Franking imprint data for a mail item

A data processing system adapted to execute a method for generating franking imprint data for a mail item to be shipped, comprising,

• a data processing device and a secure device connected via a communication link;
• said data processing device being configured to select, in a selection step, a set of shipping options for said mail item from a first total set of available shipping options stored in a first memory;
• said data processing device being configured to generate, in a product vector generating step, product vector data from said set of shipping options;
• said data processing device being configured to transmit, in a request step, a franking imprint authorization request including said product vector data via said communication link to said secure device;
• said secure device being configured to verify, in a verification step, at said secure device, if said product vector data of said franking imprint authorization request are compatible with a second total set of available shipping options stored in a second memory of said secure device;
• said secure device being configured to return, if said verification step reveals that said product vector data are compatible with said second total set of available shipping options, franking imprint authorization data to said data processing device;
• said secure device being configured to return, if said verification step reveals that said product vector data are not compatible with said second total set of available shipping options, request rejection data to said data processing device;
• said data processing device being configured to generate, in a franking imprint data generation step, said franking imprint data in response to receipt of said franking imprint authorization data from said secure device.

A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said data storage medium being distributively loaded into a data processing device and a secure device, and said programming instructions causing said data processing device and said secure device to:

• at said data processing device, select a set of shipping options for said mail item from a first total set of available shipping options stored in a first memory;
• at said data processing device, generate product vector data from said set of shipping options;
• transmit a franking imprint authorization request including said product vector data via a communication link from said data processing device to said secure device;
• at said secure device, verify if said product vector data of said franking imprint authorization request are compatible with a second total set of available shipping options stored in a second memory of said secure device;
• if said verification reveals that said product vector data are compatible with said second total set of available shipping options, return franking imprint authorization data from said secure device to said data processing device and, at said data processing device, generate said franking imprint data in response to receipt of said franking imprint authorization data;
• if said verification reveals that said product vector data are not compatible with said second total set of available shipping options, return request rejection data from said secure device to said data processing device.