ELECTRONIC POSTAGE METER HAVING POWER MAGNETICALLY COUPLED TO THE METER FROM THE METER BASE

摘要

ELECTRONIC POSTAGE METER HAVING POWER MAGNETICALLY COUPLEDTO THE METER FROM THE BASEABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA postage meter includes a printer adapted to printpostage and a computer coupled to the printer to account forpostage printed by the printer. A power supply is coupled tothe computer for energizing the computer to operate. Thepower supply includes a winding adapted to energize the powersupply when magnetic flux is caused to pass through thewinding. The power supply futher includes a magnetic circuitfor coupling magnetic flux to the winding. A housing enclosesthe postage meter power supply, postage meter computer andpostage meter printer. The housing includes a portion adaptedto allow the passage of magnetic energy into the interiorthereof to energize the magnetic circuit.The postage meter may operate in conjunction with amailing machine. The mailing machine is adapted to engage thepostage meter and includes a power supply system which energizesthe mailing machine. The power supply generates magneticenergy and a magnetic circuit cooperates with the power supplyto couple the magnetic energy such that when the postage meteris mounted on the mailing machine the magnetic energy willenter the postage meter.The postage meter is of the type which includes a non-volatile memory coupled to the postage meter computer. Thenon-volatile memory includes a plurality of locations forstoring accounting data when said postage meter computer isnot energized. The plurality of locations are in predeterminedphysical locations which are physically assessible. Thelocations are positioned in the memory so that they can beinspected to determine the orientation of bit patterns thereinwithout electrically energizing the non-volatile memoryor physically altering the memory structure.