text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jul 26, 1988
|Filing date
|Feb 25, 1986
|Priority date
|Dec 26, 1985
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Guy L. Fougere, Kevin D. Hunter, Ronald P. Sansone, Alfred C. Schmidt, Jr.
|Original Assignee
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (30), Referenced by (46), Classifications (19), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application is a continuation-in-part application of copending application Ser. No. 813,459, filed Dec. 26, 1985.
Subject matter similar to the subject matter contained in the instant application may be found in U.S. patent application entitled "POSTAGE AND MAILING INFORMATION APPLYING SYSTEM" by Ronald Sansone and et al, filed Aug. 6, 1985, having Ser. No. 762,994 and assigned to the assignee of the instant application.
Certain organizations dispatch large amounts of mail on a periodic basis. Examples of such organizations are: banking institutions, utility companies, insurance companies, credit companies, and the like. With such large quantities, these mail senders normally pre-package and pre-sort their mail and are given a lower postage rate by the postal service because of the time saved by the postal service. There are generally two ways whereby such mail senders apply postage to their The most common way is by use of a postage meter which is leased by the mail sender from a postage meter manufacturer with which the amount of postage required is applied to each mail piece. Inserter systems have been developed whereby inserts may be placed into an envelope, the envelope may be sealed, addressed and have a postage indicia applied thereto. The mail pieces may be weighed on the fly or individual weighing may not be required if all the mail pieces are of like kind, i.e., only a sample mail piece need be weighed. These acts of processing mail may be performed at a relatively high rate of speed.
A second method of mailing large quantities of mail pieces is the permit mail system. In such a system, the mail sender places a permit number on the mail pieces and prepares a manifest listing that shows the type and number of mail pieces being mailed on each occasion and the postage required.
With both such systems, inspection at the site of the mail sender is required. In the case of the postage meter, the lessor of the postage meter, i.e., the postage meter manufacturer, is required by law to inspect the postage meter at least twice a year to ensure that there is no evidence of tampering with the postage meter that will indicate an attempt to obtain unauthorized postage. In the case of permit mail, large quantities of the same type of mail will be mailed at one time and the postal service will conduct an inspection to verify that the manifest listing accompanying the permit mail accurately accounts for the amount of postage due for the mail that has been processed by the postal service. This is accomplished through an inspection on the part the postal service by examining the records of the mail sender on every occasion
Obviously, each of these two systems has certain drawbacks. In the case of on-site inspection of postage meters, with the large number of postage meters in use by large mail senders, it is an expensive matter for the inspection thereof. Furthermore, postage meters that process large quantities of mail must be replaced frequently because of wear. With regard to the permit mail system, the shortcoming lies in the need of the postal service to frequently send a representative to the various mail sender locations to ensure that the mail sender is accurately accounting for the quantity of mail being sent. Such a scheme is not totally reliable as it relies upon on-site verification using the mail senders records which are not secure.
Systems have been developed and are presently in commercial use for the transfer of funds from one meter being taken out of service to another meter being placed in service. This may occur when one meter is being removed from service and another meter is being installed in its place. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,745, the replacement may be to accommodate a change in models or replacement of an inoperative meter. Under existing commercial practice both meters are concurrently taken to the Post Office to effect: removal of one meter from service, installation of the new meter into service, and transfer of unused postage to the new meter.
The exchange of funds is currently accomplished as follows: A postal worker phones a data center, such as the Pitney Bowes Meter Resetting Data Center and (a) requests the meter replacement function, (b) provides the customer account number, (c) provides the serial number of the meter being removed and (d) provides the serial number of the meter being installed.
For the meter being removed under the current practice, the postal worker also provides to the data center (a) an access code generated by the meter, (b) the meter ascending register valve (as displayed on the meter display) and (c) the meter descending register value (as displayed by the meter). The worker receives from the data center and records a combination provided by the data center such as a four digit combination.
The postal worker, for the meter being installed, provides to the data center (a) an access code generated by the meter to be installed such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,501 (b) the ascending register value (as displayed by the meter display) and (c) the descending register value (as displayed by the meter). The worker then receives from the data center and records a reset combination such as a digit reset combination to recharge the meter.
The postal worker clears the descending register of the meter being removed from service by entering the received and recorded reset combination from the data center. The postal worker then resets the replacement meter by entering the amount of reset as issued by the data center including both the amount of the reset and the reset combination.
It should be noted that one meter suitable for being reset in accordance with the above procedure is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,507 which is suitable for use in a variable amount recharging system such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,923.
A system has been conceived whereby a mail sender will be able to send large quantities or batches of mail without the need of on-site inspections. This is accomplished by the mail sender having a secure accounting unit similar to a postage meter in which postage value is placed by a dispensing, or central, station. A statement accompanies each batch of mail which statement may include information relative to the mail and the amount of postage required to send the mail and the amount of postage value remaining with the mail sender. Communication between the central station and the mail sender allows postage value to be transferred to and from the user by the central station and mailing and verification data to be sent to the central station from the mail sender. The mailing and verification data will be the same as that contained on the mailing statements that accompany the batches of mail. This system provides a central station for a large number of mail senders whereby the postal service is relieved of its obligation of having on-site inspections and the central station acts as a clearing house for the postal service through whom verification of postage can be conveniently and inexpensively achieved. Data exchange between the central station and the mail sender can be accomplished by use of a portable device having a processor and a memory.
Another feature of the instant invention is that the amount of postage value remaining in the account of the mail sender is printed upon each statement accompanying mail batches. This provides a permanent record of the postage value held by the mailer. The record can also be communicated to a portable device having a processor and a memory.
Still another feature of the instant invention is the postage value purchased by the mail sender may be returned to the central station by a portable device having a processor and a memory and the mail sender will receive credit for the same.
A further feature of this invention is that the security features of a postage meter are provided while allowing a high speed, relatively inexpensive printer to be used for printing the mail pieces.
A further feature of the present invention is that postage value can be transferred from one meter to another at a user location by a portable device having a processor and a memory without, the need to remove the meter to a secure environment such as a Post Office facility.
Yet another feature of the present invention is the provision of a postage meter like device including enhanced security capability to enable the generation of unique authorization codes and/or encrypted combinations to be provided to a data center as evidence of the charging (such as zeroing) of the descending registers of the device to be removed from service.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a batch mailing system;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of an accounting statement that would accompany batch mail sent by the system of FIG. 1.;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of an envelope containing information that would be applied thereto by the system of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4-6 contain flow diagrams that describe the functions of the system shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of another batch mailing system.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a batch mailing system is shown generally at 10 and includes a post office 12, a data center or central station 14 and a user location 16. The central station 14 has a processor 18. This processor 18 could be a main frame type of computer having substantial capacity. Communication is provided between the post office 12 and a plurality of central stations 14 (only one being shown) through a line or communication link 19 having a communication device such as a telephone 20 therein. Associated with the processor 18 and in connection therewith is a large storage memory unit 22 where large amounts of data can be stored and a register setting device 23 which includes encryption software of the type required in the resetting of postage meters remotely. Systems for the resetting of meters remotely are well known, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,792,446, 4,097,923 and 4,447,890.
A remote user location 16 has a secure unit 25 that will hereinafter be referred to as a "server". The server 25 is supplied by the central station 14 to the user and includes a user processor 24 that may be a processor of much smaller capacity such as an Intel 8085 processor available from Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, Calif. Connected to the processor 24 is a memory 26. Preferably the memory 26 will be a non-volatile memory (NVM). The user processor 24 is connected to the central station processor 18 through a communication link or line 28. A telephone 30 or other communicating device may be disposed within the line 28 to thereby provide selective communication between the processors 18, 24. Also connected to the processor 24 are a RAM 32, a ROM 34, an encryptor 35 and a clock 36 whose respective functions will be described in detail hereinafter. An input/processor 38 is connected to the user processor 24 whereby data may be supplied, either manually or through a medium such as a disc or tape, to the user processor 24 for the purpose of providing data required in the processing of mail pieces.
The server 25 has many characteristics of a postage meter as well as differences that will be discussed hereinafter. Postage meters are mass produced devices for printing a defined unit value for governmental or private carrier delivery of parcels and envelopes. The term postage meter also includes other like devices which provide unit value printing such as tax stamp meters. Postage meters include internal accounting devices that account for postage value representation stored within the meter. The accounting device accounts for both the recharging of the meter with additional postage value and the printing of postage by the meter printing mechanism. No external independent accounting system is available for accounting for the postage printed by the meter. Accordingly, postage meters must possess a high reliability to avoid the loss of user or governmental funds stored within the meter and dispensed by printing postage.
A high speed inserter 39 is in electrical communication with the server 25 and performs the physical acts involved in processing the mail such as the inserting of inserts into envelopes, sealing the envelope flaps, orienting the mail pieces and conveying the mail pieces to a postage meter. The term "insert" includes bills, advertising materials, notices, etc., that are of a size to be received within an envelope or the like. High speed inserters of this type are readily available commercially, as for example Inserter model No. 3100 series from Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, Conn.
A first printer 40 is in communication with the user processor 24 of the server 25 and with the input/processor 38 and is able to print upon mail pieces 42 such as envelopes containing inserts that it receives from the inserter 39. This printer 40 is one provided by the user and will be an unsecured, high speed printer which may be controlled either through the processor 24 or input/processor 38. A second printer 44 is provided to print upon a statement sheet 46 or other document. This second printer 44 is preferably a secure printer that is provided by the central station 14. Obviously, the second printer 44 can be an unsecured printer but this occasions greater risk in terms of verifying payment of mail. Throughout the balance of the specification and claims this statement sheet 46 will be referred to as a "passport". Details of the passport 46 will be described hereinafter in conjunction with FIG. 2.
Although only one user location 16 is shown and described, it will be appreciated many user locations will be serviced by the one central station 14 as for example through multiplexing. The central station 14 may be the location of a postage meter manufacturer or other accountable organization.
In operation, the user at the user location 16 will be given a identification number by the central station 14 that will be placed in the NVM 26 of the server 25. This identification number will be permanent and unique for each server 25 and the user will have no access to that portion of the NVM 26 that stores the identification number. It will be appreciated that this feature may be applied to postage meters as well. Having the identification number in memory 26 eliminates the need of having a plate applied to a postage meter or a server 25. It will be appreciated that a server 25 has many characteristics of a postage meter, i.e., security, a descending register and the like, but certain elements are absent. The most evident absent element is a printer, the advantage of which is described throughout. Another absent member is an ascending register. In a postage meter an accessible register is ascessable only by a service representative of the meter manufacturer and may be used to determine if any meter tampering has taken place. Following installation of the identification number, the user will communicate with the central station 14 through the telephone 30 for the purpose of indicating to the central station 14 the amount of postage value it wishes to have accredited to its memory 26. An access code will be given to the user that is addressed to the setting device 23 through the touch dial of the telephone 30 upon the receipt of the access code, the user will transmit to the central station 14 the proper code and identification number. The setting device 23 will function to supply or increase the postage value in the memory 26. This memory 26 will include a descending register which is charged by the central location 14 with the selected amount of postage value. As the user station 16 processes mail, the postage value in the descending register will be decreased in accordance with the postage required to process the mail pieces. Devices for charging registers such as the descending registers are well known, as for example see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,792,446, 4,097,923 and 4,447,890.
The balance of the 25 includes the ROM 34 that contains information that formats address signals and stores a series of programs for controlling the functions of the server 25, a RAM 32 that will hold and supply real time data, a clock 36 that will provide the time and date and an encryptor 35 that will store the code required for the descending register setting functions. The encryptor 35 can be any one of a number of encrypting devices including devices which use the Data Encryption Standards described in FIPS P4B 46, dated Jan. 15, 1977 and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards.
It will be appreciated that the printer 40 is a high speed, unsecured printer such as a ink jet printer or laser printer which will apply the addresses of the addressee and addressor to the face of the mail pieces under command of the input/processor 38. In addition, other information can be printed by the printer 40 upon each mail piece 42 when under command of the processor 24. This information includes a transaction number (T.A. No.), the run of the particular batch of mail, the date and time of mailing, the class of mail and a batch number. The transaction number is that number assigned to the user location 16 by the central station 14 every time postage value is added to the server 25 and will be stored in the NVM 26. This transaction number will be the same for one or more batches of mail that are sent and will remain until such time as the descending register of the NVM 26 is recharged with postage value, at which time a new transaction number will be assigned and stored in the NVM 26 in place of the preceding transaction number. By changing the transaction number upon each recharge, an element is provided for verifying postage. The batch number is one assigned by the user through the input/processor 38 whereby a given batch of mail, i.e., mail of a particular type or character, will be identified by a number assigned by the user. In addition, a run number, which is a subset of the batch, may be given to identified particular segments of the batch.
When a batch of mail is to be sent, the user will supply mailing and verification information through the input/processor 38 into the user processor 24 which will transmit at least a portion of this information to the inserter 39. This information would include the number of mail pieces to be processed and number of inserts to be placed in each envelope. The time and date may be supplied to the printer 40 through the input/processor 38 by overriding the clocks 36. This is useful when future mail is being processed. The user processor 24 will then command the printer 40 to print the appropriate postage, time, date, transaction number and address on the mail pieces for a particular run. This run will be given a number that is associated with the particular mail to be sent, which number will be printed on the envelopes 42 of that run. As the printer prints the appropriate information upon each mail piece, the number of mail pieces and amount of postage required will be determined by the processor 24. At the end of the run or batch, the second printer 44 will print required information upon a passport 46.
As was stated previously, the data input to the server 25 may be accomplished manually or by tape or disc through the input/processor 38. Another way of inputting data to the server would be through the use of an optical scanner 48 capable of reading and decoding bar codes. Such scanners are well known, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,597 and are commercially available. The envelopes 42 may be windowed envelopes having inserts with pre-printed bar codes. These bar codes may be pre-printed by the printer 40 through direct communication with the input/processor 38 or any other printer as desired. The bar codes would contain information on the weight of each mail piece, the date the mail is to be processed and the zip code, all which information is known to the mail sender in advance. Upon scanning the bar codes, the scanner would input the bar code information to the processor 24 to occasion printing of the postage, date and zip code.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the passport 46 is shown after having printed thereon the total postage (Post. Total) required to mail the batch of mail, the transaction number, piece count for a batch, descending register amount (Reg. Am.) after subtraction for the postage, the date, the time, the class, the batch number and the run. Additionally, the name of the server number identification number stored in the NVM 26, user name and any desired graphics can be printed. This information on the passport 46 serves many purposes. Firstly, the register amount acts as a physical record of the postage value stored in the descending register of the NVM 26. This amount is printed on the passport 46 on the upper right hand. The register amount will be that amount in the descending register after all postal charges have been made for the batch of mail to be sent. By placing this register amount on the passport 46 after the mailing of each batch, an ongoing, permanent record is maintained of the amount of postage value contained within the NVM 26. In this way, if there is a disaster wherein the server 25 is destroyed or the memory 26 therein is inadvertently erased, the user will still have a means for verifying the amount of postage value remaining from that amount of postage value originally purchased and stored. It should be expressly recognized that the printing of the descending register value has applicability beyond the concept of printing the descending value on passport after a group of mail has been processed. Specifically, it is within the scope of the present invention that the server, as well as postage meters in general, can be conditioned to print the value of the descending register, and any other data of interest such as the date and time of the day, after each imprint is generated. Thus, the present concept of printing the descending register value and other information of significance can be incorporated in servers 25 or postage meters without the use of other aspects of the present invention. The transaction number provides an authorization check as does the identification or server number. By changing the transaction number with each recharge of the server, one can readily determine if more postage accompanies a transaction number than is authorized. Also printed on the passport 46 will be the date and time the passport 46 is printed, the piece count, i.e., the number of mail pieces mailed in the particular batch, and the class of mail. Upon the printing of the information on the passport 46, the postage amount for the batch will be subtracted from the descending register in the NVM 26.
The information printed upon the passport 46 is transmitted to the central station 14 through the communication line 28 automatically after each batch, is processed so that a record is maintained through the processor 18 that communicates with memory 22. The memory 22 has an ascending register therein that corresponds to the descending register in the server 25, i.e., one is the inverse of the other. As is known, an ascending register is one that accumulates charges over a long term. Optionally, the memory 22 may have a descending register that duplicates the amounts in the descending register in the NVM 26 on an ongoing basis. By having the postage value contained within the memory 22 that corresponds to the value of the server 25, a check is constantly made to ensure that there is a correspondence between the passport 46 information and the amount of postage paid by the user. More specifically, the total amount cedited to the user location 16 will be stored in memory 22 and if the amount in the ascending register exceeds that total amount the user location 16 will be notified that there are insufficient funds. When a batch of mail is sent to a post office, the passport 46 for that particular batch will accompany the mail. The postal employee can determine whether it is an authorized transmission of mail from the information contained upon the accompanying passport 46. If there is any question of the part of the postal service as to whether the information is authentic, it will contact the central station 14 and through the line 19 obtain the information from the central station 14 to verify the information contained on the passport 46. If this information is accurate, then the postal service will know that the mail is authorized, i.e., the postage for the mail has been paid. On the other hand, if there is any discrepancy, the postal service is able to act to ferret any fraud or correct any discrepancy. As is the usual practice in the use of postage meters, a user location 16 will send all its mail to an assigned post office.
Referring now to FIG. 3, an envelope 42 is shown as it would be prepared by the present system 10. In the upper left hand corner is the address of the mail sender and the upper right hand corner a statement that indicates the class of mail and gives the identification or server number of the mail sender. This information may be preprinted on the envelopes 42 prior to processing of a batch. Such preprinting may be accomplished through interaction of the input/processor of 38 in direct communication with the printer 44 without any participation of the other components of the user location 16.
In the processing of the batch mail the three address lines will first be printed with the name of the recipient, the street address then the city, state, zip code. The fourth line is then printed through information supplied by the processor 24 and this postage, line, includes the postage amount $0.22, the date, Oct. 18, 1985 and the transaction number which in this case is C2J2743T56. Other information may be given on this postage line is so desired including the time the mail is processed. Although the postage line is shown in alpha-numerics it will be appreciated that the same maybe printed in bar code and, optionally, bar code information may be printed on the envelope as desired.
Although an envelope 42 is shown that has the information printed on the face thereof the same scheme will apply to a windowed envelope. In a windowed envelope it may be preprinted as previously described but instead of the printer 40 printing on the face of the envelope 42 an insert would be printed with the information shown on the face of the envelope 42 and inserted so as to be viewed from the window.
In this way what is provided is a method of allowing an organization to send large amounts of mail without having to frank every piece. In addition, the postal service is saved the problem of requiring on-site inspections at the user location 16 in order to verify that no unauthorized mail is being sent. By correlating the amount of postage, the transaction number, piece count, registration amount and the like, verification can be made without the need of encryption. The central station 14 more or less acts as a bank representing the postal service and handles the funds on its behalf as well as maintains records for verification. The funds or postage value charged to the server 25 may be either pre-paid or charged to the user by the central station 14 on a credit arrangement. The central station 14 would be accountable to the postal service for the postage value placed in the server 25 on a immediate basis.
Another advantage of this system is that the printer 40 that prints the large numbers of mail pieces is not part of the security member, i.e., the server 25, as in the case of a postage meter. Because of this, the printer may be replaced frequently without the expense or inconvenience of entire replacement. It will be appreciated that one printer may be used in place of the two printers 40, 44 shown and described, but the preferred embodiment contemplates the use of two printers for the reasons given.
The present invention provides enhanced security that enables the transfer of funds from one meter to another meter at a user location 16. Heretofore all such transfers in postage meters, because of security requirements and postal regulations, have been effectuated under the supervision of a postal worker. Because of this, significant increased cost is added to the system in that both a meter to be taken out of service and a new meter to be put into service must be physically transported to the postal authorities facility. Under existing procedures, and practices, the postage meter and manufacturer sends a service representative to the user location 16 who physically collects the meter and takes it to the Post Office along with a new meter to be recharged. At the Post Office, the postal worker accesses the data center to decrement the old meter descending register and to increment the descending register of the new meter. Thereafter, the postage meter manufacture service representative transports the new meter to the customer and the old meter to the manufacturer. This inconveniences the user by the removal of the meter from the user's facility, increases the cost by the necessity to transport the meter to the postal service and increases the cost by requiring the participation of the postage meter manufacture service representative (who transports the two meters) as well as the postal worker.
The server 25 or meter constructed in accordance with the present invention provides enhanced security that avoids the above noted shortcomings and enables the transfer of funds at a user location 16. The system provides a level of security previously not available such that the central station 14, which may be a postage meter manufacture service representative, alone may effectuate the transfer. Moreover, if adequate directions are provided, the transfer of funds may be effectuated by the user alone, without the assistance of the central station 14. The new server 25 or meter can be delivered to the user by a parcel delivery service and the old server 25 can be returned by a parcel delivery service to the central station 14 or postal authorities.
The server 25 or meter has a unique routine which generates a unique and/or encrypted combination which is provided to the data center to verify and thereby provide proof that the descending register of the meter to be taken out of service has been appropriately changed, such as, to zero. This routine ensures that the combination provided by the central station 14 to decrement the descending register was indeed entered into the meter. It should be recognized that the meter descending register can be changed to any value, not only to zero. Thus, altered postage value can be added to or taken out of the registers of the meter.
The procedure for removing the old meter from service and transferring the funds is as follows: the user contacts the central station 14 and requests the meter replacement function. This is the function at the central station 14 associated with transferring funds from one server 25 or meter to another. The user provides sufficient identification as to the server 25 or meter. This can include the user identification number, the server 25 or meter serial number being removed from service as well as the serial number of the device being newly installed. For the server 25 or meter being removed from service, the user provides data including an access code to demonstrate that the user in fact has physical access to the server or meter whose descending register is to be decremented. In response to this information, the central station 14 provides a unique combination which, when entered into the server 25 or meter will decrement the descending register to zero, or to any other value selected. It should be noted that embedded in this combination can be data relating to the time, date or other relevant factors such as zip code, location of the user and the like.
The combination, upon being entered into the meter, decrements the meters descending register as previously noted and, additionally, provides data which is used as the input in conjunction with the decrementing of the descending register postage value to a unique routine associated with the server 25 or meter. If, for example, a descending register value of zero funds is represented by the number 10, the number 10 in conjunction with the entered combination can be passed through a function as for example, the function disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,923 and additionally passed through an encryption module 25 such a data encryption standard (DES) type of module to generate an encrypted unique number Additionally provided as input data to the unique routine is the date and time thus, the encrypted new unique combination generated by the server 25 or meter includes data indicating: (i) that the register has been decremented, (ii) the time of day and date of the decrementing of the register and, again, if desired, (iii) the exact combination entered to decrement the descending register. It is expressly recognized that various alternative combinations of data can be included to provide the input data to the routine depending upon the needs and desires of the particular postal service.
The unique combination which may also be encrypted, when generated is displayable upon the display of the input/processor 38 and/or other associated display. This information is communicated back to the central station 14. If the server 25 or meter is equipped with communication facilities, the communications transaction can be automatically effectuated without the need for human intervention.
The central station 14 processes the received combination to decrypt and thereafter restore the data to ensure (i) the register of the server 25 or meter to be taken out of service has been decremented as required and, if a clock function is provided, that the decrementing of the register occurs within a prescribed period of the issuance of the decrementing combination. Again, additional, functions and checks can be provided depending upon the needs and desires of the particular postal service involved. Upon such verification, the central station 14 generates and provides to the user the new reset combination for the transfer of postage value. The user thereafter enters the new reset combination into the new server 25 or meter in accordance with the previously described functions. If it is desired, for security or other reasons, again, the transaction number can be generated and displayed to verify that the new server 25 or meter has in fact been reset with postage funds. Simultaneously, the central station 14 can generate the necessary reporting to the postal service indicating the fact that the funds transfer has been effectuated so that the postal service can expect the return of the server 25 or meter being taken out of service.
Reference is now made to FIG. 7 wherein a system is described in which data may be inputted into the server 25 without communicating with the central station 14. In this system, the server 25 includes an input port 49 adapted to provide communication with a removable data device 50. The removable data device 50 can be in the format of a "smart credit card" type structure or a larger enclosed type structure such as a cartridge or vault, and the like, which for purposes of this description and accompanying claims will be referred to collectively as a "card". The card 50 provides physical support for and protection of a microcomputer 52 which is connected by a private bus 54 to a plurality of internal components. The microcomputer 52 is connected via the bus 54 to a read only memory (ROM) 56 which contains the operating program for the microcomputer 52. The program resident in the ROM 56 not only controls the operation of the microcomputer 52 but also provides operating instructions by which the microcomputer 52 communicates with the server 25.
The microcomputer 52 is also connected via the bus 54 to a random access memory (RAM) 58, or other operating memory, to provide dynamic data storage during operation. A nonvolatile memory (NVM) 60 such as an electrically erasable program read only memory (EEPROM) provides nonvolatile storage for critical accounting data. Critical accounting data often includes the descending register value, the ascending register value, the piece count value and the like. Any accounting or other data desired to be retained during power failure, such as during servicing, can also be filed in the nonvolatile memory 60. The nonvolatile memory 60 also may contain the server 25 number, as well as various configuration data so that the server 25 is operable in various countries which have different requirements and in various systems which have different configurations. The microcomputer 25 is connected via the bus 54 to a setting device 62.
In contrast to the private bus 54, which is not accessible by any user or equipment external to the card 50, a public bus 64 is provided to connect the server 25 to the card 50. It should be recognized that other devices peripheral to the server 25 can be connected to the public bus 64 such as additional printers, displays, communications devices and the like. The public bus 64 is a general purpose bus to allow communications between the server 25 and the components within the card 50 and between the card 50 and the central station 14.
It should be recognized that the server 25 is powered by an external source of power, not shown, and during normal operation provides the power to energize the microcomputer 52 as well as the various components of the card 50 including the ROM 56, RAM 58, NVM 60, and setting device 62 which may be connected via the bus 64 to the microcomputer. Power sensing circuitry, not shown, as for example, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,050 for ELECTRONIC POSTAGE METER OPERATING VOLTAGE VARIATION SENSING SYSTEM, can sense the presence of falling power and cause the microcomputer 52 to invoke a power down subroutine stored in the ROM 56 to complete operations in progress and store accounting data into the NVM 60.
In essence, the card 50 would replace the central station 14 to perform the same functions on a temporary basis. Postage value may be supplied to the NVM 60 of the card through communication with the post office 12. This communication may be through the server 25 via the public bus 64 and the telephone 20. Under command of the microprocessor 52, information may be provided by the user through the input/processor 38 of the server 25. With the public bus 64 inserted into the port 49, all functions to the server 25 would be disabled under command of the input/processor 38 during resetting of the postage value in the NVM 60. The amount of postage value to be credited to the NVM 60 of the card 50 would be accomplished in the remote resetting scheme to which previous reference was made. With such refreshing of the NVM 60, postage value may be transferred to individual servers 25 as required. This is accomplished by providing communication between the server 25 and the microcomputer 52 through commands of the input/processor 38. This information would include the server number, the amount to be credited to the NVM 26 and the server 25, the time as given by the clock 36, and the like. Upon transfer of funds, a selected amount of postage value residing in the NVM 26 of the server 25 is transferred from the NVM 60 of the card 50 so that the ascending and descending registers to the NVM 60 may be refreshed. Obviously, a number of servers 25 may have postage value credited thereto by a card 50. This provides the advantage that the user may have postage value credited but once by communicating with the central station 14 and subsequently upgrade the postage value in a number of servers 25.
Conversely, after a batch of mail has been processed by the user, the information printed on the passport may be communicated to the card 50. In this way the information for a given batch of mail or a number of mail batch may be transmitted to the central station 14 or post office 12 to prove authorization of the mail batches being processed. Thus, by retrieving information from the server 25 by use of the card 50, a fact determination of authorization may be made.
The process has been described in connection with the printing of the mail information on a passport 46, but it will be appreciated this information may be contained in a card accompanying a batch or batches of mail to the post office thereby eliminating the need of the passport 46 that would normally accompany a batch of mail.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Dec 9, 1901
|Oct 14, 1902
|Thomas K Johnstone
|Postage-stamp device.
|May 4, 1971
|Nov 7, 1972
|Information card
|Nov 4, 1971
|Sep 3, 1974
|Pitney Bowes Inc
|Computer responsive supplemental printer
|Jan 16, 1974
|Mar 11, 1975
|Pitney Bowes Inc
|Ink jet postage printing apparatus
|Sep 13, 1973
|Jun 17, 1975
|Command Automation Inc
|Arrangement for protecting and authenticating a document
|Oct 7, 1974
|Nov 9, 1976
|Gretag Aktiengesellschaft
|Method and apparatus for preparing and assessing payment documents
|Apr 16, 1975
|Jun 27, 1978
|Pitney-Bowes, Inc.
|Remote postage meter charging system using an advanced microcomputerized postage meter
|Jan 31, 1977
|Oct 24, 1978
|Pitney-Bowes, Inc.
|System for updating postal rate information utilized by remote mail processing apparatus
|Apr 6, 1977
|Sep 18, 1979
|Pitney-Bowes, Inc.
|Microcomputerized miniature postage meter
|May 15, 1979
|Aug 19, 1980
|Simjian Luther G
|Coupon controlled metering device
|Oct 19, 1978
|Sep 16, 1980
|Simjian Luther G
|Metering system
|Dec 19, 1978
|Oct 7, 1980
|Simjian Luther G
|Metering system
|Feb 27, 1979
|Feb 3, 1981
|Simjian Luther G
|Metering system
|Jul 19, 1979
|Mar 24, 1981
|Simjian Luther G
|Check controlled metering device
|Feb 13, 1980
|May 19, 1981
|Simjian Luther G
|Check controlled metering device
|Apr 26, 1978
|Jun 2, 1981
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Micro computerized electronic postage meter system
|Oct 30, 1979
|Aug 18, 1981
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Electronic postage meter operating voltage variation sensing system
|Apr 21, 1980
|Feb 23, 1982
|Simjian Luther G
|Subscriber check accepting and issuing apparatus
|Feb 27, 1980
|Mar 9, 1982
|Sabre Products, Inc.
|Postage cost recording system
|May 6, 1981
|Dec 20, 1983
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Electronic postage meter having plural computing systems
|Sep 2, 1982
|Mar 13, 1984
|Simjian Luther G
|Check controlled metering device
|Feb 5, 1982
|Jul 3, 1984
|Siemens Corporation
|Method and apparatus providing registered mail features in an electronic communication system
|Jan 16, 1981
|Sep 11, 1984
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Electronic postal meter system
|Apr 4, 1983
|Apr 16, 1985
|Sylvester Racanelli
|Mail metering process and machine
|Dec 28, 1979
|Dec 16, 1986
|Pitney Bowes, Inc.
|Electronic postage meter system settable by means of a remotely generated input device
|Dec 24, 1984
|Dec 30, 1986
|Richard Macco
|Union member accounts management system
|Jan 13, 1986
|Jan 27, 1987
|Bell & Howell Company
|Insertion machine with postage categorization and selective merchandising
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Aug 6, 1985
|May 16, 1989
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Unsecured postage applying system
|Jun 4, 1987
|Jul 25, 1989
|Snekkenes Torbjorn A
|Growth chamber with solar energy absorber
|Apr 15, 1988
|Aug 1, 1989
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Mailing system with postage value printing capability
|Dec 10, 1986
|Mar 6, 1990
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Batch mailing system
|Jul 16, 1987
|Mar 6, 1990
|Pitney Bowes
|System for indicating the balance of stored value
|Aug 7, 1987
|Mar 13, 1990
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Inserter based mail manifesting system
|Mar 29, 1988
|Jun 5, 1990
|Societe Anonyme Dite : Smh Alcatel
|Franking machine providing a periodic historical trail
|Dec 30, 1988
|Apr 30, 1991
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|EPM having an improvement in non-volatile storage of accounting data
|Oct 3, 1989
|Sep 17, 1991
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Mail processing and accounting system with communication among processing units and data reformatting
|Oct 3, 1989
|Oct 15, 1991
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Mail system with personalized training for users
|Oct 15, 1990
|Oct 19, 1993
|F.M.E. Corporation
|Custom rate pack for postage systems
|Dec 13, 1988
|Oct 26, 1993
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Apparatus and method for the processing of mail
|Nov 22, 1993
|Jun 21, 1994
|Neopost Limited
|Franking machine system
|Oct 9, 1990
|Jul 12, 1994
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Method and apparatus for preparing validated mail tray labels
|Jan 21, 1994
|Jun 6, 1995
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Processor and read/write head incorporated in disk for communicating data to host directly from processor read/write head to read/write head of host disk drive
|Oct 12, 1993
|Aug 1, 1995
|Xerox Corporation
|Mail preparation copier with mailing address identification
|Jul 26, 1994
|Mar 5, 1996
|Delfer, Iii; Frank W.
|Automated remittance system
|Jun 17, 1996
|Jun 16, 1998
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Controlled acceptance mail system securely enabling reuse of digital token initially generated for a mailpiece on a subsequently prepared different mailpiece to authenticate payment of postage
|Nov 22, 1995
|Jul 7, 1998
|F.M.E. Corporation
|Method and apparatus for authentication of postage accounting reports
|Nov 22, 1995
|Oct 13, 1998
|F.M.E. Corporation
|Method and apparatus for a modular postage accounting system
|Aug 23, 1996
|Dec 1, 1998
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Apparatus and method for electronic debiting of funds from a postage meter
|Nov 22, 1995
|Jun 29, 1999
|F.M.E. Corporation
|Method and apparatus for redundant postage accounting data files
|Apr 16, 1998
|May 8, 2001
|Neopost Inc.
|Method and apparatus for authentication of postage accounting reports
|Feb 13, 1998
|May 15, 2001
|Saranac Software, Inc.
|Methods and apparatus for internet based financial transactions with evidence of payment
|Jan 22, 1998
|May 29, 2001
|Neopost Inc.
|Method and apparatus for a modular postage accounting system
|Jan 5, 1999
|Mar 12, 2002
|Neopost Inc.
|Method and apparatus for redundant postage accounting data files
|Oct 21, 1997
|Jul 1, 2003
|Francotyp-Postalia Ag & Co.
|Method for improving the security of postage meter machines in the transfer of credit
|Apr 13, 2000
|Feb 24, 2004
|United Parcel Service Of America, Inc.
|Method and system for hybrid mail with distributed processing
|Jan 23, 2001
|Aug 30, 2005
|Neopost Inc.
|Method and apparatus for a modular postage accounting system
|Nov 9, 2000
|Jul 18, 2006
|Nec Corporation
|Electronic revenue stamp issuing apparatus and method thereof and recording medium stored control program thereof
|Dec 19, 2002
|Jan 9, 2007
|Pitney Bowes Inc.
|Method and system for estimating weights of mailpieces
|Dec 17, 2001
|Sep 4, 2007
|United States Postal Service
|Electronic postmarking without directly utilizing an electronic postmark server
|Jul 29, 2003
|Jan 31, 2012
|United States Postal Services
|PC postage™ service indicia design for shipping label
|Dec 22, 2011
|Dec 3, 2013
|United States Postal Service
|PC postage™ service indicia design for shipping label
|Sep 16, 2015
|Jan 24, 2017
|Konica Minolta, Inc.
|Printing system and image forming apparatus
|Mar 25, 2002
|Dec 5, 2002
|Carlin Paul N.
|Method and system for electronic commingling of hybrid mail
|Dec 17, 2001
|Feb 19, 2004
|Chamberlain Charles R.
|Electronic postmarking without directly ultilizing an electronic postmark server
|Nov 14, 2002
|May 20, 2004
|Pitney Bowes Incorporated
|Postal accounting and payment exchange
|Dec 19, 2002
|Jun 24, 2004
|Pitney Bowes Incorporated,
|Method and system for estimating weights of mailpieces
|Jul 29, 2003
|Jun 24, 2004
|Vantresa Stickler
|Systems and methods for mid-stream postage adjustment
|Dec 18, 2001
|May 12, 2005
|Jon Cook
|Method of using personal signature as postage
|Jul 29, 2003
|Aug 25, 2005
|Vantresa Stickler
|Systems and methods for mid-stream postage adjustment
|Dec 30, 2005
|Aug 3, 2006
|Kara Salim G
|System and method for printing multiple postage indicia
|Jul 18, 2007
|Jan 24, 2008
|Stamps.Com Inc
|System and method for printing multiple postage indicia
|Mar 17, 2009
|Jul 16, 2009
|United States Postal Service
|Systems and methods for mid-stream postage adjustment
|Sep 16, 2015
|Mar 24, 2016
|Konica Minolta, Inc.
|Printing system and image forming apparatus
|U.S. Classification
|705/406, 235/380, 235/375
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jun 2, 1986
Owner name: PITNEY BOWES INC., WALTER H. WHEELER, JR. DRIVE, S
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:FOUGERE, GUY L.;HUNTER, KEVIN D.;SANSONE, RONALD P.;ANDOTHERS;REEL/FRAME:004559/0712;SIGNING DATES FROM 19860516 TO 19860523
Owner name: PITNEY BOWES INC.,CONNECTICUT
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:FOUGERE, GUY L.;HUNTER, KEVIN D.;SANSONE, RONALD P.;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 19860516 TO 19860523;REEL/FRAME:004559/0712
|Jan 9, 1992
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Jan 26, 1996
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Jan 19, 2000
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


text:
About This Game
- Summary
- Specifications
- Features
- Game Editions
Hamsterz Life 2 features more than 90 different hamsters for hours of fun with your Petz! Each hamster will get attached to you slowly, as you take care of it and play with it. Create and customize your hamsters' cages, play lots of mini-games and let them meet their fellow friends. Thanks to the Nintendo wireless system, you will be able to see your friends' pets and even trade your own hamsters!
- Supported Functions
- Multi-cartridge Multiplayer
- Select your favourite hamsters from 90 different types. Each has its own cute look and unique personality.
- Learn how to feed them. Hamsters love to eat a variety of food, such as vegetables, snacks and water! To keep your adorable pets happy, give them food twice a day and water four times a day. Don't forget to put away the container after a meal!
- Care for your lovely hamsters. Your new friends really need lots of love! You need to take care of their health and well-being, as well as the environment they live in.
- Don't forget that your little friends happiness depends on you. The more time you spend together, the more surprises await you!
- Create a new hamster baby. Your hamster can have babies when it gets to 21 days old. Find a partner for your pet and if they get along well, they will produce babies.
- Compare your hamsters with your friends.
Petz: Hamsterz Life 2Publisher: UbisoftRelease Date: November 13, 2007MSRP: 19.99 USD
Help us solve the toughest (or most puzzling) game puzzles and challenges.
Our attempt to answer issues which most commonly occur on IGN's wikis.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tranquila was a stray kitten until recently, relying on the kindness of one family for food. She allowed one of the members of that family to brush her fur and pick her up. When she was taken by the rescue, she was enjoying a belly rub and purring loudly and easily went into the carrier. Tranquila has recovered from spay surgery and is looking forward to a new home. Please e-mail email@example.com with questions.
Thank You!
Your message has been sent to CAROLYN'S CRITTERS.
You'll receive a copy, too, at to help you keep track of which pets you've inquired about, and which shelters and rescues you've emailed.
NOTE: Some shelters have physical locations you can visit; some of these shelters may only have pets for a limited time, so please do not wait for a reply—just go visit the shelter! Other organizations are rescue groups run by busy volunteers who may take a while to reply. You can find information about the shelter or rescue group caring for this pet, and their adoption procedures, on the pet's details page on Adopt-a-Pet.com.


text:
Each month, Rated People connects over 50,000 homeowners with quality tradesmen - simply enter your job details in the form above to get started.
We'll match your job to the relevant tradesmen in your area - those interested will pay to see your contact details and call you to quote.
As each tradesman expresses interest in quoting on your job, we'll send you their profile and ratings to help you choose the right one for you.
After the work is complete, return to the site and rate your tradesman based on their quality of work, reliability and value for money.
Added 10/08/2015
Rewire Wire new build property Additional information: New office reception area fir Noarding...
Searching for tradespeople
Added 13/01/2015
In high winds there is a loud noise which I think is coming from loose guttering.
Managing your job is easier with the Rated People Homes App, download it today.


text:
The Breville High Gloss Collection in a super high gloss finish with rounded stainless steel edges.
Get heavenly healthy meals with our low-oil fryer - just 1/2 spoon of oil.
One touch blending for perfectly portable smoothies.
Your favourite toasties with room for even more filling.
Enjoy a sandwich in no time
Your coffee, the way you like it.
when you register your product


text:
For rent by GreenPeace Realtors VERIFIED19 Jan 9:30 pmEti Osa East, Lagos
Brand New and nicely finished 5 bedroom Terrace Town House sitting on 2 floors in Lekki Gardens Estate Ajah lekki,
Brand New House, come fitted with Air Conditions in all rooms and livings room, Cooker in Kitchen, well cabineted,
nice spacious kitchen with store room,
spacious living room and dinning area with a guest toilet,
very spacious master bedroom with a Bathtub and Closet,
Shower cubicle in other rooms,
compound can take up to 3 cars parking space,
Estate comes with a Swimming Pool, Lawn Tennis, Basket Ball, high ceiling for good ventilation and an open sitout balcony,
serene peaceful estate with decent occupants,
Good water, 18hrs Power Electrical, Good access road,
24hrs security where you call whom to see b4 you are let into estate, not just anyone is allowed into estate, etc.
Stay safe!
Watch out for:


text:
Let's all take a big step forward together and admit it, we're tired of hearing about "The Cloud." Almost everywhere you look there is an article, interview, product release, or discussion on the topic. Actually there is little else being discussed. It seems to be a mandatory business for technology companies to be in, and for startups to focus on. The selling point is usually centered around the astonishing, amazing, incredible and never-before-seen benefits compared with any other option. I agree with a lot of it; there are many benefits with the cloud when applied appropriately to a business need. However, it's not the silver bullet to every situation!
Before making any decisions, it's important to take a step back from the hype and ensure the basics are covered. Let's start at the beginning, because the fundamentals of running a successful IT service and project haven't changed. The solution needs to deliver the expected business results on time, and within budget. Right? Gathering requirements, properly scoping the work, and ensuring a good architecture will determine the type of technology solution needed. After establishing the appropriate design and performing the required due-diligence, you will then determine which vendor's solution best matches. This is how we should make the decision -- not based on hype or theory. Sticking with the facts and conducting an RFP will always serve you well in any IT project.
This might sound like I'm against the use of cloud solutions, but quite the opposite. I fully support the cloud, and agree with (most) of the claimed benefits. I also like the simplicity of leveraging external compute power, and the speed at which solutions can be delivered. The security risk is manageable with proper due-diligence into the vendor and technology (which applies to everything in IT). So far, so good. So where doesn't a cloud solution fit? When you need to deliver a critical SLA, or you need control (or the perception of control).
Think about it. Your data center could be running at five nines of availability, as could your cloud service provider. But the Internet has no SLA. So you might be without access to your cloud application at any time, without any warning or estimate on service restoration. It could be seconds, hours, or even days! Most likely this is far below what you consider acceptable, and worst case, could even bring harm to your business. In addition, cloud providers do an astonishing job at delivering their service, but it's not perfect. In recent examples, major cloud services have experienced fairly significant outages. Of course the outage will always come at the worse time possible; count on it!.
This brings us to the topic of control. Control in the context of cloud computing has many meanings from security and regulatory, to design and operational support - all valid criteria to help determine which solution works best. For this post, what I mean with control is related to affecting an SLA, or an IT department's ability to directly affect the outcome of an outage. There is little you can do when a cloud service is down, except scream and yell (go ahead if it helps you feel better). On the other hand, if the application was running in your data center (and is on appropriately scaled infrastructure), you would have LAN, and depending on the redundancy, WAN access. With a cloud service, you can only sit there and wait. If your business has a need for this service to always be available, with little or no tolerance for an outage, then the cloud might not be a good choice.
In the end, no one should care how IT has chosen to deliver the service as long as it meets the business needs. The use of any cloud model, or internally hosted solution, should remain irrelevant to the business. CIOs therefore, shouldn't feel obligated to rush to the cloud because it's a popular topic. The key is to make good business decisions, and use them to help select the most appropriate technology.
This article is published as part of the IDG Contributor Network. Want to Join?


text:
Easy Garlic Shrimp
Recipe by Nikki C.
Easy enough to whip up on a week night. I serve with broccoli on the side. Makes enough sauce to even use with the broccoli. Makes a wonderful, quick, easy meal that looks like it took a long time to make. Could also be used as an appetizer. (I use Tony Chachers Original Seasoning for the Creole seasoning.)
Top Review by Lvs2Cook
We really enjoyed this recipe. It was super easy and fast to make ! it took longer to make the rice to go with it than to cook the shrimp. I used Zatarain's creole seasoning and I loved the little kick it gives. I'll be making this again! Thanks for posting!
See Discussion:1 Review
Ingredients Nutrition
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
- 2 teaspoons garlic (fresh minced or use refrigerated)
- 1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- to taste- creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachers Original seasoning)
Directions See How It's Made
- Heat Oil and butter in large skillet.
- Add garlic and then shrimp.
- Add Creole Seasoning such as Tony Chachers Seasoning -to taste.
- Cook until shrimp turn pink. Probably only 3 or 4 mins depending on the size of the shrimp.
- Enjoy!


text:
The Deal
- $134.99 for a Vizio 8" tablet with WiFi (VTAB1008) (manufacturer refurbished) ($249.99 list price)
Vizio 8" Tablet
Vizio Tablet opens an 8" LED-backlit LCD touchscreen portal into the Google Play Store, where users can procure thousands of apps, movies, games, and more as fast as their fingertips can move. The device comes preloaded with the Android 2.3 OS, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth capability, and the ability to connect to TVs for large-screen movie viewings. A front-facing camera makes the tablet ideal for video chats so users to stay connected with friends near and in the International Space Station.
- 8-inch, high-resolution 1024x768 touchscreen
- 1GHz CPU with special VIA Plus interface built on the Android platform
- 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth capability
- RAM: 512MB with 4GB internal storage; add additional storage with MicroSD slot
- HD video with HDMI output to play music and video on TVs
- Front-facing camera for video chats and mugshot practice
- Strategically placed speakers deliver stereo audio in both landscape and portrait modes
- Use tablet as a universal remote with a built-in IR blaster
- Up to 10 hours of normal use on one battery charge
- Tablet dimensions: 8.1"x6.6"x0.48"
- Tablet weight: 1.2lbs
- 90-day warranty from Vizio
- Condition: Manufacturer refurbished
- Click here for full technical specifications.
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How to get your goods: by purchasing this Groupon and providing your name and shipping address, your order is complete!
For questions pertaining to this deal, please visit the deal Q&A on this page. For post-purchase inquiries, please contact Groupon customer service.
View the Groupon Goods FAQ for additional information, including how list price is determined.
Like Groupon Goods on Facebook for hand-picked deals, product giveaways, and more Goods stuff.


text: For most people this time of year is a time for self-reflection; what went well in 2010 and what not? What should go better in 2011? We've asked ourselves the same questions. What went well? Traffic! The amount of absolute visitors grew 375% What went not so well? Two things: finding more columnists and finding more funding. Especially the first one should improve next year, so for anyone with a catchy (very important), English pen, send us your columns – it can be about anything as long as it has to do with advertising. In return we'll offer you a ton of exposure around the globe! The second point of improvement, finding more funding, has to do with the fact that we hate doing sales – which is pretty ironic when you work in advertising. So, while we're at it, if you have any banners or jobs you want to share on our site, let us know – we'll give you a special price! The good news is that Amsterdam Ad Blog will get a redesign real soon. We were actually hoping to implement it before 2011, but some persistent bugs and a web developer that felt the need to go to Egypt (of all places), postponed things a little. Another introduction in 2011 will be the 'Ad of the month' and – at the end of the year – the 'A Award' – the latter will per definition become the most prestigious award in Amsterdam advertising. Finally, thanks for all your views, comments, and e-mails. Without you, we're nothing. We wish you an ambitious, creative and productive 2011 and hope to see you back next year!


text:
Jerkbait w "scale" and tail
By Dziadzia
- 561 views
- Find their other images
This jerkbait is done for the aim to chase pikes in cold water. The length of body is 18 cm, with tail - around 32 cm. The coolest feature of this jerkbait is "scales". Visually, than is being looked at this jerkbait, is felt 3D effect. The rest is UV paint, aluminium fins and ... and the last one in the chain of evaluation should be a pike
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text:
Wedding packages start at $2000 and can be tailored to include videography, prints, and anything else you may need.
engagement and portrait sessions start at $250
contact for any other inquiries and pricing!
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text: This is a Disambiguation page for Green Lantern. The Comics Alan Scott Hal Jordan Guy Gardner John Stewart Kyle Rayner Simon Baz Sinestro Green Lantern Corps In Other Media Hal Jordan Hal Jordan Hal Jordan Hal Jordan John Stewart Kyle Rayner Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern Guy Gardner Hal Jordan Media Green Lantern (2011) Retrieved from "http://greenlantern.wikia.com/wiki/Green_Lantern_(Disambiguation)?oldid=45843" Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you've made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. Categories: Disambiguation


text:
Ordinary concrete driveways casting has been for decades one of the least expensive ways to place a hard surface like a driveway, but you cannot deny the fact that it looks cheap. There are a number of products around that can improve appearance, but first we will see the benefits of plain concrete.
The cost has been mentioned already, and although the pouring and placement of the wet material may be a dirty job, it is probably faster than putting blocks or bricks on the same area unless your home has a very short driveway. The groundworks are certainly not worse than a block work. If you have a good soil, you can get away with digging half the depth of the excavation and not have to put a sub-base either. You may need to lay edges, permanent and decorative, or temporary, only while the concrete is lying, but again it's probably less work to put a proper edge course for a unit block or a flag.
Once it has been laid, there is very little you can do to decorate the concrete, apart from making grooves with a brush. Although this is something you should do anyway, to help drain and give a safe footing in wet conditions, rather than for looks. On the other hand, techniques have come into the market over the last 20 years that can significantly improve the appearance of concrete.
Pattern imprinted concrete (PIC), sometimes called stamped or textured concrete has a pattern printed on it after being laid but before it has dried. Color dyes can be added before printing, so there is really no limit to the look you might have. Then printing occurs, which is really like potato stamps, but on a larger scale.
Molds are large alloy or plastic mats with a raised pattern on them in reverse. Here they are placed on the concrete and groomed to print the pattern.
There are two basic types of pattern. The first is more of a texture, like slate or stone instead of a pattern, and it is easier to establish because there is less precision involved. The other includes more regular patterns where you should take great care to align each carpet with its neighbor. There are a multitude of models available in this second category, the most popular is a herringbone pattern in brick or stone patterns, but cobbles do well too.


text:
Kids and teenagers in Baton Rouge can eat for free this summer at schools, churches, parks and other sites across the city-parish as part of a government program Baton Rouge has put on for decades.
Kids ate more than 356,000 free meals as part of the program last summer, and Mayor-President Kip Holden and other program sponsors said Tuesday that they hope to exceed that number this year.
Any child under 18 can receive the free meals regardless of household income, and local officials said they struggled to make people aware that their children can eat for free.
The lack of awareness has led to some children going hungry during the summers because their families cannot afford to feed them three meals a day.
Holden said they also have seen the opposite problem — some studies show that children are prone to gain more weight during the summer as they snack on more fattening foods.
Most of the 60 sites providing free meals across Baton Rouge, Baker and Central will serve breakfast and lunch, but people should check with the sites to know for sure, Holden said. The food provided will be nutritious, according to Holden.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides the food, and local workers from the school systems, Big Buddy and other organizations serve it.
The USDA summer food service program also is available in many cities nationwide. The USDA website reports that it plans to serve more than 200 million free meals this summer.
"There's no reason for any child in this parish to go hungry," Holden said.
For the first time this year, the meals also will be available at Our Lady of the Lake's pediatrics clinic on Goodwood Boulevard.
Our Lady of the Lake's Chief Medical Officer Shaun Kemmerly said children and their siblings will be able to eat at the clinic when they go for appointments.
The free meals at the clinic will be available starting May 26.
While the other meal sites at schools and churches are encouraging people near and far to show up, Kemmerly said the clinic's program is just geared toward its patients for this year.
Holden reported that the number of meals being served increased last summer by nearly 27 percent, or 75,000 more meals.
People can check the closest sites to receive free meals at the Healthy BR website, healthybr.com, under Summer Food Service Program.
Big Buddy Program Executive Director Gaylynne Mack also said that any church groups or other organizations hoping to provide free meals this summer should contact her at (225) 388-9737.


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I have been a customer of KSC Crystals on and off for several years and I have always found Keith to be very, very helpful. This purchase was no exception. I'm so fascinated by crsytals and their healing properties and wanted to create a grid for a specific reason. Keith rang me to discuss my needs before choosing some wonderful crystals on my behalf. His customer service is second to none.
I was nervous because I'd never ordered from this company before. My concerns were totally unfounded. My purchase arrived in a very timely manner & was exactly the same piece I looked at. I could not possibly have asked for better. Thank you very much. I look forward to ordering from you again.
As always, the crystals received were stunning I LOVE Dragon's Blood and highly recommend it. KSC is also GREAT at sending some as a gift Who wouldn't love receiving crystals in the mail And again, as always....a lovey crystal as a gift Thank you KSC....I recommend you often to friends and clients
Blue Goldstone Pendulum
Weighs 18.1 grams
Measures 35mm
Blue Goldstone
Goldstone is a man-made stone, it is a type of glass with glittery metallic material in it. It is a valid classification, as it has many properties of natural glasses, such as obsidian, which are modified by its being man-made and having been doped with additives. Originally created when alchemists were working towards creating gold. Gently uplifting, mildly helpful to reduce stomach tension and protect the centre of the body.


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A visit to the Kadugannawa tea factory in Kandy
Experience Overview
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Well-developed and centrally located as a landing point between Colombo and the tea cultivating hinterland of the island, Kandy became synonymous with tea production in Sri Lanka during the height of the British rule. The second biggest city on the island, Kandy was an obvious choice for an administrative capital for the tea region, with the British-built railway network further facilitating this. Towards the end of the 19th Century, the city of Kandy was so popular with tea planters and their visiting families that two grand hotels were built here – the Hotel Suisse and the Queen's Hotel. Tea production brought tourism into Kandy and it has continued to do so for the past two centuries. It is therefore impossible to visit Kandy without giving some recognition to the tea industry and its effect on the global market, on the little island of Sri Lanka and especially on the bustling city of Kandy. Take some time to visit the Kadugannawa tea factory just a short drive from Kandy to learn about tea cultivation, production and distribution.
EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION: The Kadugannawa tea factory is not the prettiest or the finest of the tea factories in Sri Lanka, but if you are visiting Kandy, you absolutely must learn about tea, and if you are unable to get further afield into the tea region, then visiting a tea factory in Kandy is essential. There is a firm story to be uncovered here: of how a plant discovered by an Emperor in China 2700 years BC changed the world's topography, demography and industrial markets irreversibly. Sri Lanka, as one of the world's largest producers of tea, plays a vastly important role in this history and there's a high chance that the tea you drink back home begins its life in Sri Lanka. Take a tour through this little factory to learn about the time-consuming production of tea and marvel at heavy machinery left over from British rule at the time of the Industrial Revolution. You will finish off the tour with a tea tasting.
includes: entrance to tea factory and any teas offered in the visit
excludes: tips
Timings: tea factories are usually open from 10-5
duration: approximately 30-40 minutes
difficulty: easy
suitable for children: Very young children probably won't follow the descriptions of how tea is processed but they will enjoy seeing the machines in action.
Important to know: It can be noisy and dusty inside the factory. Tea Factories are usually closed on Sundays. We recommend using the rest rooms before going to the Tea Factory as the facilities will be preferable in your hotel.
what to wear or bring along: There is no need to take any specific clothing.
private or not? This experience is usually private but there will be other people at the factory and you may be asked if it's ok for you to join another group if the guides are extremely busy.
Managing Expectations..
Each person has different preconceptions of what to expect based on their unique experiences. We at Sri Lanka In Style know that we succeed when we exceed expectations in unexpected ways. We also know that in the travel world you're as good as your last meal so to speak. Things change, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Your feedback is very important – we value your feedback tremendously, we use it to help make things better and to manage the expectations of other travelers. Here below, under In the Know / Managing Expectations you will find some of the feedback we have received which might help manage your expectations


text: To get from Montecatini Terme to Catanzaro by train you can catch one of the 5 trains that everyday travel between these two cities. The first train to Catanzaro leaves from Montecatini Terme at 07:31 and the last train departs at 22:00. If you choose a local train the trip lasts on average 07:53 hours. For your trip from Montecatini Terme to Catanzaro by train you can choose to leave from one of Montecatini Terme main stations: Montecatini Centro On Wanderio you can compare all schedules, fares and railway companies to Catanzaro and book the best itinerary starting from Montecatini Terme.


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The development of malware observations 2014Published 13.05.2015
In 2014, FICORA registered 204,746 queries related to information security. In 2013, the corresponding figure was 492,426. However, these total figures should not be compared in detail because they are also affected by constantly changing sources of information, from where the Autoreporter service which sends information to the NCSC-FI collects its data.
In 2014, the majority of queries were based on voluntariness, being mostly reported by third parties. These queries mainly involved malware infections in Finnish networks and information about breached and damaged websites. The NCSC-FI transmits information it obtains from third parties to telecommunications operators and other Finnish network owners.
During 2014, there were significant changes in the types of malware observations transmitted by the NCSC-FI. The most typical malware observation reported in 2014 concerned the downloader-type ZeroAccess. A downloader may also download other malware onto the infected computer in order to steal user information. In 2014, observations of downloaders made up 75 per cent of all malware observations, while the corresponding figure in 2013 was 29 per cent.
Data stealer was the second most typical malware type reported last year. Data stealers are used to steal user information, usernames and passwords in particular. Using stolen passwords, attackers can pose as the victim. This is particularly serious if the attackers manage to steal passwords to online banking services or email accounts. The most common data-stealing malware includes Zeus, i.e. Citadel and its different versions, Torpig, Tiny Banker, i.e. Tinba, and KINS. Last year, nearly 20 per cent of all malware observations dealt with data stealers. The share of data stealers fell from 2013 when they accounted for one-third of all observations.
Other malware types detected last year included worms and junk mailers. Their portion decreased significantly from 2013 and, last year, formed a small group compared to downloaders and data stealers. On the basis of their statutory disclosure obligation, telecommunications operators must report all significant information security violations in network and communications services to FICORA, as well as all information security violations directed at them, which they are aware of. In 2014, 29 information security deviations were reported to FICORA. Of these incidents, 12 were related to vulnerabilities, nine to denial-of-service attacks and five to data system break-ins.


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...are the only words close enough to describe the location. The lodge is right smack inside Sequoia National Park and just 20 minutes drive from the General Sherman Tree.
The main lodge - where the front desk and restaurant are - is rustic and very well kept although the lodge where the rooms were located could use a little sprucing up. That said, our room was a spacious and very comfortable even with 2 double beds. There is wi-fi in the room but no phone reception. Then again, you'd lose the phone reception miles before you reach the lodge. The shower tub was clean and the amenities were more than sufficient. Being right inside the national park, we had the forest and wildlife just outside our window. It was magical. We were 'greeted' by a doe when we arrived and continued to see her and presumably, her family (!) throughout our 3-day stay.
The only downside - we had to haul our luggage to the room with a well worn luggage cart. The main lodge was a 5-minute walk away so I suppose we could have asked for some help but since our luggage were manageable, we moved everything on our own. Second complaint was the poor lighting along the paths leading out from the (rooms) lodge.
Dining is at the lodge's restaurant and that was the only place available for miles. Prices were a wee bit on the high side but then you have to remember that you're inside a national park, just like if you're on an island resort in the middle of the sea. As to whether the taste can match the price, well, it's both yes and no. I was fortunate enough to have had selected a rather decent pork chop the first night and the trout on my second night was much better. My sister, on the other hand, had the saltiest crab-cakes ever, which had to be exchanged for something else. We also tried the pizza, which was a disappointment but the vegetarian pasta was good. Reservation for dinner is a must. The buffet breakfast selection was decent but you must arrive well before 0900 as the closing time is 0930 and they do not replenish the finished items after 0900.
The staff at the Front Desk and restaurant were friendly and helpful.
The National Park was absolutely awesome and in my opinion, the best that California has to offer. We had 3 bear sightings - a highlight for us - on our way to the Giant Forest and Moro Rock, where we went twice, for the sunset on our first evening and the sunrise the next day. The giant sequoias, the wildlife, the scenic splendor, were truly memorable.
Would I recommend the Wuksachi Lodge? Without hesitation.
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Every national park has its top lodge, the one place to stay that reflects all the park stands for. The Wuksachi Lodge® is Sequoia's signature resort, a striking stone-and-cedar mountain lodge situated in the heart of the park and surrounded by a mighty sequoia forest and soaring Sierra peaks. Open year-round and located with the best access to Sequoia's awesome attractions, the Wuksachi Lodge was built in 1999 in a spectacular alpine setting at 7,200-foot elevation. Nestled amongst the tall timbers in Sequoia National Park, Wuksachi Lodge offers the perfect respite for anyone looking for a place to reconnect with friends, family and the great outdoors. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity, Hotels.com, TripOnline SA, Hotwire, Cancelon, Cheap Tickets, getaroom.com and HotelQuickly so you can book your Wuksachi Lodge reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Wuksachi Lodge And Village
- Wuksachi Lodge & Village Hotel Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Park
- Wuksachi Hotel Village
- Wuksachi Village And Lodge


text:
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Home > Product Categories > Bulk Cable > Bulk Control Cable & Bulk Data Cable > LLINX-U-P
Item #: LWC-LLINX-U-P MFG #: LLINX-U-P
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1000ft Composite cable consisting of a 22 AWG stranded, twisted and shielded data pair and an 18 AWG stranded, twisted, and unshielded power pair overall jacketedNEC type CMP and CEC type CMP FT6. Product manufactured compliant to the requirements of UL444 for installations and applications in accordance with NEC articles 725 and 800.Applications:OEM RS-232C, RS-422, and RS-485 data controlPower pair for up to 300 wattsClass 2 and Class 3 low voltage powerSystems instrumentation and Control
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text:
Universal Fog Lamp Rear for
Nissan - X-trail
T30QR - 2.0/2.5Petrol (QR) 6/2001->5/2007 (Inc European models)
Nissan - X-trail
Availability: In Stock
(if collection required please contact us first)
(if collection required please contact us first)
ex VAT: £6.25
inc VAT: £7.50
inc VAT: £7.50
An aftermarket rear fog lamp which requires fixing to the rear body. Wiring connector and bulb included.
Last viewed


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July 26, 2007 at 08:53:31 Jul 26, 2007 @ 08:53
thx. so theres also athletic clothing on fa yuen aswell?
are there any niketowns in HK?
are there any niketowns in HK?
man im so excited im going there tomorrow.
where are some MUST GOS?
and is there any phat farm or enyce spots?
can someone please guide me to CLOT store in HK?
Any spots that anyone knows of that sells Clark's Wallabee's? I can just order the normal ones on zappos if worse comes to worse, but I've seen those collaboration versions on hypebeast every now and then - that would be a great come up.
^^^ what sort of products are you looking for?
good name, i like it ahha
Samurai/flat head/imperial denim, Retro XIs and Vs, and some older dunks/air maxes, and last but not least SUPREME!!!
Thanks for the help extreme... Ibracadabra is off the chain...
Inactive User
Anyone seen these still around in Hong Kong? My brother wants a pair in a 9...
Court Forces around in abundance, as for the AM1's ummm reseller shops should have them I imagine. No idea on price.
Inactive User
Inactive User


text: 12/31/08 12/31/08 POPSUGAR Fashion Marc Jacobs Paris Fashion Week: Louis Vuitton Spring 2009 December 31, 2008 by coutorture 0 Shares Chat with us on Facebook Messenger. Learn what's trending across POPSUGAR. View on One Page Photo 6 of 103 Start Slideshow ADVERTISEMENT () Share This Link Copy What's Your Reaction? Thanks for your reaction Don't forget to share this with your friends! ← Use Arrows Keys → 6 Previous Next Paris Fashion Week Spring 2009Spring 2009RunwayBagsMarc JacobsLouis Vuitton


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New faces
Brief profiles of 10 of our volunteers taking up placements in Zambia, PNG, East Timor and Kiribati.
Palms' 94th, my first
By the end of the course, our understanding and knowledge had risen exponentially. The bonds and commonality of participants had strengthened as well. I have no fears now about going to East Timor. I am just excited to meet all my new colleagues and friends that I will discover during my journey.


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Information For
DePaul University College of LAS > Academics > History
Welcome to the Department of History at DePaul. Our department offers a full, rich curriculum in undergraduate and graduate education. More than 30 full and part-time outstanding faculty offer day and night courses on the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses, as well as online.
In addition to its strong undergraduate program with concentrations in public history, pre-law, secondary education, as well as a standard concentration, the department offers a standard minor, a minor in the History of Law, a minor in Museum Studies, a graduate degree (MA), and several five-year combined BA/MA degree options, all of which have the potential for exciting career opportunities (see Why Major in History).
Meet Eliot Pope, MA, '08 and Alyssa Pullara, BA, '16.
Read More
Meet Professors Tera Agyepong, Juan Mora-Torres and Kerry Ross.
Meet Gail Parson.
"Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Archive"
Undergraduate College OfficeLincoln Park Campus2352 N. Clifton Ave., Suite 130Chicago, IL 60614(773) email@example.com
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