1. A two-switch device adapted for use in an electric nail gun, said electric nail gun being used for driving a nail into an article and including a gun body, a safety member movable to press against the article to thereby move in the gun body, a kinetic power unit disposed in the gun body for generating kinetic energy, an impact unit for outputting kinetic energy to perform a nail-striking operation, and a transmission unit for transmitting the kinetic energy from the kinetic power unit to the impact unit, said two-switch device comprising:
a trigger unit including a trigger adapted to be disposed pivotally on the gun body, and an inner plate disposed pivotally on said trigger such that, when said safety member is pressed against the article to move in the gun body, said inner plate is driven by said safety member to move in the gun body, said inner plate being connected to said safety member in such a manner that, when in a single shot mode, a nail-striking operation results in removal of said inner plate from said safety member, and when in a continuous shooting mode, the nail-striking operation does not result in removal of said inner plate from said safety member;
a first electrical control unit adapted to be disposed in the gun body and aligned with said trigger and said safety member, said first electrical control unit being contactable with one of said trigger and said safety member, which is first operated to contact said first electrical control unit, to output a first electrical control signal for driving said kinetic power unit; and
a second electrical control unit adapted to be disposed in the gun body and aligned with said inner plate, said second electrical control unit being contactable with said inner plate so as to output a second electrical control signal for driving said transmission unit.
2. The two-switch device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said trigger has an abutment surface that faces toward said first electrical control unit and that is rotatable to contact said first electrical control unit to allow the first electrical control signal to be output from said first electrical control unit.
3. The two-switch device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first electrical control unit includes a contact switch and a touch member movable relative to said contact switch and having a contact portion, and two protrusions contactable respectively with and movable by said safety member and said abutment surface to allow said contact portion to move into contact with said contact switch.
4. The two-switch device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first electrical control unit further includes a mounting member disposed between said safety member and said contact switch and permitting said touch member to be disposed movably therein, and a resilient member disposed between said mounting member and said touch member for biasing said touch member away from said contact switch.
5. The two-switch device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said safety member has an abutting portion at an end thereof, said abutting portion being movable into contact with a corresponding one of said protrusions of said touch member.
6. The two-switch device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second electrical control unit includes a contact switch and a touch member movable relative to said contact switch, said touch member having a contact portion and a protrusion contactable with and movable by said inner plate to allow said contact portion to move into contact with said contact switch.
7. The two-switch device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second electrical control unit further includes a mounting member disposed between said inner plate and said contact switch and permitting said touch member to be disposed movably therein, and a resilient member disposed between said mounting member and said touch member for biasing said touch member away from said contact switch.
8. he two-switch device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner plate has a lower end, and said trigger unit includes a rotating member disposed pivotally on said trigger and provided with an eccentric pin connected pivotally to said lower end of said inner plate, such that said rotating member can be rotated to move said inner plate relative to said safety member between high and lower point positions.
9. The two-switch device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said safety member has an end that is formed with a notch and that is movable to contact said inner plate in such a manner that said inner plate engages said notch, thereby pushing said inner plate into contact with said second electrical control unit when said safety member is pressed against the article.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method for paying a proper amount of postage comprising:
estimating a postage amount necessary to send a piece of mail;
prepaying for the estimated postage amount;
affixing to a mailpiece a postage indicia comprising an indication, readable by machine only, of the estimated postate amount;
mailing the mailpiece; and
paying an adjusted postage amount, subsequent to the mailing of the mailpiece, in response to a bill.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein prepaying the estimated postage amount comprises prepaying the estimated postage via the Internet.
3. The method of claim 1, comprises
digitally signing a postage amount, an addressee information, a sender information, and a date, and
printing the digital signature, the postage amount, the addressee information, the sender information, and the date on the postage indicia in a machine readable format.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the machine readable format is a bar code.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the bar code is a 2-dimensional bar code.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying that the postage indicia has not previously been used on a second mailpiece.
7. A method of adjusting an amount of prepaid postage on a mailpiece, wherein the mailpiece comprises a postage indicia including an indication of an initial postage amount, comprising:
receiving a payment for the initial postage amount;
receiving the mailpiece, wherein the postage indicia comprises the initial postage amount in only a machine readable format;
verifying that the initial postage amount is the proper amount;
billing a party for an adjusted postage amount, if the initial postage amount is not verified; and
altering the postage indicia to reflect the adjusted postage amount, once the party has been billed for the adjusted amount.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the payment for initial postage amount is received via the Internet.
9. A system for coding a postage amount onto a mailing label, comprising
means for receiving payment for a postage amount;
a printer for producing a postage indicia, wherein the postage indicia includes the postage amount in a format readable only by machine; and
accounting means for adjusting the postage amount at a time subsequent to receipt of payment.
10. The system of claim 9, further including a printer for printing the adjusted postage amount on the postage indicia in a format readable only by machine.
11. A system for preventing postage fraud comprising:
means for receiving an estimated postage amount necessary to send a parcel;
a printer for electronically prepaying the estimated postage amount;
mean for outputting a postage indicia comprising a stealth postage for the amount prepaid;
means for electronically paying for an adjusted amount of postage subsequent to the mailing of the mailpiece.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for electronically prepaying comprises an Internet payment service.
13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a printer for printing the postage indicia.
14. The system of claim 11, further comprising
a processor for encoding the stealth indicia by digitally signing a postage amount, an addressee information, a sender information, and a date.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the machine readable format is a bar code.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the bar code is a 2-dimensional bar code.
17. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for verifying that the postage indicia has not previously been used on a second mailpiece.
18. A system for adjusting an amount of prepaid postage on a mailpiece, comprising:
means for receiving a payment for an initial postage amount;
means for receiving a mailpiece, comprising a postage indicia, wherein the postage indicia comprises the initial postage amount in only a machine readable format;
means for verifying that the initial postage amount is the proper amount;
means for billing a party for an adjusted postage amount, if the initial postage amount is determined to be proper; and
means for altering the postage indicia to reflect the adjusted postage amount, once the party has been billed for the adjusted amount.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the payment for initial postage amount is received via the Internet.
20. A computer-implemented method for adjusting postage on a mailpiece, comprising:
estimating an amount of postage necessary for a mailpiece;
transmitting payment information;
printing a postage label including a postage amount represented only in an electronically readable format and a verification information allowing a mailing system to subsequently adjust the mailing amount.
21. The computer implemented method of claim 20, further comprising creating the postage label by producing a bar code containing a date, the postage amount, an addressee information, a sender information, and a digital signature.
22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein bar code further comprises a number unique to the postage indicia.
23. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein the bar code is a two dimensional bar code.
24. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for implementing a method for adjusting postage on a mailpiece, the method comprising:
estimating a postage amount necessary for a mailpiece;
transmitting payment information;
printing a postage label including a postage amount represented only in an electronically readable format and a verification information allowing a mailing system to subsequently adjust the mailing amount.
25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising creating the postage label by producing a bar code containing a date, the postage amount, an addressee information, a sender information, and a digital signature.
26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein bar code further comprises a number unique to the postage indicia.
27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the bar code is a two dimensional bar code.
28. A system for preventing postage fraud comprising:
a mailpiece including a stealth postage indicia comprising a unique parcel number and a unique postage number;
a scanner for reading the unique parcel number and the unique postage number; and
a database in communication with the scanner, for verifying that the unique parcel number and the unique postage number are assigned to each other.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein the system further includes an electronic interface for transmitting the postage indicia to a user.
30. The system of claim 29, wherein the electronic interface is the Internet.
31. The system of claim 28, wherein the database further verifies that the unique postage number has not been used on a second mailpiece.
32. The system of claim 29, wherein the electronic interface is in communication with the database such that, upon purchase of the postage indicia by the sender, the database is updated with a record for the new postage indicia.
33. The system of claim 29, wherein the unique parcel number and postage number are compared to an parcel number and postage number retrieved from a new mail parcel that enters a shipper’s system.
34. The system of claim 29, wherein the database is further updated with a new record for a new parcel scanned in by the scanner, wherein the new record comprises a unique parcel number and a unique postage number.
35. The system of claim 29, wherein the scanner is a portable scanner.
36. A system for verifying the proper postage on a mailpiece, comprising:
a mailpiece including a stealth postage indicia comprising a postage amount represented in a format not readable by humans;
a scanner for reading the postage amount;
a scale for weighing the mailpiece and determining the proper postage for the mailpiece; and
a billing interface in communication with the scanner and the scale for verifying that the postage paid is the proper amount, and, if not, receiving payment for an adjusted amount.
37. The system of claim 36, further comprising an electronic interface for transmitting the stealth indicia to a user, and for receiving payment for the postage from the user.
38. The system of claim 37, wherein the electronic interface is the Internet.
39. A method of coding an amount of postage onto a mailing label whereby the postage amount can be read only by machine, and wherein the coded postage amount can be adjusted by the shipper system after acceptance of the mailpiece from the sender.
40. The method of claim 39, wherein the postage amount is represented in a bar code.
41. The method of claim 39, wherein the mailing label further comprises at least two unique numbers for preventing the unauthorized use of the postage label.
42. A method of dispensing fraud protected postage via the internet, comprising:
receiving an estimated weight for a parcel from a sender via a web page;
receiving payment from the sender for an initial postage amount for the parcel;
transmitting instructions to a user’s computer for producing a stealth postage indicia, comprising at least two unique numbers, and wherein the stealth postage indicia represents the postage in only a machine readable form; and
verifying a postage label for a mailpiece by verifying the two unique numbers.
43. The method of claim 42, further comprising verifying that the initial postage was the correct amount.
44. The method of claim 43, further comprising billing the sender for an adjusted amount if the initial postage amount was not correct.