Patent ID: 6381590
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: G06Q,G07B

Abstract:
A postage recharge system comprising:a data center including means for receiving from a postage meter first data indicative of a first user prepaid postage account resident in a prepaid postage account data base having a plurality of prepaid postage accounts together with a request to recharge the postage meter by a postage recharge amount; a line of credit database having a plurality of lines of credit each of which is associated with at least one of the plurality of prepaid postage accounts; a computer, in communication with the receiving means, which is programmed to 1) obtain the first data and the postage recharge amount from the receiving means, and 2) communicate with the prepaid postage account data base to determine if an amount of prepaid funds in the first user prepaid postage account is at least equal to the postage recharge amount, wherein at times when the computer determines that the amount of prepaid funds is not at least equal to the postage recharge amount the computer is programmed to automatically 1) communicate with the line of credit data base to determine if one of the plurality of lines of credit is a first user line of credit that is associated with the first user prepaid postage account, 2) ascertain a credit amount available in the first user line of credit, and 3) generate and send enabling data to the postage meter via the receiving means and the sending means only if the computer determines that between the credit amount available and the amount of prepaid funds, the request to recharge the postage meter by the postage recharge amount should be honored.