(57) A system (10) for accounting for postage expended by a postage meter. The system
includes a keyboard and display (16) for entry of commands and postal information,
a printer (18), a memory (14) for storing account records and program data, the memory
further including a non-volatile memory (14b) for storing account records and other
data, an interface (22) to an electronic postage meter (30), and a processor including
a CPU (12). The processor (12) controls an electronic postage meter (30) through the
interface (22) in accordance with the program data and entered postal information
to set the meter and then responds to signals from the meter (30) to update account
records. The processor may also edit selected account records in accordance with entered
information. In one disclosed embodiment the system (10) responds to an operator request
to print the account data base by repetitively scanning the account data base and
sequentially printing accounts. In another disclosed embodiment the system (10) stores
images of accounts to be edited in selected regions of non-volatile memory (14b) before
beginning to edit the account. These embodiments increase the security of the data
in the accounts by avoiding exposure to data loss due to power failure or transients
while accounts are being processed. In another disclosed embodiment a record of edited
accounts is maintained by the system (10) to allow a service technician to detect
unauthorised editing of accounts. In still another disclosed embodiment the system
(10) tracks the contents of the postage meter ascending register to detect off-line
meter usage.
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