Appeal No. 97-2877
Application No. 08/334,096
(2) this interrupt signal will remain
as asserted so long as the timer has timed
out, thus the meter will be disabled.
(3) therefore in order for the meter
to be enabled FIRST THE TIMER MUST BE RESET
so that the interrupt will be removed and
then access to the secured memories may be
granted and printing may occur.
Hence, each of Gilham GB-‘210 and Hunter (‘654 and
‘268) must first reset the timer and second grant
access to the secured memories and allow the postage
to be printed.
In Gilham, a portable memory 25 is shuttled back and
forth between a postage meter and an accounting center 26. A
pseudo-random number is preloaded into the portable memory by
the accounting center. When the portable memory device is
attached to the postage meter via the connector 21, the
postage meter compares the pseudo-random number in the
portable memory with the pseudo-random number stored in the
postage meter. If the two numbers agree, then the meter is
reset (page 5, lines 10 through 12; page 6, line 16 through
page 7, line 27). Gilham never mentions resetting the timer
in the postage meter. He does, however, specifically state
(page 7, lines 1 through 4) that “[i]f the comparison is
successful, the microprocessor continues in the reset routine
5
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Last modified: November 3, 2007