Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for closing and sealing the flaps of envelopes that have passed through an inserting machine in which collations of insert material have been inserted into the envelopes, and for detecting whether or not certain envelopes cannot be properly closed and sealed and for separating such envelopes from those that are properly closed and sealed. The apparatus is constructed and arranged such that if insert material is improperly inserted into the envelope such that the flap cannot turn freely about the crease line that connectes the flap to the envelopem, the flap will remain substantially in the flat, extended position it occupies when the envelope enters the closing and sealing apparatus. That position of the flap is sensed and the envelope is then diverted from the normal path of properly closed and sealed envelopes into a collection bin for retreival by an operator.

Abstract: A facsimile system having a capability to selectively retransmit transmitted and received facsimile signals to an archive station. A facsimile system including a scanner, printer, modem and memory for storing a speed dial directory, documents storage, and system parameters is controlled to transmit and receive facsimile signals and to selectively retransmit such signals to an archive station. As remote stations identified in the speed dial directory are those stations for which it is likely communications need not be archived, entries in the speed dial directory include a field for an exception tag. Prior to retransmission to the archive station the phone number of the remote station is tested against the phone numbers in the speed dial directory and if that number is found in the directory, and is tagged, the facsimile signal transmitted to, or received from, that remote station is not archived.

Abstract: This invention provides a secure environment to allow the customer to purchase postage for counter resettable postage meters. This invention allows the post office or agent to insure the accuracy and integrity of counter resettable meters by validating the counter resettable meter against a data center funding computer. The procedure would be as follows. The agent interfaces with a central computer where the serial number of the counter resettable postage meter is requested and entered, the contents of the ascending and descending registers are requested and entered. The computer checks as to the validity of the ascending and descending registers. The computer also checks the validity of that particular postage meter with respect to the customers physical location and status (lost or stolen, active). The customer requests and pays the postal agent for the amount of postage to be added to the meter. The computer system processes and verifies the added amount and transmits the approval to a postal agent.

Abstract: A monitoring system that determines the amount and type of customers' usage of machines and equipment without having a representative of the manufacturer physically inspect the customers machines and equipment. The monitoring system utilizes a mailpiece to transmit information about the customers' usage of customers machines and equipment.

Abstract: An inserter comprising feeding a sheet in a path of travel, a first module for suspending feeding of the sheet, a folder module located downstream from the first module, a second module located downstream from the folder module, a conveyor module located downstream from the folder module and upstream from the second module and a microcontroller. The second module for detecting a jam. The conveyor module for conveying the sheet and for sensing the presence of the sheet. The microcontroller in operative communication with the first module, the folder module, the conveyor module and the second module.

Abstract: A mailing system is includes of a mailing machine operating under the control of a microcontroller having a communication port with a first channel and a second channel. The mailing system also includes a meter vault which operates under the control a microcontroller mounted in a secure housing and having a communication port with a first channel and a second channel. A printer is included which operates under the control of a microcontroller mounted in a secure housing and having a communication port having a first channel and a second channel. A printer interface is included for providing a number of independent communication paths. A first path provides communication between first channel of the mailing machine and the first channel of the meter vault. A second path provides communication between the second channel of the mailing machine and the second channel of the printer, and a third path for providing communications between the second channel of meter vault and the first channel of the printer.

Abstract: The printer control module is programmed to output control signals to the printer driver characterized by the data written in the control registers. The control system for a printing apparatus includes a printer unit responsive to a printer driver unit. The printer driver unit is responsive to the control system. The control system has a programmable printer control module in communication with the printer driver unit and a programmable microcomputer in bus communication with the printer control module. The microcomputer has a non-volatile memory unit for storing the data. The printer driver unit is responsive to control signals from the printer control module for driving the printer unit. The printer control module includes a buffer for holding printer data and the registers of the control module, including a control register, a shift register and a strobe width register.

Abstract: Wax based invisible inks have been discovered that emit light at various wavelengths in the visible region when they are excited by UV light. This allows lower layer clear text information to be written on an object with a regular, visible ink and an upper layer bar code to be written over the lower layer text information with an ink that is invisible to the naked eye. This allows the lower layer text information and upper layer bar code to contain more information than conventional bar codes. These inks allow printing and decoding invisible bar codes over printed information with visible inks. The detection by fluorescence of these invisible inks provides a high signal to noise ratio and no interference with the visible printed information.

Abstract: A circuit connecting device for use with a digital printing apparatus is disclosed, the digital printing apparatus having a jet module assembly, a plurality of ink ejecting devices mounted in the jet module assembly, a corresponding plurality of ink ejecting nozzles formed on a nozzle plate mounted on an exterior of the jet module assembly, conduit means within the jet module assembly communicating between the ink ejecting devices and the nozzles, and a control electronics component for controlling the sequence of activation of the ink ejecting devices to cause ink to be ejected from the nozzles onto an image receiving medium during relative movement between the print head and the image receiving medium.

Abstract: In a digital postage meter having a housing shell, a display screen mounted in the housing shell, and a removable printhead, a method of transmitting information from the printhead module to the display screen. The method includes: storing the information in a memory device in the printhead module; retrieving the information in a first communication device in the printhead module; transmitting the information from the first communication device to a second communication device external to the printhead module, wherein the second communication device interprets the information; and transmitting the interpreted information to the display screen.

Abstract: A method of collating unfolded sheets of paper into a collation and combining the collation with a folded sheet of paper. The method comprises: feeding a plurality of unfolded sheets of paper seriatim along a feed path from an upstream position to a downstream position; conveying the unfolded sheets seriatim around a drum to cause the unfolded sheets to be conveyed to an upstream position; stopping the unfolded sheets seriatim in a pocket having a back panel and a top panel, the back panel stopping the unfolded sheets from being conveyed further upstream and forming a collation of the unfolded sheets; feeding a folded document having a leading folded edge from an upstream to a downstream position across the top panel on top of the collation of unfolded sheets, thereby forming a single stack of documents; and conveying the single stack of documents to a downstream location.

Abstract: Apparatus for transporting sheets of paper seriatim. The apparatus includes: a pair of parallel, rotatable, endless, flat belts having upper and lower reaches disposed substantially horizontally; a pair of supporting beams situated above the upper reaches of the pair of endless belts; a plurality of unbiased rollers seated in each of the supporting beams and resting on the flat belts with only their own weight; and a device for rotating the flat belts to thereby cause the sheets of paper to move with the upper reaches of the belts and the unbiased rollers, wherein the sheets of paper are caused to move entirely parallel to the belts without any skew caused by the unbiased rollers.

Abstract: A microcontroller is in bus communication with an improved integrated circuit for providing data to the integrated circuit and reading data from the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit selectively processes data by encrypting or decrypting the data. The integrated circuit includes a data register for receiving data from the microcontroller via the data bus and storing the data. A DES key register is also provided for receiving and storing a key (Ks) from the controller via the data bus and a DES control register is provided for receiving and storing control signal from the controller via the data bus. The integrated circuit has a digital encryption engine module for reading the data from the data register and the DES key register in response to specific control signal stored in as DES control register and for processing the data utilizing the key (Ks) and outputting the encrypted data. A second DES key register (Kv) isolated from the data bus stores second key(Kv).

Abstract: A method for securing a postage transaction in a postage meter having an accounting module and a printing module includes A) storing a plurality of data patterns in the accounting module; B) storing the plurality of data patterns in the printing module; C) utilizing one of the accounting module and the printing module to request that a specific one of the plurality of data patterns be sent from the other of the accounting module and the printing module to the one of the accounting module and the printing module; D) sending a return data pattern from the other of the accounting module and the printing module to the one of the accounting module and the printing module in response to the request of step C); E) determining if the return data pattern and the specific one of the plurality of data patterns are the same; and F) initiating printing by the printing module only when in step E) it is determined that the return data pattern and the specific one of the plurality of data patterns are the same.

Abstract: An invisible ink has been discovered that utilizes a substituted phthalocyanine dye in combination with selected waxes and resins. The resulting ink is one that has use in thermal printing and is transparent or almost transparent in white light, but is responsive to infra-red light in the range of 720 to 1000 nm. The preferred waxes are polyethylene wax, natural paraffin wax and carnauba wax, and the preferred resin is ethyl vinyl acetate polymer.

Abstract: A system for producing mail pieces. The system includes a plurality of apparatus each having a first printer for printing documents and a second printer for printing envelopes and a mail finishing unit for receiving the printed documents from the first printer and the envelopes printed with corresponding addresses from the second printer and inserting the documents into the envelope to form and frank a mail piece, and a plurality of user input stations. The apparatus operates under the control of a single stream of job data from a mail center controller, where the job data includes a job header defining default mail piece attributes and mail piece records which include document data and address data, and which may include specific mail piece attribute data for each corresponding mail piece.

Abstract: A method of transferring update data from a microcomputer to a memory device having a transportable non-volatile memory median requiring that the transportable non-volatile memory median is divided into a plurality of sectors. Update data is to be written to data sectors of the transportable non-volatile memory median in accordance with a sector map. One of the sectors to be updated is the directory sector and another one of the sectors to be updated is the file access table sector. The microcomputer is programmed to reserve a specified number of sectors as a recovery area wherein some of the sectors of the recovery area are reserved for the sector map and other sectors of the recovery area are reserved for storage of the update data. The microcomputer identifies if a sector map resides in the recovery area. If no sector map resides in the sector map area of the recovery area, the microcomputer proceeds to identify which of the sectors are to be updated and generating a sector map accordingly.

Abstract: A postage metering system comprising: a postage meter including a first computer for controlling the postage meter, the postage meter including a first printer for printing first postage information; a non-secure second printer external to the postage meter for printing second postage information, a second computer external to the postage meter and connected for controlling the second printer, the second computer including first structure for transmitting to the first computer variable information including at least a portion of a mailing address associated with an item to be imprinted with the second postage information; the first computer including structure for encrypting at least a portion of the transmitted variable information, the first computer including second structure for transmitting to the second computer the encrypted information for printing by the second printer on said item.