Method for identifying a metering accounting vault to digital printer
US5606613A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 22, 1994 |
| Grant date | Feb 25, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 22, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07B2017/00854
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The method for preventing monitoring of postage indicia data which is sent from a postage metering vault to a remotely located digital printer over a communication link between the meter vault and the digital printer. The meter is provided with an encryption engine for encrypting postage indicia data utilizing a encryption key. The digital printer includes a decryption engine for decrypting postage data received from said meter utilizing the same encryption key and then prints a postage indicia pursuant to the decrypted postage indicia data. The postage meter also includes a key manager for generating new encryption key pursuant to a token which is either randomly generated or generated pursuant to an algorithm by a similar encryption key manager located in the digital printer which token is also used to generate the decryption key for the decryption engine. As a result, the encryption keys are the same. Upon power-up of the system or at such other preselected times, the print controller module of the digital printer sends out an encrypted message to the meter. The message consist of a random number. The encryption/decryption engine of the vault decrypts the message. The vault then…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.