Method and apparatus for redundant postage accounting data files
AssigneeNeopost Limited
InventorsChandrakant J. Shah, Keith B. Robertson
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for the maintenance of redundant postage accounting datafiles. Redundant postage accounting report data is maintained by the present invention by first creating a datafile on a postage metering device (e.g., an SMD) to store postage accounting data. A second datafile is created on a computer capable of communicating with the SMD (which may be either remote or local to the computer). For every transaction which updates the postage accounting data stored in the SMD, the datafile residing on the computer is updated to reflect the change.
Claims38
A method of maintaining redundant postage accounting data comprising:
- creating a first datafile in a non-volatile memory of a postage metering device for storing postage accounting data;
- creating a second datafile in a non-volatile memory of a computer and outside said postage metering device, wherein said computer is operatively coupled to said postal metering device and said second datafile is a redundant datafile for said postage accounting data;
- and
- updating said second datafile to reflect changes in said first datafile.
A postage accounting report generation system wherein a postage transaction is recorded in a first datafile in a non-volatile memory residing in a postage metering device and a second datafile in a non-volatile memory residing in a computer and outside said postage metering device, said computer coupled to said postage metering device, for the purpose of maintaining a redundant datafile.
A method f maintaining redundant postage accounting data comprising:
- creating a first datafile on a postage metering device for storing postage accounting data, said first datafile being used to keep accounting of the usage of said postage metering device by a user;
- creating a second datafile on a computer and outside said postage metering device, wherein said computer is operatively coupled to said postal metering device and said second datafile is a redundant datafile for said postage accounting data, wherein said user is provided read-only access to said second datafile, so that said user may obtain information on said postage accounting data;
- updating said first datafile in response to a postal transaction;
- and
- updating said second datafile to reflect changes in said first datafile,
- wherein said first datafile is inaccessible via said computer.
A method of maintaining redundant postage accounting data on a user's use of a postage metering device, comprising:
- creating a first datafile in a first non-volatile memory of said postage metering device to store postage accounting data;
- creating a second datafile in a second non-volatile memory of a computer and outside said postage metering device to store redundant postage accounting data;
- and
- creating a transaction file in said computer, said transaction file containing postal transaction records to allow said user to view or print said postal transaction records.
A method of maintaining redundant postage accounting data on a user's use of a postage metering device, comprising:
- creating a first datafile in a first non-volatile memory of said postage metering device to store postage accounting data;
- and
- creating a second datafile in a second non-volatile memory of a computer and outside said postage metering device to store redundant postage accounting data and a postal transaction log providing transaction history.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.