Abstract: Apparatus for dividing a continuous web having perforated, marginal strips on its sides into discrete sheets and removing the marginal strips. The apparatus includes: a device for engaging and moving the perforated, marginal strips of the continuous web along a feed path; a slitting device located downstream of the engaging and moving device for separating the marginal strips from the remaining, central portion of the web; a cutting device for dividing the remaining, central portion of the web into discrete sheets; a pair of deflectors located downstream of the cutting device for advancing the remaining, central portion of the web and for guiding the severed, marginal portions below the feed path.

Abstract: A method for mail accounting and payment includes creating a mail batch including a plurality of mailpieces and creating a statement of mailing containing data relating to the mail batch. The statement of mailing is digitally signed to facilitate a subsequent verification of the integrity of the data in the statement of mailing. The digital signature is included as part of the statement of mailing. The statement of mailing is submitted to a transaction processing center. The transaction processing center initiates a funds transfer to a carrier delivery service for carrier delivery services payment for the batch of mail. The statement of mailing or other mailing data may be stored in a nonvolatile memory means. The nonvolatile memory means allows the statement of mailing to be stored therein and erased therefrom but not modified.

Abstract: A postage metering capability is integrated in an automated teller machine. With minimal modification and using several components of the ATM to perform functions useful in dispensing of postage, the secured environment of an ATM is used to implement numerous postage metering functions. When used with a smart card, postage value is accounted for without reference to an internal vault of the apparatus or to a postal facility, by using a vault of the smart card. The smart card may be used to dispense postage by accessing a customer's postage account at a remote center to set into the internal vault a value to be dispensed, with communication secured in accordance with information provided by the smart card. Using such information, the customer's postage account may also be accessed to recharge the vault of the smart card, rather than the internal vault. Additionally, postage may be dispensed in accordance with value inputted directly by a customer, using cash, credit-, debit-, or money-cards.

Abstract: This invention prevents the accounting unit of a postage meter from deducting funds when a mailpiece has been removed. The foregoing is achieved by giving the postage meter the intelligence to stop printing the postal indicia and deducting the value of the postal indicia just before the indicia is printed. This would eliminate the loss of funds due to problems between trip command and actual indicia printing. The apparatus of this invention utilizes a sensor to detect the presence of a mailpiece at a printing position and a detector to determine the location of the indicia printing plate or the time that an ink jet printer is going to print so that the system will be able to prevent the printing of a postal indicia and deducting the value of the postal indicia just before the indicia is printed.

Abstract: The apparatus of this invention is a buffering device for the transport of documents that comprises four variable pitch screws that have a tapered outside diameter and a tapered root diameter at the input portion of the screw. A upstream screw and a downstream screw are on the left hand side of the buffering device and a upstream screw and a downstream screw are on the right hand side of the buffering device. The upstream screw has its largest outside diameter on the top of the screw and its smallest outside diameter on the bottom of the screw. The downstream screw has its largest outside diameter on the bottom of the screw and its smallest outside diameter on the top of the screw. The screws on the left hand side of the buffering device have a left handed screw thread and the screws on the right side of the buffering device have a right handed screw thread, or visa versa.

Abstract: The invention is a method of in-line addressing, for both matched and non-matched mail, comprising a number of steps which begin with the generation of document data in a data processing system and then transmitting that document data to a document printer. The document data is printed, at the document printer, onto a substrate which is subsequently fed to an accumulator. Additionally, address data is generated in the data processing system and transmitted to an envelope printer where the address data is printed to one or more envelopes. The envelope printer is capable of printing a return address, a destination address, and a bar code in respect of the destination address upon the envelope. The address data can be merged with graphics data so that the envelope printer is further capable of printing graphics on the envelope. Once at the accumulator, predetermined batches of one or more sheets of the printed substrate are fed into a sheet folder.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for ensuring proper payment by a mailer for postage indicia printed by the postage meter of a mailing machine operated by the mailer. The method includes a series of steps carried out by the mailer in connection with the preparation of a discrete quantity of mail by use of a mailing machine which has the capability of determining and recording in a database various characteristics of the mail that affect the postage required for a postal facility to handle the mail, and generates a product usage profile of the mailer's history of mailing. The Post Office counts the mail, and then calculates an expected cost of the mailing using data from the mailer's product usage profile, and then compares that expected cost with the amount of postage credit funds remaining in the mailer's postage meter to determine whether it is likely that any fraud has occurred in the preparation of the mailing.

Abstract: This invention utilizes a simple mechanical buffer that will hold material and a two stage software buffering technique that controls the mechanical buffer to act as a First In First Out mechanical mechanism that allows other system events to be triggered off of dynamic thresholds. The two stage software buffering technique consists of a simple software FIFO with rule based logic to control input into a primary queue input and a secondary reserve queue which holds information as soon as it arrives. The decision to move information from the secondary reserve queue into the primary queue is based upon specific rules that are dynamically executed. This permits the creation of a dynamic threshold and allows the reliable triggering of the systems events. The foregoing permits material that is being produced at one fixed speed to be synchronized with material that is produced at variable speeds.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for transporting a mailpiece. The apparatus comprises an assembly for feeding the mailpieces in a path of travel; a sensor assembly for determining the length of the mailpieces; and a controller in operative communication with the sensor assembly and the feeding assembly, the controller for adjusting the gap between a first mailpiece having a measured length and a second mailpiece to: (i) establish a fixed pitch between the first mailpiece and the second mailpiece if the measure length is equal to or less than a predetermined value, or (ii) establish a fixed gap between the first mailpiece and the second mailpiece if the measure length is greater than the predetermined value.

Abstract: An envelope is moved along a first path by a first pair of rollers, with the envelope oriented with its lower edge forward, the front panel next to the path, and the flap open. A second pair of rollers is positioned with its nip near the path for capturing the upper edge and flap of the envelope as it clears the first pair of rollers. Preferably the first and second pairs of rollers share a common central roller. A deflector deflects the leading edge of the envelope towards a resilient stop. The stop engages the leading edge of the envelope and urges it back towards the nip of the second pair of rollers. As the upper edge of the envelope clears the nip of the first pair of rollers the force supplied by the first pair of rollers is decoupled from the envelope and force applied by the resilient stop urges the upper edge and flap back towards the nip of the second pair of rollers, which engages the upper edge and folds and seals the flap against the rear panel of the envelope.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for measuring the dimensions of a parcel for use in a parcel processing application. The invention includes the placing of a parcel on a weighing scale. A movably mounted emitter apparatus projects lines of a known distance apart onto the parcel so that the number of lines may be counted by a scanner to determine a first linear dimension of the placed parcel. After the first count is performed, the emitter apparatus is rotated in place 90.sub.-- so as to project a second set of lines on the first surface of the placed parcel. The second set of lines is then counted so as to determine a second linear dimension of the placed parcel. After the second count is performed, the emitter apparatus is moved so as to project a third set of lines on a second surface of the parcel, wherein the second surface is perpendicular to the first surface. The third set of lines is counted to determine the third linear dimension of the placed parcel.

Abstract: A method for thresholding a gray scale matrix representative of an image to generate binary matrix representative of the image. Elemental features of the image are determined and characterized, and a plurality of thresholding algorithms is selected. For each algorithm a sequence of binary matrices is generated as scaling factor applied to the algorithm is varied. Features of each binary matrix are determined and characterized and compared to elemental features of the image. For each determined feature which matches a an elemental feature of the image a score is incremented; and for each determined feature which does not match the score is decremented. The binary matrix having the highest score is selected.

Abstract: A method for controlling energizing of an ink jet printhead includes the steps of generating encoder pulses to a motor to activate the motor to move the printhead at a desired speed over a recording medium; generating and sending fire pulses at a fire pulse frequency from an ASIC to an ink jet printhead driver chip to selectively energize ink jet printhead nozzles to eject drops of ink onto the recording medium based on a predetermine relationship between an expected encoder pulse frequency and the fire pulse frequency; compensating for variations in the speed of the ink jet printhead movement caused by variations in the encoder pulse frequency by using the ASIC for continuously comparing the encoder pulse frequency to the fire pulse frequency and for adjusting the fire pulse frequency based upon the variations to the encoder pulse frequency to maintain the predetermined relationship thereby synchronizing the ink jet printhead movement with the energizing of the printhead nozzles.

Abstract: A mailing machine is disclosed in which a digital printing device, preferably of the ink jet type, is mounted for movement between one of two printing positions, in one of which the printing device will print a postage indicia direction on envelopes being fed through the mailing machine, and in the other of which the printing device prints the postage indicia on a strip of tape which is extracted from the mailing machine and affixed to an envelope which is incapable of being fed through the mailing machine. There is also a third position for the printing device which is a maintenance position to which the printing device is moved after each or some other predetermined number of printing cycles for the purpose of cleaning the ink ejecting portion of the printing device and/or maintaining a suitable high ink solvent vapor atmosphere adjacent to the ink ejecting portion of the printing device.

Abstract: This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a cellular telephone metering systems that allows phone calls to be made as long as sufficient funds or call units reside in the phone. The apparatus of this invention also utilize encryption and employ seed numbers for the addition of funds or call units to the cellular phone.

Abstract: A sealing device, for use in a mailing machine having a moistener for applying moistening fluid to flaps of envelopes being transported through the mailing machine, includes a first device, having a first surface, for applying pressure to a moistened envelope flap via the first surface; and a second device, having a second surface opposite the first surface, for applying pressure to the moistened envelope flap via the second surface. The first and second surfaces operatively cooperate together to apply pressure to and seal the moistened envelope flap. Furthermore, in the inventive device, moistening fluid is transferred on to the first surface from the moistened flap during sealing of the moistened flap by the first and second surfaces, and the first and second surfaces are aligned relative to each other such that at times when the moistened envelope is transported away from the sealing device moistening fluid is not transferred from the first surface to the second surface.

Abstract: This invention is a system for producing and distributing new decryption keys to verifiers. Verifier decryption key updates are printed in a secure manner on paper or postcards and mailed to the owners of the verifiers. The paper or postcards containing the verifier decryption key is scanned into the verifier and the verifier's key file is updated.

Abstract: A value metering system embodying the present invention includes a storage component for storing a unique value metering system identification to enable identification of the value metering system from a plurality of other value metering systems. A communications component receives broadcast communications messages and processes the broadcast communications messages to determine if a received broadcast communications message is intended for the value metering system. A Controller component controls the operation of the value metering system. The controller component is coupled to the communications component and is responsive to specific received broadcast communications messages determined by the communications component to be intended for the value metering system.

Abstract: A Key Management System for generating, distributing and managing cryptographic keys used by an information transaction system that employs cryptographic means to produce evidence of information integrity. The system comprises a plurality of functionally distinct secure boxes operatively coupled to each other. Each of the secure boxes performs functions for key generation, key installation, key verification or validation of tokens. Computers, operatively coupled to the secure boxes, provide system control and facilitate communication among the secure boxes. A plurality of separate logical security domains provide domain processes for key generation, key installation, key verification and validation of tokens produced by the transaction evidencing device within the domain using the key management functions. A plurality of domain archives, corresponding respectively to each of the security domains, securely and reliably record key status records and master keys for each domain.