Electronic postage meter having multiple non-volatile memories for storing different historical information reflecting postage transactions.

摘要

A method and associated apparatus is provided for storing different historical information reflecting the postage transactions of an electronic postage meter, comprising the steps of and associated apparatus for providing a first non-volatile memory (30), providing a second non-volatile memory (32) having a larger data storage capacity than the first non-volatile memory (39) with individually addressable memory locations for storing information regarding each postage meter transaction on a real time basis, sequentially writing by means of a microprocessor (12) historical information corresponding to each postage meter transaction in a different memory location in the second non-volatile memory (32) in real time as each postage meter transaction occurs to provide a historical record of each postage transaction so that two different records of historical information regarding the postage transactions are provided in non-volatile memory with the first non-volatile memory (30) providing a cumulative historical record reflecting the postage transactions prior to a power down cycle and the second non-volatile memory (32) providing a sequential historical record of each individual postage transaction. Advantageously, the last individually addressable memory location of the second non-volatile memory (32) is interconnected to the first individually addressable memory location of the second non-volatile memory (32) for sequentially re-using the individual addressable memory locations to write accounting data therein to provide a continuous historical record of a predetermined number of previous postage transactions as measured backward in time from the last postage transaction.