Abstract: An arrangement for activation of a thermotransfer print head has a unit to determine a transport delay and a unit to generate supplementary heating pulses to maintain a temperature required for printing at the thermo-printing heating elements. The unit to determine a transport delay is connected with the thermotransfer print head via the unit to generate supplementary heating pulses. A method for activation of a thermotransfer print head includes the steps of determining a transport delay and generating supplementary heating pulses for maintenance of a temperature necessary for printing at the thermo-printing heating elements for which a printing requirement is present.

Abstract: An apparatus, such as mail processing apparatus, has a housing with a cavity therein, a grounded metal chassis in the housing, an electronics mainboard in the housing having a first plug and contact arrangement, with a scale module that is pluggable into the cavity of the housing. The scale module has a base plate having a grounding arrangement, and a load cell and weighing electronics both mounted on the base plate. The weighing electronics has a second plug and contact arrangement that mates with the first plug and contact arrangement when the scale module is plugged into the cavity. A metal part in the housing is mechanically connected to the chassis and has a plate part that protrudes into the cavity. This plate part makes planar electrical contact with the grounding arrangement of the base plate, to produce a grounding path for the base plate, substantially immediately at the beginning of the act of plugging the scale module into the cavity.

Abstract: A security housing contains a housing body having ventilation openings for supplying air to a heat source, in which air convection takes place for dissipating heat. First air guide elements are disposed in the housing body on a first side of each of the ventilation openings and are shaped for partly covering the ventilation openings. The first air guide elements each have a base integrally molded on the housing body, the bases are spaced apart from each other such that, in each case one of the ventilation openings is further defined. A removable security housing part is disposed inside the housing body and forms an air guide duct. Second air guide elements are disposed in the air guide duct and are shaped such that they cover the ventilation openings and the first guide elements such that, non-rectilinear air guidance is ensured.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer head is composed of stacked ink printer modules operating according to the edge-shooter principle and each equipped with plate-shaped piezoelectric actuators. The ink-jet printer head is for use in small, fast printers, suitable for use in a franking machine wherein a large number of nozzles are required. Plate-shaped spacer parts between the ink printer modules are structured such that they serve both for assuring the required spacing between neighboring modules as well as for setting an offset of the nozzle apertures of the neighboring ink printer modules relative to one another. To that end, the spacer parts are provided with registration elements at both sides that engage into allocated recesses of the ink printer modules. Each ink printer module also has electrical interconnects for connection to a driver circuit.

Abstract: An edge-shooter ink-jet print head has a row of nozzles extending in the z-direction on the edge of a head module. The print head includes members into which chambers are formed which, in turn, are equipped with devices for ejecting ink from each chamber to respectively assigned ink nozzles. The ink jets are expelled in the x-direction. The print head comprises a plurality of plates stacked in the y-direction. The ink paths are of equal length at least within each module. In a prefered embodiment, the row of nozzles is formed in an additional part which is also a chamber carrying part. After the production of various module plates by parallel processing of a glass plate, including the formation of cavities of a defined depth by etching and fine grinding, the parts are separated and then joined to form a module. Conductor tracks and PZT elements are provided. The modules can be interconnected with an adhesive layer as part of an assembly process.

Abstract: In a method for improving the security of postage meter machines, the intent to conduct an authorized opening of the machine, such as for inspection or maintenance purposes, is first reported to a central data station, after the postage meter machine to be opened has established communication between the machine and the central data station. The postage meter machine has a code word stored therein, the presence of this code word being necessary for authorized operation of the machine. Following the request to open, the central data station transmits a new code word to the postage meter machine, which is also stored therein. Upon any opening of the postage meter machine, the current code word is automatically erased. If the opening is authorized, and thus a new code word is stored in the machine, this new code word is automatically substituted for the erased code word, so that operation of the machine can proceed in a normal fashion.

Abstract: A system for franking postal matter comprises a control module, a printer module, a memory connected to the control module, a receiving device connected with the memory for receiving data transmitted via transmission device. At least one table of data with information linked to one or more conditions are downloaded from the transmission device. The control module storing the data in predetermined memory regions of the memory when the assembly is put into operation. A current table of data and information is selected from the data with specific functions to be available in the assembly for franking postal matter in dependence on the one or more conditions.

Abstract: An edge-shooter type ink jet print head and a method of its manufacture are disclosed. The print head includes members into which chambers are formed which, in turn, are equipped with devices for ejecting ink from each chamber to respectively assigned ink nozzles. A group of chambers is formed in each chamber-carrying member, on a side facing a center member. A single row of ink nozzles includes k nozzle groups which are respectively assigned to k ink chamber groups and which are formed along an edge face of a first chamber-carrying member. The first nozzle group of the k nozzle groups communicates with the chamber group formed in the first chamber-carrying member. The other k-1 nozzle groups are assigned to respective ones of the other (k-1) chamber groups. The chamber groups are supplied with ink from suction chambers and lie in further chamber-carrying members which are vertically offset relative to one another.

Abstract: An ETR printing unit has electrodes and an ETR print head. A configuration for triggering the ETR print head includes a controllable energy source supplying energy for various pixels of a printed image to the electrodes of the ETR printing unit. A switching unit is provided through which the controllable energy source acts upon the electrodes temporarily connected to the energy source with a voltage or with a constant current, having a magnitude with a dependency on a temporarily different number of electrodes for supplying a larger number of electrodes with a higher voltage or a higher constant current than a lesser number would be. A microprocessor control unit for the ETR printing unit supplies the controllable energy source with a control signal corresponding to a dependency on the number of the triggered electrodes, for specifying the number of electrodes temporarily connected to the controllable energy source. A memory is connected to the microprocessor control unit.

Abstract: A method for data entry into a postage meter machine before the initiation of a selected printer function, an arrangement for franking postal matter and for producing a franking image respectively allocated to a cost allocation account include automatic modification of the most recent status of stored data contents in a postage meter machine for the setting thereof within a time window following the switch-on on the basis of a first data carrier and/or automatic entry of an accounting number for the cost allocation account of the user and/or of a printer function or the number of a printer function into a memory area of a memory of the postage meter machine on the basis of a further data carrier. The data carriers may be chip cards.

Abstract: A selection circuit for an electro-thermal printer with a resistance-type ribbon includes a print unit, a current collection electrode, a memory, and a print control unit. The resistance-type inking ribbon that is moved relatively transfers ink particles from an ink layer into areas on a receiving medium when an associated thermal resistance in a resistance layer is heated. A voltage drop that is caused by a total current and by a variance of the resistances is measured through a non-selective current path (feedback layer) in the resistance inking ribbon by a measurement electrode that is disposed close to the print head. That causes a constant voltage source which has a reference voltage input to apply feed voltage to the electrodes that are temporarily connected therewith through a switching unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for changing the text portion of logos for postage meters includes a printer module for a fully electronically produced postage meter imprint having an advertising logo, at least one input, a display unit, an input/output control module, a nonvolatile memory for at least unchanging parts of the postage meter imprint, a control device, and a printer control for producing a printed pattern having been formed by a microprocessor-controlled printing process immediately prior to printing of fixed data and current data and being available in buffer-stored form. A first memory region is provided for storing data for the unchanging parts of the postage meter imprint applying at least to a frame of an advertising logo, and an associated name identifying the logo frame. A second memory region is provided for storing data for variable parts of the postage meter imprint applying to at least one logo text portion, and an associated name identifying the logo text portion.

Abstract: A method for controlling the energization of a thermal printing heating element by a succession of current impulses (I) separated according to a printing raster is described. The current impulses (I) upon exceeding a pre-given energy content effect a printing event and in the case of falling below this energy content effect a preheating. At each raster time point (t1) the printing requirement is ascertained for a predetermined number of yet to follow raster time points (t2, t3) and for raster time points (t2, t1) without printing requirements and lying in advance of a raster time point (t3) with a printing requirement the current impulses (I1, I2) are progressively increased. Through the use of this method a thermal printer with a high printing speed is achieved.

Abstract: A method for shipping electronically stored letter contents or communications and/or data on flat information carriers, particularly chip cards, requiring postal franking or prepaid postage, includes storing shipping data in at least one of a plurality of memory regions of the information carrier. The shipping data is read out with a read-write module. The shipping data is linked to a postage table being stored in memory, for calculating a postage value appropriate for shipment of the information carrier. An accounting or debit is made for the calculated postage value for the information carrier with a postage meter device. A postage imprint is printed on an item to be shipped. In an apparatus for carrying out the invention, the read-write module and the postage meter device are integrated into a unit.

Abstract: The postage meter strip printing machine disclosed comprises a housing (1) with a printing mechanism, processor system, read/write device and controls (4, 5) and is operated by means of a postage credit card (2). The credit card is used not only to monitor the postal charges but also to enable an advertising cliche to be identified, read off and stored.