Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for communicating utility usage-related information from a utility usage location to a utility usage registering device

US5617084A · kind A · utility

196Cited by
25References
9Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 24, 1995
Grant dateApr 1, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 24, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG08C17/02
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus for communicating utility usage information at a utility usage location to a utility usage registering device includes a utility usage registering module adapted to be located at a utility usage location to provide a first signal indicative of the utility usage information, a transmitter responsive to said first signal for periodically transmitting at a pseudo-random transmission intervals, a second signal indicative of utility usage, a receiver located remote from the utility usage location for receiving the second signal, and a utility usage registering device associated with the receiver for storing the second signal indicative of utility usage information. A tamper detector is provided to detect the occurrence of a tamper event and generates a tamper signal which is directed to the utility usage registering module. The tamper signal is indexed upon the tamper detector sensing the occurrence of each tamper event.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.