Patent · US Expired

Utility endpoint communication scheme, such as for sequencing the order of meter reading communications for electric, gas, and water utility meters.

US7109882B2 · kind B2 · utility

39Cited by
1References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 22, 2005
Grant dateSep 19, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 22, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04Q2209/60
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for reading endpoints used for tracking consumption of a utility may allow the sequencing of meters/endpoints in a meter reading route, such as a mobile automatic meter reading route. The sequencing may include receiving an indication of a collection of endpoints comprising a meter reading route, wherein each endpoint stores utility consumption data, then executing the meter reading route. Executing the meter reading route may include identifying and reading a first endpoint on the meter reading route, receiving input used in identifying a next endpoint to be read on the meter reading route, identifying a next endpoint to be read on the meter reading route based on the received input, and reading the identified next endpoint. One or more of these tasks may be performed repeatedly until all the endpoints on the meter reading route are read or otherwise acknowledged as unreadable, etc.

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