Method and postal apparatus with a chip card write/read unit for reloading change data by chip card

A postal apparatus comprising:

• a printer which prints a postal imprint on a print-receiving medium;
• control means, connected to said printer, for controlling a procedure resulting in the printing of said imprint by said printer, said control means including a microprocessor non-volatile memory having a first memory area, a second memory area, a third memory area in which a first crypto key is stored and a fourth memory area in which an encryption algorithm is stored, said third and fourth memory areas being protected against unauthorized readout;
• a chip card write/read unit connected to said control means;
• a chip card removably insertable into said chip card write/read unit, said chip card having a dataset stored therein including use data;
• and
• said control means, upon insertion of said chip card in said chip card write/read unit, accessing said first memory area and said second memory area of said non-volatile memory and loading said dataset from said chip card into said first memory area for storage in said first memory area, applying a predetermined operation on said use data in the dataset loaded into said first memory area to remove predetermined use data from said use data, and leaving remaining use data, accessing said third memory area and said fourth memory area of said non-volatile memory to retrieve said first key and said encryption algorithm, encrypting said predetermined use data using said first key and said encryption algorithm to form a crypto code and storing said crypto code in said second memory area of said non-volatile memory to form a new dataset including said remaining use data, loading said new dataset from said second memory area into said chip card inserted in said chip card write/read unit, for uniquely personalizing said chip card for use only with one postal apparatus and loading said use data from said first memory area and employing said use data from conducting said procedure resulting in printing of said imprint.

A postal apparatus comprising:

• a postal security module formed by an application specific integrated circuit containing a first memory area and a second memory area;
• a printer which prints a postal imprint on a print-receiving medium;
• a chip card/read unit;
• a chip card removable insertable into said chip card write/read unit, said chip card having a data set stored thereon including use data;
• said postal security module, said printer and said chip card write/read unit being contained in a postage meter machine;
• and
• a computer separate from said postage meter machine, connected to said printer, said chip card write/read unit and said postal security module, for controlling a procedure resulting in the printing of said imprint by said printer, said computer including a microprocessor and a non-volatile memory having a third memory area, in which a first crypto key is stored and a fourth memory area in which an encryption algorithm is stored, said third and fourth memory areas being protected against unauthorized readout, said computer, upon insertion of said chip card in said chip card write/read unit, accessing said first memory area and said second memory area of said postal security module and loading said dataset from said chip card into said first memory area for storage in said first memory area, applying a predetermined operation on said use data in the dataset loaded into said first memory area to remove predetermined use data from said use data, and leaving remaining use data, accessing said third memory area and said fourth memory area of said non-volatile memory to retrieve said first key and said encryption algorithm, encrypting said predetermined use data using said first key and said encryption algorithm to form a crypto code and storing said crypto code in said second memory area of said postal security module to form a new dataset including said remaining use data, loading said new dataset from said second memory area into said chip card inserted in said chip card write/read unit, and loading said use data from said first memory area of said postal security module and employing said use data from conducting said procedure resulting in printing of said imprint.