US 5,107,455 A · Remote meter I/O configuration

Abstract

A technique for reconfiguring in the field external devices in communication with postage meters, the external devices having an external device feature set that may be selectively enabled or disabled by software. The technique provides security so that any changes to the feature set is authorized. The meter is capable of being put into an I/O configuration mode by suitable entries from the keyboard, in which mode it is inhibited from printing postage. The meter has a storage register for a current or old I/O configuration number (IOCN), and can receive a desired new IOCN via keyboard entry. The meter calculates an encrypted I/O configuration request code that depends on the new IOCN. The I/O configuration request code, when communicated to a data center computer along with other validating identification information, is checked by the data center computer which computes the I/O configuration request code using the same algorithm. If the two values agree, the data center computer calculates an encrypted I/O configuration enable code that depends on the meter serial number. This is communicated to the meter, which receives the I/O configuration enable code and also calculates a I/O configuration enable code using the same algorithm as the data center computer. If the I/O configuration enable codes agree, the meter overwrites the old IOCN with the new IOCN, thereby reconfiguring the meter and the external devices.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of selectively enabling software controllable features of an external device, the external device determining which features are to be enabled by inquiring an electrically coupled reconfigurable meter, the meter having identifying data stored therein, being remote from a data center computer, and having a first mode of operation wherein the meter can print postage and be used with the enabling features and a second mode of operation for altering the selected controllable features, the method comprising the steps of:

a) placing the meter in the second mode;
b) entering into the meter a new I/O configuration number representing a desired external device feature set to be enabled;
c) calculating at the meter a meter generated I/O configuration enable code that depends on the identifying data and the new I/O configuration number;
d) establishing communication with the data center computer;
e) entering into the data center computer the identifying data and the new I/O configuration number;
f) calculating at the data center computer a computer generated I/O configuration enable code;
g) entering the computer generated I/O configuration enable code into the meter;
h) comparing at the meter, the meter generated I/O configuration enable code and the computer generated I/O configuration enable code;
i) if the meter generated and computer generated I/O configuration enable codes correlate, placing the meter in the first mode;
and
j) in response to said placing the meter in the first mode, causing the meter to alter the feature set of the external device.

8 more elements

A postage meter system, said postage meter capable of interfacing to an external device having software features that may be selectively enabled, the external device inquiring said postage meter to determine which software features are enabled, said postage meter comprising:

a) a mode register having at least a first state and a second state;
b) means, responsive to the state of the mode register, for controlling normal meter operations;
c) a first register for storing an old I/O configuration number representative of a current external device feature set of the meter;
d) means for communicating the feature set represented by the content of the first register to the external device;
e) means, responsive to a particular first data entry, for setting the mode register to the second state;
f) a second register for storing a new I/O configuration number representative of a desired new external device feature set;
g) means, responsive to a second data entry representing the desired new feature set, for placing said new I/O configuration number in the second register;
h) means for generating a meter generated configuration request code;
i) means at a remote data center for calculating an encrypted internally generated configuration request code whose value depends on the new I/O configuration number and a second number;
j) means for comparing said encrypted internally generated configuration request code and said meter generated configuration request code, and if they correlate, means for generating an externally generated I/O configuration enable code;
k) means for calculating an encrypted internally generated I/O configuration enable code whose value depends in a different way on the I/O configuration number and the second number;
l) means, responsive to a third data entry representing the externally generated I/O configuration enable code, for comparing the internally generated and externally generated I/O configuration enable codes;
and
m) validation means, responsive to a predetermined relationship between the internally generated and externally generated I/O configuration codes for storing the new I/O configuration number in the first register, the validation means acting further to set the mode register to the first state.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Remote meter I/O configuration

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Remote meter I/O configuration

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Abstract

Claims16