Abstract:
A method of remotely accessing a meter includes issuing a meter identifier through a browser, utilizing an HTTP server to recognize the URL and run an application program, and reporting the results of running the application program to the browser.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to franking devices and in particular to remotely configuring and managing a device that produces indicia.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RELATED DEVELOPMENTS  
       [0002]     A high volume postal customer may use a franking machine, also referred to as a meter, which incorporates a Postal Security Device (PSD) to secure the proof of payment of postal indicia. In an exemplary application, indicia may be applied to mailing items that identifies the value of the postage applied and other information. A customer may purchase postage and the purchased value may be stored in the PSD. As the postage indicia is applied to items, the value applied may be deducted from the stored value. Once postage indicia is applied, the item may then be dropped into the collection stream of the particular postal system and subsequently processed for delivery. U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,427, filed 25 Jan. 1996 discloses an exemplary franki 9 ng machine.  
         [0003]     In various countries, for example the United States, postal meters may communicate with a remote data center to exchange information related to customer usage and funding for billing purposes and to have postage funds replenished. In the United States, a postal customer generally may add postage to the meter in two ways. The first is to physically take the meter to the postal authority, generally referred to herein as “the post,” where postage is purchased and added to the PSD. The second is to remotely add postage over a network, for example, a telephone line with a modem, or the Internet, where the added postage is deducted from an account usually maintained with a meter vendor or a trusted third party administrator, for example, a financial institution. In this case, customer or postal authority access to a meter&#39;s accounting system or memory system generally is not possible. Meters with this type of communication capability generally communicate with a data center in a postal service infrastructure where the meter initiates communication. U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,164 discloses an exemplary postal infrastructure system that provides for fund replenishment.  
         [0004]     It would be advantageous to provide a user with the ability to remotely configure and manage a franking machine over a communication network.  
       SUMMARY OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0005]     A method of remotely accessing a meter includes issuing a meter identifier through a browser, utilizing an HTTP server to recognize the URL and run an application program, and reporting the results of running the application program to the browser.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The foregoing aspects and other features of the disclosed embodiments are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of a system suitable for practicing the disclosed embodiments;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of meter according to the disclosed embodiments;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  shows the interaction between a user terminal and a meter according to the disclosed embodiments; and  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  shows a diagram of a postage infrastructure data center. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of a system  100  suitable for practicing the disclosed embodiments disclosed herein. Although the disclosed embodiments will be described with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materials could be used.  
         [0012]     System  100  includes a user terminal  110 , a funding device, shown in  FIG. 1  as a meter  115 , and a postal infrastructure data center  130  connected to the meter  115  through network  125 .  
         [0013]     It is a feature of the disclosed embodiments for a user to configure and manage the meter  115  through user terminal  110 . The meter  115  may include a resident hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server. Various application programs may be accessed through the HTTP server to allow the user to configure and manage the meter  115 . User terminal  110  may be a personal computer, a controller, or any device capable of communicating with an HTTP server.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  shows a general block diagram of meter  115 . Meter  115  may include a communications port  117  and a microprocessor  118  for performing electronic accounting functions, control functions, and franking functions according to programs stored in a storage device  119 . Some of these functions or subsets of these functions may be grouped within a secure perimeter as what is commonly referred to as a Postal Security Device (PSD).  
         [0015]     Storage device  119  generally stores machine readable program code which is adapted to cause microprocessor  118  to perform the functions of the disclosed embodiments. Storage device  119  may utilize optical, magnetic, semiconductor, electronic, or other types of suitable devices to store the program code.  
         [0016]     Microprocessor  118  typically performs the electronic accounting functions in relation to franking items. Data associated with the accounting functions may include an accumulated total value of credit entered into the PSD, an accumulated total value of charges dispensed by the PSD by franking items, a count of the number of items franked, and a count of the number of items franked with a charge in excess of a predetermined value. The accumulated total value of credit may be stored in an ascending credit register  160 , the accumulated total value of postage charges dispensed may be stored in a descending register  165 , and the count of items may be stored in an items count register  170 . The various registers may be located in storage device  119 .  
         [0017]     The franking functions performed by microprocessor  118  typically include providing an indication, funds, or other authorization to produce indicia, and reporting the number of items, value marked and other parameters to the accounting functions. Such indication, funds, or other authorization are referred to herein as indicia services.  
         [0018]     The meter  115  generally provides indicia services locally utilizing a printer  140  and may be capable of franking a label, directly franking a mail piece, or franking any other suitable substrate. In one embodiment, meter  115  may be portable in that a user may place meter  115  in a specific location on or over a substrate and frank or print an object. Meter  115  may be capable of printing stamps, barcodes, addresses, planet codes, images, text, indicia, logos, graphics, or any other printable item in any desired order. For example, the user may be able to position meter  115  to print a return address, and then position meter  115  to print a mailing address, and then to print postage. In another embodiment, the meter  115  may remain stationary and printer  140  may be movable.  
         [0019]     The printer  140  may be capable of printing on any suitable substrate or media, including an adhesive or tacky substrate, and may also be capable of applying a covering over the printed items. For example, the printer  140  may be capable of applying a film or coating over a printed item for protection or to prevent tampering.  
         [0020]     The printer  140  may be an inkjet, dye sublimation, thermal wax, laser, electrostatic, xerographic, thermal, RF, or any suitable type of printer. In one embodiment, printer  140  may utilize energy beams, having high or low power, for example, RF beams, to print directly onto a substrate.  
         [0021]     The control functions performed by microprocessor  118  may include utilizing communications port  117  to communicate with the postal infrastructure data center  130 . Communications port  117  generally includes an antenna  190  and support circuitry  195  or other signaling devices  200  for communicating with the postal infrastructure data center  130  through the network  125 .  
         [0022]     The signaling devices  200  may provide an air interface, a wired interface, a wireless interface, or an electrical, electromagnetic, radio, infrared, or other suitable facility for communication. The support circuitry  195  may also include location determining circuitry, for example, a GPS facility for determining the location of the meter  115 .  
         [0023]     In one embodiment, the control functions performed by microprocessor  118  under control of the programs in storage device  119  may include implementation of an HTTP server  300  such that a user may communicate with the meter  115  using a web browser  120  running on the user terminal  110  ( FIG. 1 ). The programs in storage device  119  may also include application programs  310  accessible by the HTTP server  300 . Application programs  310  may include diagnostics, feature management functions, configuration functions, data retrieval functions, and any other meter configuration or management functions.  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , in operation, the user initiates a browser  120  at the user terminal  110 . The user addresses the meter  115  by including a meter identifier, for example, the meter serial number, in a URL in the browser  120 . The HTTP server recognizes the meter identifier as identifying the meter  115  and may run one or more application programs  310  in response.  
         [0025]     For example, upon recognizing the URL, the HTTP server may run an application program that present a menu of various applications and queries to the user terminal  110  for selection by the user. The applications may include programs that add additional services, run and report diagnostics, update data tables, replenish funds, etc. The queries may include requests for data, operational parameters, etc. Upon presentation of the menu, the user may select one of the applications or queries and the HTTP server may then run the corresponding application or query and return the result to the user terminal.  
         [0026]     In another embodiment, the application or query may be specified in the URL along with the meter identifier and the meter may respond with the result of the application or query.  
         [0027]     The postal infrastructure data center  130  generally has the capability to access the meter  115  to exchange information as required. For example, the postal infrastructure data center  130  may access meter  115  to download additional features, updates, upgrades, programs, diagnostic functions, delivery confirmation or other types of information. The postal infrastructure data center  130  may access meter  115  to retrieve information including accounting data, status data, etc.  
         [0028]     Postal infrastructure data center  130  may initiate a data exchange by initially detecting the communications network  125  and establishing a connection. Communication network  125  may include any suitable communications network, for example, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a wireless network, a wired network, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), virtual private network (VPN), an air interface, etc. The air interface may include any suitable wireless communication protocols or signaling techniques or standards, for example TDMA, CDMA, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, close range RF, optical, any appropriate satellite communication standards, etc.  
         [0029]     After postal infrastructure data center  130  has established a connection with the communication network  125 , postal infrastructure data center  130  may then attempt to logon or establish a connection to meter  115 .  
         [0030]     Postal infrastructure data center  130  may be capable of establishing more that one connection to meter  115  simultaneously. For example, postal infrastructure data center  130  may establish a first connection to meter  115  for fund replenishment and, during the first connection, may establish a second connection to the meter  115  to download data tables.  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the postal infrastructure data center  130  may generally include a server  400 , several data bases  410 ,  415 ,  420 , a power facility  425 , for example, a power distribution network, and communication circuitry  430 . Communication circuitry  430  may include an antenna  440  and other circuitry and devices  435  for communication with meters  115   1  . . .  115   n  through the one or more networks  125   1  . . .  125   n .  
         [0032]     In other embodiments, devices  435  may include suitable circuitry, programs, transmitters and receivers for any appropriate type of wireless communication utilizing radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), optical, acoustical, any type of electromagnetic based technology, or any other type of wireless communication. The postal infrastructure data center  130  may also include a user interface facility  445  which may provide local users with access to postal infrastructure data center services.  
         [0033]     It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the disclosed embodiments. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0034]     What is claimed is: