Abstract: The printwheel setting apparatus comprises a voice coil motor having a magnet reciprocating in a coil which magnet is connected by a flexible link to a picker link for advancing the printwheel. The picker link has a picker cam which cooperates with a cam stud to cause a tooth on the picker-link to engage a slot on the printwheel and to rotate the printwheel as the voice coil motor magnet moves to a position for again advancing the printwheel when the magnet moves in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A printwheel detent disengaging mechanism enables low-torque high-speed automatic printwheel setting. In the engaged position spring-loaded ball in a rotatable shaft bears on a detent ball disposed in a bore in a sleeve surrounding the shaft to cam the detent ball into detent vees of the printwheel. When the shaft is rotated so that the spring-laded ball no longer bears on the detent ball, the detent force is removed and low torque printwheel setting may be accomplished. When setting is completed, the shaft is rotated back into position where the spring-loaded ball bears on the detent ball.

Abstract: A recharging system for a postage meter includes automatic telephone communication with a remote accounting center which utilizes touch-tone (DTMF) signals on the postage meter users telephone line to enable automatic recrediting of the descending register of the postage meter whenever the amount remaining in the register reaches a predetermined threshold. The meter further includes a clock which may be synchronized with a clock at the remote accounting center to enable the meter to answer at a predetermined time a call initiated by the remote accounting center. The postage meter user's funding account may be maintained at a bank instead of the remote accounting center but the funds transfer accounting takes place at the remote accounting center.

Abstract: A printwheel setting mechanism suitable for automatic daters or other printwheel units comprises a verge drive for each printwheel and a solenoid travelling on a carriage which is selectively positionable actuating any one of the verge drives. The verge drive includes a verge which oscillates to advance a starwheel as the solenoid is actuated and deactuated. A pin wheel fixed for rotation with the starwheel engages slots on the printwheel for advancing it.

Abstract: A voice coil motor assembly for a voice coil motor printwheel setting apparatus comprises a plate having the voice coil motor coils mounted thereon. The plate is adapted for attachment to a printed circuit board by pins electrically connected to the voice coils. Picker links having voice coil magnets connected thereto are stacked in sequence and the final assembly is completed by enshrouding the voice coil magnets with the voice coils mounted on the plate.

Abstract: An impression roller assembly including an ejector roller for a postage meter or like machine includes a first member pivotable about a substantially horizontal axis, an impression roller carried at or towards the free end of the first member, a second member pivotable relative to the first member about an axis co-incident with the rotation axis of the first impression roller, an ejector roller mounted at or towards the free end of the second member, and means for driving the ejector roller. In use, rotation of the impression roller by the drive of the machine directly or indirectly causes rotation of an ejector roller.

Abstract: Apparatus in a microcomputerized postage meter internally generates a finite set of combination of numbers having a specifiable number of digits in each combination. The combinations are used to allow for the addition and removal of postal funds within the meter. The apparatus utilizes a modification of common coding schemes to implement the generation of the combinations. The modification provides for the generation of an intermediate combination of numbers from a seed table located within the postage meter. The modification thereafter provides for the generation of the internally generated combinations from the intermediate combination. Thus, the internally generated combination is generated by using existing code. By use of this modification, less memory capacity is necessary to store combinations than with previous combination generation schemes, thereby allowing for that capacity to be used for other functions within the postage meter.

Abstract: An electronic postage meter for printing postage indicia having a postage value and a message, in which the message is stored in a memory and the printer of the postage meter prints the message in accordance with that stored in the memory. The postage meter is provided with a communication port and is responsive to determined signals received at the port for changing the message stored in the memory, thereby to change the message printed in the postage indicia.

Abstract: A system for the metering of encrypted postage and similar indicia includes a device for printing such indicia and a device for reading such indicia. The printing is accomplished with a dot matrix printer driven by signals obtained by altering character generation signals with encryption signals. The interleaving is accomplished on a row-by-row basis by inserting delays from an encryption circuit into signals from a character generator circuit. The reading is accomplished by correlating received characters against a stored array of a symbols to determine the presence of a symbol, the extraction of coded data from character data of the received and identified character, and the comparison of the separated coded data with a reference code to determine the accuracy of the printed material. Thereby, forgery and alteration is inhibited.

Abstract: A voltage regulator fabricated on an integrated circuit chip to provide regulated voltage for the chip assures that the integrated chip is operational before conventionally provided external regulated voltages are available. This enables the integrated circuit chip to be used to monitor the external regulated voltage supplies and prevents latch-up of the integrated circuit due to improper voltages being applied during power sequencing.

Abstract: An electronic postage meter has a communication port enabling communication between the postage meter and an external device for recharging an internal register of the postage meter. A manual control such as a button on the postage meter effects the application of dialing signals to the communication port. The manual control may effect the automatic dialing of a service center, for oral communication when a funding register in the postage meter has a value above a predetermined amount, and dialing signals of an accounting center to effect the recharging of the register when the register has a value stored down below the predetermined amount.

Abstract: An electronic postage meter system in which an electronic postage meter is coupled to a data center by way of a communication path to enable recharging of the postage meter. The postage meter includes a register having stored therein the amount of postage which the postage meter is authorized to print. The data center is responsive to a request for recharging the postage meter to indicate the time rate of reduction of the authorized value stored in the postage meter register.

Abstract: Apparatus for sealing a postage meter is disclosed. The sealing apparatus includes a member with a cut-out portion. The cut-out portion includes two cover tab receiving openings which are positioned diametrically across from each other. The center of the cut-out portion has a bore hole that runs completely through the thickness of the cover. An insert is provided with is adapted to fit into and mate with the bore hole. The insert contains an opening which will accept a screw and also contains upwardly extending tabs. A screw is used to fasten the sealing apparatus to the postage meter.A cover is stacked over the upwardly extending tab of the insert. The cover is welded to the upwardly extending tabs thereby making it impossible to remove the screw without first drilling a hole in cover and thereafter prying the cover off to expose the screw. A broken or fraudulent cover will indicate that the meter has been tampered with.

Abstract: In a postage meter which includes a computer, a power supply for energizing the computer, a non-volatile memory for storing postage meter operating data, and wherein the computer includes a microprocessor adapted for processing the operating data, there is provided an improvement for protecting the operating data.

Abstract: A system for the nonvolatile storage of data, such as a postage meter system, includes a microcomputer coupled to an MNOS type nonvolatile memory and also coupled to an EEPROM type nonvolatile memory, each memory having address lines and data lines. The address lines and data lines of the two nonvolatile memories are coupled to microcomputer ports such that the MNOS memory data lines are always at a high value whenever the EEPROM memory is addressed for the purpose of either writing or reading.The EEPROM nonvolatile memory control terminals and the MNOS nonvolatile memory control terminals are coupled to different ports of the microcomputer. Access to the MNOS nonvolatile memory is achieved by input/output mapping techniques. Access to the EEPROM nonvolatile memory is achieved by memory mapping techniques. In this way, protection is provided against inadvertently accessing the wrong memory or wrong address while executing read/write instructions to a selected memory.

Abstract: A nonvolatile memory bank of an electronic memory and retrieval system is partitioned into at least three memory blocks, each block capable of storing an accounting program. The accounting program data is stored in duplicate with one copy of the data in one memory block and a second copy of the data in a second memory block. The remaining memory blocks of the partitioned memory bank are held in reserve status. The integrity of the data is preserved by comparing one data copy with the other data copy. When a difference between the two data copies is detected, a determination is made as to which data copy is the correct data copy. The data in the memory block having the correct data is duplicated into a reserve memory block, forming a new set of data in a new memory block, which is then substituted for the memory block having the incorrect set of data.

Abstract: An electronic postage meter system in which a postage meter is coupled to a data center by way of a communication path, to enable recharging of the accounting register of the postage meter under the control of the data center. The postage meter includes an arrangement for applying dialing signals to the communication path for initiating a request for recharging of the postage meter register, and for interrupting the communication prior to the receipt of recharging authorization. The data center is responsive to a request for recharging the postage meter register to apply dialing signals corresponding to the expected location of the postage meter to the communication path to re-establish communication for the transmission of recharging authorization signals. The interruption and subsequent re-establishment of communication verifies the continued location of the postage meter at the expected location.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing enhanced security to the non-volatile memory of an electronic postage meter during power up and power down of the meter is disclosed. The apparatus comprises means for detecting a regulated voltage level of the meter, means for detecting an unregulated voltage level of the meter, means for detecting a predetermined frequency from a system clock associated with the meter and a reset delay circuit responsive to the detected unregulated voltage, detected regulated voltage and the predetermined clock frequency for allowing access to the non-volatile memories if the unregulated voltage level, the regulated level and the clock frequency have reached their appropriate levels and preventing access to the memories otherwise. Through the use of this circuitry the critical accounting information within the memories is protected during the powering up and powering down of the postage meter.

Abstract: A low voltage control circuit, and associated method, is provided for maintaining at least one output terminal in a known state regardless of the state of the inputs, when at least one voltage to be monitored is above a threshold voltage and below a predetermined limit voltage, comprising control means for providing a deactivating output voltage when the voltage to be monitored is below the predetermined limit voltage, output means electrically coupled to the control means for receiving the output voltage from the control means and for receiving at least one input voltage, the output means being deactivated in response to the deactivating output voltage to provide a known voltage state at the output terminal until the voltage to be monitored reaches the predetermined limit voltage whereupon the control means will provide an activating output voltage to the output means to enable the voltage state at the output terminal to be controlled by the state of the inputs.

Abstract: A method and associated apparatus for modifying a firmware variable in an electronic postage meter, comprising the steps of storing a program for operation of the electronic postage meter, a resident memory containing firmware variables, a communication means in the stored program which allows external data to be entered in the program to change the firmware variable in accordance with the external data.