(19)
(11) EP 0 780 809 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
01.03.2000 Bulletin 2000/09

(43) Date of publication A2:
25.06.1997 Bulletin 1997/26

(21) Application number: 96120519.2

(22) Date of filing: 19.12.1996
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7G07B 17/02
(84) Designated Contracting States:
DE FR GB

(30) Priority: 19.12.1995 US 575112
19.12.1995 US 575109

(71) Applicant: PITNEY BOWES INC.
Stamford Connecticut 06926-0700 (US)

(72) Inventors:
  • Cordery, Robert A.
    Danbury, CT 06811 (US)
  • Lee, David K.
    Monroe, CT 06468 (US)
  • Pauly, Steven J.
    New Milford, CT 06776 (US)
  • Pintsov, Leon A.
    West Hartford, CT 06117-1900 (US)
  • Riley, David W.
    Easton, CT 06612 (US)
  • Ryan, Frederick W., Jr.
    Oxford, CT 06478 (US)
  • Weiant, Monroe A., Jr.
    Trumbull, CT 06611 (US)

(74) Representative: Avery, Stephen John et al
Hoffmann Eitle, Patent- und Rechtsanwälte, Arabellastrasse 4
81925 München
81925 München (DE)

   


(54) PC-based open metering system and method


(57) A transaction evidencing system includes a personal computer (PC) comprising a processor, memory and hard drive, with a plurality of non-metering application programs that selectively run on the PC. An unsecured printer is operatively coupled to the PC for printing in accordance with the non-metering application programs. A portable vault card that is removably coupled to the PC is programmed to generate tokens generation and perform transaction accounting. An application interface module in the PC, which interfaces with the non-metering application programs, issues a request for one digital tokens in response to requests for indicia from a non-metering application program. A secure communications module in the PC, which securely communicates with the vault card when the vault card is coupled to the PC, sends the request for digital token to the vault card and receives a digital token generated by the vault card. An indicia bitmap generation module generates an indicia bitmap in the PC from the digital token and stores it in memory. The indicia bitmap is accessed by the non-metering application program when a print indicia operation is selected. A transaction capture module in the PC stores on the hard drive a transaction record corresponding to each issued digital token and associated postal data. The application interface module, the secure communications module, the indicia bitmap generation module and the transaction capture module are part of a dynamic link library module in the PC.





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