US 8,019,696 B2Granted

Method and system to protect and track data from multiple meters on a removable storage medium

AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.

InventorsMark N. Harris, Craig J. DeFilippo

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Abstract

A system and method for allowing multiple postage meters to utilize removable storage media to accurately track and protect data generated during use is provided. A unique identifier is provided for each removable storage medium, and the removable storage medium is associated with a single meter. A catalog of additional meters authorized for use with the storage medium is maintained on each medium. When the storage medium is attached to a meter, the meter determines if the storage medium has been authorized for use with the meter or, if allowable, establishes a new entry in the catalog for the meter. Thus, data for a plurality of meters can be maintained on the same storage medium. Any discrepancies that exist between the data stored in the meter and the storage medium can be reconciled by the user, thereby allowing accurate maintenance of the data.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A method for operating a postage meter and a removable storage medium for storing data coupled to the postage meter, the method comprising:

determining if the storage medium is assigned to the postage meter;
if the storage medium is assigned to the postage meter, performing an initialization of the storage medium and the postage meter and using the storage medium to store data generated by the postage meter;
if the storage medium is not assigned to the postage meter, determining if operational parameters set for the storage medium are compatible with operational parameters set for the postage meter;
if the operational parameters set for the storage medium are not compatible with the operational parameters set for the postage meter, providing a signal indicating that the storage medium can not be used with the postage meter;
if the operational parameters of the storage medium are compatible with the operational parameters of the postage meter, entering the postage meter into a catalog of postage meters on the storage medium, allocating space on the storage medium to store data generated by the postage meter and using the storage medium to store data generated by the postage meter;
entering a power recovery mode after a power interruption;
determining if a serial number of the storage medium coupled to the postage meter after the power interruption matches a serial number of a storage medium coupled to the postage meter before the power interruption;
if the serial numbers match, determining if any portion of data intended to be written to the storage medium before the power interruption was not received by the storage medium;
and
rewriting any portion of data intended to be written to the storage medium that was not received by the storage medium.

7 more elements

A mailing machine comprising:

a postage meter;
a removable storage medium coupled to the postage meter;
means for determining if the storage medium is assigned to the postage meter;
if the storage medium is assigned to the postage meter, means for performing an initialization of the storage medium and the postage meter and using the storage medium to store data generated by the postage meter;
if the storage medium is not assigned to the postage meter, means for determining if operational parameters set for the storage medium are compatible with operational parameters set for the postage meter;
if the operational parameters set for the storage medium are not compatible with the operational parameters set for the postage meter, means for providing a signal indicating that the storage medium can not be used with the postage meter;
and
if the operational parameters of the storage medium are compatible with the operational parameters of the postage meter, means for entering the postage meter into a catalog of postage meters on the storage medium, allocating space on the storage medium to store data generated by the postage meter and using the storage medium to store data generated by the postage meter.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.