Patent · US Active

Apparatus and method for priority addressing and message handling in a fixed meter reading network

US8981959B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
4References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 22, 2010
Grant dateMar 17, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 15, 2034

Classification

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

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed for prioritizing the processing of messages sent between site transceivers (12, 15) at utility meter data origination sites (10) and gateway transceivers (20, 30, 40) in a fixed meter data collection network. To reduce message processing time, priorities are assigned for processing messages destined for mobile gateways, messages sent to assigned gateways, and messages sent to any gateway after not receiving an acknowledge signal from an assigned gateway. The gateway transceiver also has four receivers for processing four respective messages on four different frequency channels to further reduce processing time and to conserve power usage at the site transceivers.

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