Patent ID: 6418422
Filing Date: 2002-07-09
Classification: G06K,G07B

Abstract:
A postage meter machine comprising:a printer for printing an imprint on a print-receiving medium; a control system connected to said printer for controlling a printing procedure resulting in printing of said imprint by said printer, said control system including a microprocessor, a non-volatile memory, having a plurality of non-volatile memory areas, connected to said microprocessor, and a user interface connected to said microprocessor; a chip card write/read unit connected to said microprocessor; a plurality of chip cards individually insertable into said chip card write/read unit, each of said chip cards having a chip card number; said user interface allowing a user to store a plurality of limited application functions, associated with said printing procedure, in said non-volatile memory areas in a list wherein said plurality of limited application functions are respectively allocated to the chip card numbers of said chip cards, the respective allocation of said chip card numbers and said plurality of limited application functions in said non-volatile memory areas being arbitrarily selectable by said user via said user interface; a program memory, accessible by said microprocessor, containing a plurality of programs respectively allocated to said plurality of limited application functions; and said microprocessor, upon insertion of one of said chip cards in said chip card write/read unit as an inserted chip card, loading only the chip card number of said inserted chip card and calling the limited application function allocated thereto in said non-volatile memory areas, as a called limited application function, and executing the program allocated to said called limited application function in said program memory.