Goods processing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a material processing device (GG) with a first communication module (KM1). The first communication module (KM1) is connected to a control unit (SE). The material processing device (GG) is configured to accommodate at least one second communication module (KM2). The control unit (SE) is configured to determine whether the second communication module (KM2) is operational.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a material processing device with at least two communication modules and a control unit according to the preamble of claim 1. The material processing device can preferably be a franking machine equipped with an inkjet printing device for producing imprints on a flat material. Each individual communication module incorporates a different transmission technology.

[0002] Patent specification US4138735 discloses a system for simultaneously writing current postage rate tables to remote storage devices. The system also includes carrier wave transmission. Direct telephone reception is optionally provided. However, data transmission is exclusively analog; digital transmission is not supported.

[0003] Patent EP773517B1 discloses a system for use with postage metering machines. In this system, a sequence of signals is transmitted for automatic modem detection, whereupon the modem responds with a transmission to the postage meter's microprocessor. While the modem type is detected digitally in this solution, the subsequent data transmission is analogous, occurring via a serial interface (telephone line). Therefore, digital transmission is not possible in this case.

[0004] Patent DE4213278C2 relates to an arrangement for franking postal items. The portable franking machine has storage means and associated receiving means for data that can be transmitted via a transmission medium. The postage amounts used by the franking machine are deducted from a credit balance that can be loaded via the transmission medium, preferably a mobile communication standard or a chip card. Although the transmission is digital, unfortunately not all transmission methods (e.g., Bluetooth and WLAN) that are common today are supported.

[0005] US patent 20070078778A1 discloses a method for connecting a service provider to a franking machine. First, a franking machine is deployed at an initial location, equipped with a communication interface. Additionally, a server is deployed at a central location remote from the initial site. Then, a connection is established via a mobile communication interface and the franking machine's communication interface, establishing a secure communication channel between the mobile communication interface and the server.

[0006] The disadvantage is that only the (albeit digital) transmission method via a mobile network is covered – in this case, GSM using GPRS. The transmission rates are low. No other transmission methods are suggested.

[0007] Patent EP1615174A2 discloses an arrangement with a communication unit within a device and a security enclosure, wherein a communication unit is arranged in a corresponding area within the non-security area of ​​the device. This communication unit can be an analog or digital modem, an ISDN unit, a wireless LAN unit, a UMTS unit, a Bluetooth unit, or another pluggable communication unit. A disadvantage is that the communication unit is located outside the security enclosure and is therefore physically tamperable. Furthermore, only a single communication unit is used, not a plurality of such units.

[0008] Finally, patent specification EP2390846 B1 relates to a franking system comprising an electronic data processing unit and a data storage device connected to it on the input side, as well as a franking machine. The latter has an interface for connecting the data processing unit to a data center for the bidirectional transmission of exclusively digitally processable signals. A particular feature is that the franking system has a transmission unit connected to the interface of the franking machine and comprised of several main components, the first of which is designed to support the franking machine in performing modem functions.In addition to the data transmission connection between the data processing unit of the transmission unit connected to the first main component and the data center, a second main component of the transmission unit is connected in parallel for wireless transmission of data between the franking system and the data center, as well as a third main component of the transmission unit for optional or simultaneous wired data transmission to and from the data center.

[0009] This is a single communication unit comprising three main components. A disadvantage of this is that if this one communication unit fails, for example due to operational reasons, the entire communication system of the franking system also fails. Furthermore, during a repair, the entire communication unit with all its functions must be replaced, even if, for example, only the third main component (wired communication) has failed. This makes the repair unnecessarily expensive. In addition, the system does not automatically detect which components should be used. Therefore, the module's energy efficiency is not optimal, as not operating unused main components can lead to energy savings.

[0010] The task is to eliminate the shortcomings of the known solutions.

[0011] A mail processing device, preferably a franking machine, should offer the capability to transmit data in various ways. This can be done wirelessly or via a wired connection. Advantageously, both communication methods should be possible. The necessary components should be integrated into the mail processing device. Furthermore, these components should be available long-term to cover the entire lifecycle of the franking machine family. Various data transmission standards should also be supported. The configuration of the mail processing devices should be optional. The presence and type of communication hardware should be detectable via software.

[0012] A material processing device with at least two separate communication modules is to be developed, each of which can be individually connected to the device's interfaces. A control unit should detect whether a second communication module is operational. Furthermore, the control unit can determine which transmission method the communication module should use.

[0013] The problem is solved by the features of the material processing device according to claim 1.

[0014] The goods processing device, preferably a franking machine, is known to have a first communication module that is connected to a control unit.

[0015] According to the invention, a material processing device according to claim 1 is proposed which is configured to accommodate at least one second communication module and wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether the second communication module is operational and what type of communication module it is.

[0016] Each communication module performs data transmission in a different way. For example, the first communication module might perform data transmission via a wired connection, while the second communication module performs data transmission wirelessly. This allows the individual communication modules to be positioned within the processing device in an optimized manner. For example, a wired communication module can be positioned closer to a corresponding connector. Furthermore, the communication module for wireless data transmission can be positioned at a location on the motherboard with stronger reception, such as near an antenna or its connector. On a vertically oriented motherboard, the wireless communication module is positioned at the top, and therefore at the location with the strongest reception.

[0017] Furthermore, distributing data communication across different separate communication modules creates redundancy, which increases the reliability of the processing device. If one communication module fails, a separate, functional module is still available for data transmission. Advantageously, more than two communication modules can be used. The separate communication modules also make repairs easier and more cost-effective if only one communication method fails.

[0018] If necessary, all data traffic from the product processing device can then be routed through the functioning communication module.

[0019] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims or are described in more detail below together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the figure.

[0020] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2They schematically show a first and second embodiment of the invention.

[0021] The Fig. 1 schematically shows a first embodiment of the invention.

[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, the material processing device GG comprises a first communication module KM1 and a second communication module KM2, each arranged on the mainboard MB. Both communication modules can provide different transmission modes – wired or wireless.

[0023] Advantageously, the individual communication modules can be optimally arranged within the GG material processing device. For example, they can each be plugged into a designated connector.

[0024] Furthermore, a processor board (PB) is located on the mainboard (MB). This board comprises the control unit (SE), or rather, the control unit SE is implemented using the logic of the processor board (PB). The control unit SE detects, for example via software, logic gates, or ASICs, whether the first and / or second communication module (KM1, KM2) is connected and, if applicable, also what type of device it is and which communication methods it can use.

[0025] Furthermore, the SE control unit can be used to control whether the second communication module KM2 should establish a connection, e.g., to a remote data storage device or router, and which type of communication the second communication module KM2 should use.

[0026] The Fig. 2Figure 1 shows a second schematic embodiment of the invention. Here too, the processor board PB is arranged on the mainboard MB. The control unit SE can again be implemented with the processor board PB. In contrast to Fig. 1 Only wired communication is provided for the first communication module KM1. The first communication module KM1 is permanently integrated into the processor board PB, which is also located on the mainboard, either via a temporary connection (e.g., plugging, clamping) or a permanent connection (e.g., soldering).

[0027] In other embodiments, the first communication module KM1 can also be connected to the processor board PB in a different way.

[0028] Furthermore, the first communication module KM1 is connected via an electrical line to a connector SV1, which is located on the mainboard MB and is accessible from the outside.

[0029] The second communication module, KM2, is preferably located on the mainboard (MB) outside the processor board (PB). However, it can also be located in different locations and, for example, connected to the mainboard (MB) via electrical wiring. The electrical connection to the mainboard (MB) is made, for example, via SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface). In this example, the second communication module, KM2, supports the wireless communication methods WLAN and Bluetooth. It is also possible to use a communication module, KM2, that supports additional wireless communication methods. This could include various mobile communication standards such as LTE, UMTS, or GSM.

[0030] The control unit SE uses software to detect whether a second communication module KM2 is connected and, if applicable, what type of device it is and which communication methods it can use. Furthermore, the control unit SE can decide whether the second communication module KM2 should establish a connection to, for example, a remote data storage device or router, and which communication method the second communication module KM2 should use for this purpose. Reference symbol list

[0031] KM1 First communication module KM2 Second communication module SV1 Connector PB Processor board MB Mainboard GG Goods processing device SS1, SS2 Interfaces SE Control unit A Antenna AA Antenna connector

Claims

1. Goods processing apparatus, with a first communication module (KM1) which transmits data via wire, wherein the goods processing apparatus is a postage machine and wherein the first communication module (KM1) is connected to a control unit (SE), wherein the goods processing apparatus (GG) is designed to accommodate at least one second communication module (KM2), wherein the second communication module (KM2) transmits data by means of a wireless communication method and wherein the communication modules (KM1, KM2) are designed separately and are positioned in an optimized manner for each data transmission, wherein the second communication module (KM2) is positioned at a location with stronger reception for wireless data transmission and wherein furthermore, the control unit (SE) is designed to determine whether the second communication module (KM2) is operational and wherein the second communication module (KM2) is located on a vertically installed mainboard and the point with the stronger reception is the topmost point of the mainboard.

2. Goods processing apparatus according to the preceding claim, wherein the second communication module (KM2) transmits data via WLAN and / or Bluetooth.

3. Goods processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first communication module (KM1) and / or the second communication module (KM2) are logically and electrically connected to the control unit (SE).

4. Goods processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (SE) is programmed to, - establish a connection with the second communication module (KM2) and, by evaluating the acquired data, to determine whether the second communication module (KM2) is switched on and / or connected and / or - determine and / or identify which type of wireless communication the second communication module (KM2) uses and / or services.

5. Goods processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (SE) is arranged on a mainboard (MB).

6. Goods processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first communication module (KM1) and / or the second communication module (KM2) is each connected to the mainboard (MB) via an interface (SS1, SS2).

7. Goods processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second interface (SS2) is implemented via a connector strip.

8. Goods processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the goods processing apparatus has an antenna arranged in the housing.

9. Goods processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second communication module (KM2) is designed to handle at least part of the total data traffic necessary for the operation of the goods processing apparatus and / or at least part of the data traffic required for the implementation of additional services.

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