Apparatus and method of remote monitoring of utility usage
First Claim
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
- means for determining the amount of a utility consumed, the determining means generating an electronic form of utility usage data; and
means for communicating the electronic form of the utility usage data to a remote data collection facility.
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Abstract
Embodiments of an apparatus allow the remote monitoring of utility usage without the need of a human meter reader. The embodiments include a usage data provider that generates an electronic form of utility usage data, and a communications interface that communicates the electronic form of the utility usage data to a remote data collection facility.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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means for determining the amount of a utility consumed, the determining means generating an electronic form of utility usage data; and
means for communicating the electronic form of the utility usage data to a remote data collection facility. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 32)
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16. An apparatus, comprising:
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a usage data provider configured to determine the amount of a utility consumed, the usage data provider generating an electronic form of utility usage data; and
a communications interface configured to communicate the electronic form of the utility usage data to a remote data collection facility. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method, comprising the steps of:
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determining the amount of a utility consumed, the determining step generating an electronic form of utility usage data; and
communicating the electronic form of the utility usage data to a remote data collection facility. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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Specification