Abstract: A system for printing an imprint on a flat material includes a cartridge holding a consumable (e.g. ink) and at least one material processing device (MPD) (e.g. franking machine) having a printer and a data processor connected to the printer to control use of the cartridge to produce the imprint. The MPD is configured to detect insertion of the cartridge into the printer and generate current consumption information representing the use of the cartridge by the printer since insertion. The cartridge can include a first non-volatile memory that (unchangeably) stores a unique cartridge identification of the cartridge. The data processor is configured to: cause, based on a predeterminable usage-relevant event occurring, a current use-information, generated based on the current consumption information logically linked to the cartridge identification, to be stored in a second memory, and write to an irreversibly writable memory area of the first memory when the event occurs.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a good processing apparatus with a first communication module. The first communication module is connected to a controller. The good processing apparatus is designed to accommodate at least one second communication module. The controller is designed to determine whether the second communication module is ready for operation.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a good processing apparatus with a first communication module. The first communication module is connected to a controller. The good processing apparatus is designed to accommodate at least one second communication module. The controller is designed to determine whether the second communication module is ready for operation.

Abstract: A system for printing an imprint on a flat material includes a cartridge holding a consumable (e.g. ink) and at least one material processing device (MPD) (e.g. franking machine) having a printer and a data processor connected to the printer to control use of the cartridge to produce the imprint. The MPD is configured to detect insertion of the cartridge into the printer and generate current consumption information representing the use of the cartridge by the printer since insertion. The cartridge can include a first non-volatile memory that (unchangeably) stores a unique cartridge identification of the cartridge. The data processor is configured to: cause, based on a predeterminable usage-relevant event occurring, a current use-information, generated based on the current consumption information logically linked to the cartridge identification, to be stored in a second memory, and write to an irreversibly writable memory area of the first memory when the event occurs.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a number of apparatus components that are operable to produce an apparatus action. The components include a circuit board that is available for installation in a number of different board variants. Each circuit board variant includes a photoelectric barrier that receives an input signal from a controller of the apparatus, and that generates a photoelectric barrier output signal supplied to the controller. At least one of the circuit board variants includes a delay element that introduces a delay into the output signal from the controller that is supplied to the photoelectric barrier. The delay is matched to the particular variant of the circuit board, so that the controller, by detecting a characteristic of the delay, can identify the circuit board variant of the currently-installed circuit board. The controller then controls the components to produce the apparatus action dependent on the variant of the currently installed circuit board.

Abstract: A supply unit for an electronic apparatus that can be activated and deactivated has a mains adapter, a first voltage regulator and a voltage source that are connected on the input side with the direct voltage output of the mains adapter, and a logic module supplied by the voltage source with a suitable auxiliary direct voltage. The enable input of the first voltage regulator is connected with the output of the logic module. A switch contact pair is electrically connected to switch the logic module. In the operating mode, a microcomputer is programmed to establish and evaluate the number an duration of the connection of the contact pair. Depending on an evaluation of a user input into the microcomputer, a digital signal is output to switch from the operating mode into standby mode.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a number of apparatus components that are operable to produce an apparatus action. The components include a circuit board that is available for installation in a number of different board variants. Each circuit board variant includes a photoelectric barrier that receives an input signal from a controller of the apparatus, and that generates a photoelectric barrier output signal supplied to the controller. At least one of the circuit board variants includes a delay element that introduces a delay into the output signal from the controller that is supplied to the photoelectric barrier. The delay is matched to the particular variant of the circuit board, so that the controller, by detecting a characteristic of the delay, can identify the circuit board variant of the currently-installed circuit board. The controller then controls the components to produce the apparatus action dependent on the variant of the currently installed circuit board.

Abstract: A supply unit for an electronic apparatus that can be activated and deactivated has a mains adapter, a first voltage regulator and a voltage source that are connected on the input side with the direct voltage output of the mains adapter, and a logic module supplied by the voltage source with a suitable auxiliary direct voltage. The enable input of the first voltage regulator is connected with the output of the logic module. A switch contact pair is electrically connected to switch the logic module. In the operating mode, a microcomputer is programmed to establish and evaluate the number an duration of the connection of the contact pair. Depending on an evaluation of a user input into the microcomputer, a digital signal is output to switch from the operating mode into standby mode.

Abstract: An arrangement for installing a communication unit in an apparatus having a security housing, such as a mail processing apparatus, including a cavity bay located at a non-secure region of the apparatus that is accessible by a cover that is non-destructibly detachable from the security housing. The bay receives a pluggable communication unit that has a connection element connectible by a plug-in movement with a connection element of a motherboard located in the secure region of the apparatus: The cavity has at least one further connection element that is electrically conductively and mechanically connected with a metal chassis part of the apparatus in the security housing. This further connection element protrudes into the cavity and establishes contact with the communication unit for grounding thereof.

Abstract: In a method and an arrangement for controlling printing by a thermotransfer printing apparatus with relative movement between a thermotransfer print head and a print medium, a microprocessor that provides pixel energy data to a pixel energy memory by making an energy value calculation and by coding, and a print data controller prepares the pixel energy data by decoding during the printing in a number (corresponding to the pixel energy value) of binary pixel data each with the same binary value. The print data controller includes at least one pixel energy data preparation unit, a DMA controller, an address generator, a printer controller and a phase counter. The DMA controller allows an access to the pixel energy data stored in the pixel energy memory as code in order to provide the pixel energy data in print columns to the at least one pixel energy data preparation unit. The address generator generates addresses for selection of the buffered code during each phase of a number of phases.

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: In a method and an arrangement for controlling printing by a thermotransfer printing apparatus with relative movement between a thermotransfer print head and a print medium, a microprocessor that provides pixel energy data to a pixel energy memory by making an energy value calculation and by coding, and a print data controller prepares the pixel energy data by decoding during the printing in a number (corresponding to the pixel energy value) of binary pixel data each with the same binary value. The print data controller includes at least one pixel energy data preparation unit, a DMA controller, an address generator, a printer controller and a phase counter. The DMA controller allows an access to the pixel energy data stored in the pixel energy memory as code in order to provide the pixel energy data in print columns to the at least one pixel energy data preparation unit. The address generator generates addresses for selection of the buffered code during each phase of a number of phases.

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: An arrangement for installing a communication unit in an apparatus having a security housing, such as a mail processing apparatus, including a cavity bay located at a non-secure region of the apparatus that is accessible by a cover that is non-destructibly detachable from the security housing. The bay receives a pluggable communication unit that has a connection element connectible by a plug-in movement with a connection element of a motherboard located in the secure region of the apparatus: The cavity has at least one further connection element that is electrically conductively and mechanically connected with a metal chassis part of the apparatus in the security housing. This further connection element protrudes into the cavity and establishes contact with the communication unit for grounding thereof.

Abstract: In a method and arrangement for reducing printer errors while printing on a print medium in a mail processing device a print data controller for pixel data editing while printing with a printhead contains logic for error reduction having a resettable encoder clock counter. Encoder pulses corresponding to the relative motion between the printer and the print medium are generated. Using these pulses, incremental and decremental counting occurs for evaluating a condition with diminished time spacing of neighboring encoder pulses. A direct memory access (DMA) for a data string of binary pixel data ensues for implementing a print cycle for the data string, and a further direct memory access ensues during the print cycle for a next data string.

Abstract: A configuration for identifying a switch position of a power switch for microprocessor-controlled appliances is provided. A switch connected in parallel with the power switch is to produce a switch-off delay which has no adverse effect on the interrogation of the switch position. The power switch contains two series-connected switches which can be opened or closed only jointly, with one contact of one switch being connected to one of the two live or neutral conductors, and its other contact being connected to a first input of a sensor which, when voltage is applied and the power switch is switched on, passes a measurement current to the second input of the sensor, which is connected to another one of the two live or neutral conductors. On the output side, the sensor transmits an output signal, corresponding to the switch position of the power switch to a microprocessor for the appliance.

Abstract: In a method and arrangement for reducing printer errors while printing on a print medium in a mail processing device a print data controller for pixel data editing while printing with a printhead contains logic for error reduction having a resettable encoder clock counter. Encoder pulses corresponding to the relative motion between the printer and the print medium are generated. Using these pulses, incremental and decremental counting occurs for evaluating a condition with diminished time spacing of neighboring encoder pulses. A direct memory access (DMA) for a data string of binary pixel data ensues for implementing a print cycle for the data string, and a further direct memory access ensues during the print cycle for a next data string.

Abstract: An arrangement for printing a print image having regions of different print image resolution onto a moving postal item in a mail processing device has a microprocessor, a pixel memory, a read-only memory and a print data controller for pixel data editing while printing with a printhead. The microprocessor is programmed to operate from data in the read-only memory, a number of data strings having a switchable number of data words and to store them in the pixel memory. A maximum number of data words per data string is downwardly transgressed when the pixel data are stored compressed. The print data controller undertakes pixel data editing while printing with the printhead and is equipped to decompress the compressed pixel data per data string and to supplement the pixel data missing due to the compression such that the reduction of the number of data words per data string corresponds to the reduction in the resolution during printing.

Abstract: A method for controlling the printing in a mail processing device proceeds on the basis of a word-by-word storage of binary pixel data in the pixel memory with a predefined number of successive data words forming a data string, and a predefined number of data strings representing at least one print image. This facilitates a modification of variable binary pixel data in the pixel memory when the sequence of the binary pixel data in at least a part of the respective data string coincides with the sequence of pixels in at least one corresponding print image column that is provided for the printing. After a word-by-word transmission of binary pixel data of a data string from the pixel memory by direct memory access (DMA), an intermediate storage of the data string ensues in a pixel data editing unit before a pixel data editing is implemented during the printing with an ink jet printhead.

Abstract: An arrangement for printing a print image having regions of different print image resolution onto a moving postal item in a mail processing device has a microprocessor, a pixel memory, a read-only memory and a print data controller for pixel data editing while printing with a printhead. The microprocessor is programmed to operate from data in the read-only memory, a number of data strings having a switchable number of data words and to store them in the pixel memory. A maximum number of data words per data string is downwardly transgressed when the pixel data are stored compressed. The print data controller undertakes pixel data editing while printing with the printhead and is equipped to decompress the compressed pixel data per data string and to supplement the pixel data missing due to the compression such that the reduction of the number of data words per data string corresponds to the reduction in the resolution during printing.