SMS communication for cellular node

• US 10,582,347 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cullinan, Thomas, Burtea, Valentin Mircea, Dukes, Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Joshua L
• Application Number:
  US15/098,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20170303103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 4554521, 455453, 370310
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/00 Tariff metering apparatus in taximeters G07B13/00; apparatus actuated by coins, cards or the like with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas, or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Disclosed are technologies for a communication system for a utility infrastructure system. The communication system includes a host configured to aggregate and collect utility data. The communication system also includes a remote, battery-powered node connected to a utility device of the utility infrastructure system. According to some examples, the node is configured to initiate a first communication message to the host via a first type of communication channel. The first type of communication channel is short message service (SMS), and the first communication message includes the utility data. The node is also configured to receive a SMS reply from the host, wherein the SMS reply includes information for communicating with the host via a second type of communication channel.

Claims

1. A point-to-point communication system for a utility infrastructure system comprising:

a host configured to aggregate and collect utility data; and

a plurality of battery-powered nodes in communication with the host, each node in the plurality of battery-powered nodes connected to a utility device of the utility infrastructure system, each node configured to;

initiate a first communication message to the host via a short message service (SMS), wherein the first communication message includes the utility data,

receive a SMS reply from the host,

determine whether the SMS reply from the host includes an internet protocol (IP) address for communicating with the host over an IP network, and

responsive to determining that the SMS reply from the host includes the IP address, establish a connection with the host over the IP network utilizing the IP address;

wherein, prior to communication with the host, the plurality of battery-powered nodes requires no preconfiguration with network and security credentials.

2. The point-to-point communication system of claim 1, wherein the utility device is a water meter, wherein data related to utility data comprises one of utility consumption data and alert data, and wherein the utility infrastructure system is a water infrastructure system.

3. The point-to-point communication system of claim 1, wherein each node in the plurality of battery-powered nodes is further configured to listen for the SMS reply during a listening period.

4. The point-to-point communication system of claim 3, wherein each node in the plurality of battery-powered nodes is configured to enter a sleep state when not in a listening period.

5. The point-to-point communication system of claim 3, wherein the listening period is one of a plurality of listening periods.

6. The point-to-point communication system of claim 1, wherein the IP network comprises one of a Transmission Protocol/IP (TCP/IP) network and a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) network.

7. The point-to-point communication system of claim 1, wherein the SMS reply includes an acknowledgment confirming receipt of the first communication message by the host.

8. The point-to-point communication system of claim 1, wherein the SMS reply further includes information about at least one of a time for at least one node in the plurality of battery-powered nodes to establish a connection with the host over the IP network, a time for the at least one node to read the utility data, and a time to activate an activation device of the utility infrastructure system.

9. A method for communicating utility data point-to-point within a utility infrastructure system, the method comprising:

initiating, by a node in a plurality of nodes in communication with a host, a first communication message to the host via a short message service (SMS), wherein each node in the plurality of nodes is a battery-powered node of the utility infrastructure system;

receiving, by the node, a SMS reply from the host;

determining, by the node, whether the SMS reply from the host includes an internet protocol (IP) address for establishing a connection with the host over an IP network; and

responsive to a determination by the node that the SMS reply from the host includes the IP address, sending, by the node a second communication message to the host via the IP network based on the IP address in the SMS reply;

wherein, prior to communication with the host, the plurality of nodes requires no preconfiguration with network and security credentials.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

waking, by the node, from a sleep state; and

listening, by the node, for the SMS reply during a listening period.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving, by the node, utility data from a water meter, wherein the utility infrastructure system is a water infrastructure system, and wherein the first communication message initiated by the node includes the utility data from the water meter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the IP network comprises one of a Transmission Protocol/IP (TCP/IP) network and a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) network.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

listening, by the node, during a listening period for a hailing SMS message from the host over the SMS; and

receiving, by the node, the hailing SMS message, wherein the initiation, by the node, of the first communication message is based on the receiving of the hailing SMS message.

14. A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium having a set of instructions stored therein that when executed by a processing element cause the processing element to perform and/or control operations comprising:

listening, by a node in a plurality of nodes in communication with a host, for a first point-to-point communication message from the host via a short message service (SMS), and wherein each node in the plurality of nodes is a battery-powered node of a utility infrastructure system connected to a utility meter that measures utility data;

receiving, by the node, a SMS reply from the host;

determining, by the node, whether the SMS reply from the host includes an internet protocol (IP) address for establishing a connection with the host over an IP network; and

responsive to a determination by the node that the SMS reply from the host includes the IP address, sending, by the node, a second point-to-point communication message to the host via the IP network based on the IP address in the first point-to-point communication message;

wherein, prior to communication with the host, the plurality of nodes requires no preconfiguration with network and security credentials.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the IP network comprises one of a Transmission Protocol/IP (TCP/IP) network and a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) network.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein listening for the first point-to-point communication message comprises waking from a sleep state and listening for the first point-to-point communication message during a listening period.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein listening for the first point-to-point communication message comprises initiating, by at least one node in the plurality of nodes, a hailing SMS message to the host over the SMS, wherein the hailing SMS message comprises the utility data.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the utility infrastructure system is a water infrastructure system, and wherein the utility meter is a water meter.