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US 7,890,432 B2Granted
Infrastructure with meter communication capabilities
AssigneeNeopost Technologies
InventorJames M. Mattern
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for providing franking services includes one or more networks, one or more postage meters, and a postal infrastructure data center connected to the one or more meters through the one or more networks, wherein the postal infrastructure data center establishes communication with the one or more meters as required.
Claims23
A method for establishing communications with a postage meter comprising:
- identifying a plurality of networks concurrently connected to a postal infrastructure data center and usable by the postal infrastructure data center to communicate with postage meters, each of the plurality of networks being of a different network type, each network having a plurality of postage meters connected to the network;
- selecting, by the postal infrastructure data center, at least one of the plurality of networks based on a selection criterion applied to each of the plurality of networks;
- establishing an active connection to the selected at least one network;
- subsequent to establishing the connection to the selected at least one network, polling the plurality of meters to identify at least one of the plurality of meters connected to the selected at least one network to be serviced by the data center;
- subsequent to identifying the at least one meter, establishing a first connection to the at least one meter for an exchange of data between the postal infrastructure data center and the at least one meter, the first connection being established at the initiation of a postal infrastructure data center;
- and
- subsequent to establishing the first connection to the at least one meter, servicing the at least one meter by the data center.
4 more elements
A method of providing postal meter service from a postal infrastructure data center, comprising:
- identifying a plurality of networks concurrently connected to a postal infrastructure data center and suitable for communication with a first postal meter, each of the plurality of networks being of a different network type, each network having a plurality of postage meters connected to the network;
- selecting one of the plurality of networks by the postal infrastructure data center;
- establishing an active connection to the selected network;
- subsequent to connecting to the selected network, polling the plurality of meters to identify the first postal meter from among the plurality of postal meters to be serviced by the data center;
- subsequent to identifying the first postal meter, initiating communication with the first postal meter over the selected network;
- subsequent to initiating communication with the first postal meter, servicing the first postal meter;
- initiating communication with a second postal meter from among the plurality of postal meters;
- and
- servicing the second postal meter prior to completing the servicing of the first postal meter;
- wherein communication between the postal infrastructure data center and each of the postal meters is initiated by the postal infrastructure data center.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.