US 5,513,112 AGranted

Database system

AssigneeNeopost Limited

InventorsWilliam J. Herring, MacKenny L. Trim

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Abstract

A database system for maintaining accounting records in relation to usage of postage meters is disclosed. The database system is provided with two computers, both of which provide access to the system from remote postage meters via a telephone network, and each computer maintains a separate database. One computer acts as primary and handles all transactions, received either direct or via the other secondary computer, and maintains a primary database. For each transaction, the primary computer creates an archived record in a buffer and periodically when the buffer is full sends an archive record to the secondary computer for use by the secondary computer to update the secondary database. In addition for critical transactions such as a postage meter recredit transaction, the primary computer also creates a transaction log and sends it to the secondary computer for storing in a FILO buffer. The primary computer lastly authorises credit to the postage meter. In the event the archived record is not sent to the secondary computer due to a fault in the primary computer, the secondary computer utilises the transaction log to update the secondary database with critical accounting data.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A dual database system including first means for processing transactions and for writing transaction records in respect of said transactions in a first database;

second means for entering and storing records in a second database to correspond to said first database;
said first means being operative to create an archived record from a group of said transaction records and to send said archived record to said second means;
said first means being operative to create a transaction log record in respect of each transaction relating to critical information and to transmit each said transaction log record to said second means;
said second means including transaction log storage means and being operative to store received transaction log records in said transaction log storage means;
said second means being operative to update said second database from said archived record sent by said first means and received by said second means;
and said second means being operable in response to failure of said first means to send an archived record in respect of new transactions processed by said first means immediately prior to said failure of said first means to utilise said transaction log records stored in said transaction log storage means to update said second database in respect of each transaction record relating to critical data of said new transactions so that the second database contains records of all transactions relating to critical information processed by said first means.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/132,306Filed 6 Oct 1993
Priority: GB 92212159 Oct 1992
Granted: 30 Apr 1996
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G07B 17/0008
Relations between apparatus, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office, in a franking system: communication details outside or…
G06F 11/1471
Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operations: involving logging of persistent data for recovery
G07B 17/00435
Details internally of apparatus in a franking system, e.g. franking machine at customer or apparatus at post office: details specific to central,…
G07B 2017/00096
Via landlines: via phone lines