d'affranchissement,

• comparaison de ces données postales nouvelles avec des données postales courantes présentes dans la mémoire vive, et
• émission d'un message d'alerte de péremption tarifaire pour l'opérateur du système d'affranchissement si l'une des données postales comparées a été modifiée.

The invention also relates to the tariff expiration alert method for franking system comprising a random access memory for recording postal data and a processing unit for updating this postal data, method comprising the following steps:

when a date of application of new postal data loaded beforehand in the franking system is equal to or earlier than a franking date requested by an operator of the franking system,

• comparison of this new postal data with current postal data present in the RAM, and
• emission of a tariff expiration alert message for the operator of the franking system if one of the compared postal data has been modified.

Preferably, the new postal data is stored at the location of current postal data when the operator has accepted the updating of this postal data and the postal data common ones are stored in a blank part of the RAM for conservation for control purposes.

Advantageously, the transmission of the alert message from tariff expiration is inhibited by the operator with the exception of the first alert message after system start-up postage.

Postal data includes postal rates and / or postal products and services.

Brief description of the drawings

• la figure 1 montre un système d'affranchissement comportant un dispositif d'alerte de péremption tarifaire selon l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue schématique des moyens de traitement du système d'affranchissement de la figure 1, et
• la figure 3 est un organigramme illustrant le procédé mis en oeuvre dans le système d'affranchissement de la figure 1.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the following description, given by way of non-limiting illustration, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• FIG. 1 shows a franking system comprising a tariff expiration alert device according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the processing means of the franking system of FIG. 1, and
• FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the process implemented in the franking system of FIG. 1.

Description of a preferred embodiment

Figure 1 shows the architecture of an electronic system postage for the implementation of the present invention with a franking machine 10 which can be connected through a link specialized telephone 12 to a remote authorization data center 14, generally managed by the manufacturer or the dealer of the to set free, this first data center being itself connected to a second data center 16, in principle an administration server PO.

The internal electronic structure of a franking machine 10 is shown schematically in Figure 2. It includes conventionally a printing module 100, preferably inkjet (but all other known printing means are also possible), controlled from an accounting and management device 110 who receives instructions like the shipping method or the amount franking of an integrated input member 120 (keyboard for example) in connection with a weighing module 130 internal or external to the overcome. An input / output module 140 provides the interface with the line specialized 12 and choice of input options or reports can be displayed on an integrated control screen 150.

The accounting and management system that presents itself advantageously in the form of a secure electronic module, comprises a processing unit 200, a read-only memory of 210 programs and a data RAM 220.

Program ROM contains instructions necessary for the management of postage and certain fixed data relating to the user and entered during the installation of the machine (different identification numbers or encryption keys for example).

Data RAM contains temporary data necessary for the execution of the abovementioned instructions, a table 230 of current postal data, this table including prices during the installation of the machine, and part saved 240 containing the information necessary to control postage like the postage cycle counter, postage meter counters (also known as counters) ascending and descending) and the statistical counters necessary for monitoring of postal traffic. Alternatively, depending on the machine configuration envisaged, the postal data table can also be arranged in this saved part of the RAM.

In practice, the accounting and management systems current are equipped for a security issue (redundancy) of two Backed up memories (flash type) or rewritable memories, identical and each having a maximum capacity sufficient for record the various aforementioned data.

According to the invention, the RAM 220 further comprises at at least a second postal data table 250 intended for updating day of the initial table. This second table is loaded according to a periodicity defined by the postal administration. For rates postal, a modification generally occurs only both, three or four years. However, exceptionally, it can occur two changes in a year. For postal products or postal services whose list is more flexible, it is advisable to carry out loading periodically, every year for example, or more regularly again, with each exchange of information between the center authorization and electronic postage system, at the time top up, for example.

Similarly, according to the invention, the processing unit 200 comprises further software means for comparing each item of data second postal data table with the corresponding data of the initial table of postal data and to register at the request of the operator and against payment the data from the second table 250 to the place of the corresponding data of the first table 230.

The process for managing the current postal data table is now described with reference to FIG. 3. Of course, there will be previously loaded a new data table in the RAM of the franking system, i.e. through dedicated telephone link 12, from the center remote authorization computer 14, either manually by smart card (even by simply replacing the existing memory module), this table new with an application date for the entry into force of postal data it incorporates. Indeed, in practice the loading of this table will always be made before its effective date effective. The RAM 220 therefore comprises after this loading a first memory area comprising the postal data table in force, which will be called in the following description memory current, and a second memory area comprising the table of postal data that has just been loaded and its date of application and that will be called thereafter hold memory.

When a first postage is made, the information entered on the keyboard relating to the sending mode (urgent, ordinary, registered, etc.), to the mail category (parcel, letter from less than 20g, etc.) and to the destination of this mail item, and optionally the weight value obtained from the scale, allow the processing unit to determine the product or the postal service selected by the user whose pricing must be applied regulatory. For this, in a first step 20, it is carried out reading of the date of application of the stored postal data table in the standby memory. In a next step 22, a comparison of this date of application with the current date which is the postage date to be worn on the mail item (which may be a date after the current date due to possible post-dating), and if this date of application is later than the current date, it is proceeded in a new step 24 to franking the mail item with the pricing of the table currently in current memory, without take into account the data stored in the standby memory of which entry into force is therefore not yet effective.

On the contrary, if the date of application is the current date or a earlier date, then first of all in step 26, a search in the table stored in data waiting memory postage associated with the requested postage, then in a step 28, to a comparison of these data with the corresponding data stored in the current memory and, if one of these data has changed (test in step 30), it is addressed to the operator, in a new step 32, a tariff expiration alert message (for example at the level of a postage system display) informing him that the data used postal codes are expired and inviting it to change subject a credit necessary for the payment of replacement costs correspondents (test in step 34). However, if none of the data used for the postage requested has not been changed on level of the table in standby memory, it is then carried out the postage requested with the data of the table stored in current memory (return to step 24).

If the operator responds positively to the test in step 34, it is proceeded, in a next step 36, to a complete transfer of the data from the standby memory to the current memory and postage requested is therefore made once this transfer made from new postal data available now from the table stored in the current memory. At the same time, a payment is made by the accounting system and an account returned is sent to the remote center by the dedicated link when it exist. If, on the contrary, the operator responds negatively to the step test 34, the postage is then carried out with the postal data then of the table stored in current memory (return to step 24).

This process of updating the current memory and alert operator repeats for subsequent postage. However, the operator can ask (for example during the first postage) until the aforementioned alert message (displayed during step 32) is not displayed automatically and therefore inhibited for all postage with an expired price, with the exception of first of them after the system is put into operation postage.

The invention is very simple and economical to implement and can be applied to electronic franking systems already in service with an inexpensive software modification and a simple increased memory capacity. It should be noted in this connection that it can be interesting not to overwrite the postal data table of the current memory when replaced by the new table of the hold memory but keep it in a blank area of the RAM for control purposes. Similarly, it can be noted that if the description was considered with only one new table, the man of trade can without inventive work adapt it to the case where several new tables are loaded successively and present in the hold memory with different application dates, comparison data then relating to those relating to the table having a date prior to the most recent postage date recent. In this case, an operator's agreement to update its current table will automatically delete all intermediate tables (those with an application date lower than that to be transferred to the current memory).

Claims (10)

Tariff expiration alert device for franking system comprising a random access memory (220) for recording postal data including a first postal tariff table (230) relating to postal products and services and a processing unit (200 ) for updating these postal rates, characterized in that said random access memory further comprises a second table of postal rates (250) and in that said processing unit comprises means (200; 26, 28, 32) to compare said postal rates of the first and second tables and to issue a tariff expiration alert message for the operator of the franking system when an application date of said postal rates of said second table is equal to or earlier than one requested postage date and one of said compared postal rates has been changed. The device of claim 1, wherein said second postal rate table is loaded into the postage system according to a periodicity defined by the postal administration. The device of claim 1, wherein said second postal rate table is loaded into the postage system at from a remote computer center (14). Device according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which said second postal rate table is loaded into the system postage upon each reload of funds. Method for alerting tariff expiration for a franking system comprising a random access memory (220) for recording postal data and a processing unit (200) for updating this postal data, method comprising the following steps: when a date of application of new postal data loaded beforehand in the franking system is equal to or earlier than a franking date requested by an operator of the franking system, comparison of this new postal data with current postal data present in the RAM, and emission of a tariff expiration alert message for the operator of the franking system if one of the compared postal data has been modified. The method of claim 5, wherein the data new postal codes are stored at the postal data location common when the operator has accepted the update of this data post. The method of claim 6, wherein the data current postal codes are stored in a blank part of the memory vivid for conservation for control purposes. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the tariff expiration alert message is inhibited by the operator at the exception of the first alert message after start-up of the franking system. Process according to any one of Claims 5 to 8, in which the postal data includes postal rates. Process according to any one of Claims 5 to 8, in which the postal data includes products and services Postal.

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