Method and system for remotely monitoring meters

• US 20050246295A1
• Filed: 04/08/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Cameron, Richard Neill
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

Methods and systems remotely monitor a current value of a meter display. A picture of the display is taken with a camera equipped portable communication device. The picture is sent through the portable communication device and associated infrastructure to a processing system. The processing system receives and stores the picture, and optionally verification data, imaging location data, and other data, in a datastore. The processing system processes the picture to obtain a current value of the meter and authenticates the sender and/or the meter using the verification data and/or location data.

Claims

1. A method for remotely monitoring a meter with a meter display, the method comprising:

receiving a picture of the meter display sent by a remote portable communication device;

storing the picture in a datastore;

analyzing the picture to determine a current value of the meter display;

determining an imaging location at which the picture was taken with the remote portable communication device; and

identifying the meter based on the imaging location.

2. The method of claim 1, where receiving comprises:

receiving a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message comprising the picture.

3. The method of claim 1, where identifying comprises:

retrieving a stored location of the meter;

determining whether the stored location is within a pre-determined geographical area around the imaging location.

4. The method of claim 1, where analyzing comprises:

detecting alphanumeric characters, indicators, symbols, or any combination thereof in the picture and establishing a corresponding digital representation of the current value.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

accepting the current value when the stored location is within the pre-determined geographical area around the imaging location.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

rejecting the current value when the stored location is outside the pre-determined geographical area around the imaging location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a customer identifier based on the imaging location and matching the customer identifier to a customer record.

8. The method of claim 7, where the customer identifier comprises an address.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving biometric data of an operator of the communication device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising applying a facial recognition technique to the biometric data to validate authenticity of the picture.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the meter with authorized data provider identifiers;

receiving a communication device identifier for the communication device; and

determining whether the authorized data provider identifiers include the communication device identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, where the imaging location comprises a wireless communication cell identifier.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating transmission of an acknowledgement to the communication device.

14. The method of claim 13, where the acknowledgement comprises an acknowledgement of picture receipt, picture acceptance, picture interpretability, or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, where initiating transmission comprises:

initiating transmission of a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message comprising the acknowledgement.

16. The method of claim 1, where the meter is a mobile meter.

17. The method of claim 16, where the mobile meter is vehicle odometer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a present location of the mobile meter;

determining whether the present location matches the imaging location.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

retrieving a valid fixed location for the mobile meter; and

determining whether the fixed location matches the imaging location.

20. The method of claim 1, where the meter comprises a residential meter or an industrial meter.

21. A system for monitoring a meter including a meter display, the system comprising:

a communication interface operable to receive a picture of the meter display sent by a remote portable communication device;

a datastore operable to store the picture;

a processing system coupled to the datastore and operable to;

analyze the picture to determine a current value of the meter display;

determine an imaging location at which the picture was taken with the remote portable communication device; and

identify the meter based on the imaging location.

22. The system of claim 21, where the communication interface receives localization data for the communication device.

23. The system of claim 22, where there localization data comprises a wireless communication cell identifier or Global Positioning data or a combination thereof.

24. The system of claim 22, where the communication interface receives the localization data from a communication service provider for the communication device.

25. The system of claim 21, where the communication interface receives a communication device identifier for the communication device, and where the processing system is operable to determine whether the communication device identifier is an authorized communication device identifier for meter monitoring.

26. The system of claim 21, where the server is further operable to:

determine whether the current value is a valid value and responsively initiate transmission of an acknowledgement to the communication device.

27. The system of claim 21 where:

the meter is a mobile meter;

the communication interface is further operable to receive a present location of the mobile meter; and

the processing system is operable to determine whether the present location matches the imaging location.

28. The system of claim 21, where:

the meter is a mobile meter;

the datastore comprises a valid fixed location for the mobile meter; and

the processing system is operable to determine whether the fixed location matches the imaging location.

29. A method for remotely monitoring a meter including a meter display, the method comprising:

establishing a valid meter location for the meter;

connecting to a wireless communication infrastructure;

receiving a picture of the meter display sent by a remote wireless communication device through the communication infrastructure;

receiving location data for the communication device;

determining an imaging location for the picture based on the location data;

receiving a communication device identifier for the communication device;

determining whether the communication device identifier is an authorized communication device identifier for meter monitoring;

determining whether the imaging location matches the valid meter location;

determining a current value of the meter display when the communication device identifier is an authorized communication device identifier and when the imaging location matches the valid meter location; and

matching the meter and current value to a customer.

30. The method of claim 29, where the meter is a mobile meter and where the valid meter location is a fixed expected location for the mobile meter.

31. The method of claim 30, where the meter is a vehicle odometer, and where the valid meter location is a home location or a work location.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising validating the current value by matching an expected environmental characteristic to at least a portion of the picture.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising receiving biometric data of an operator of the communication device, and where matching comprises matching the meter and current value to the customer when the biometric data matches an authorized operator.

34. A method for reading meters geographically dispersed among metered service customers, the method comprising:

establishing a processing system operable to receive and interpret meter reading data and receive and processes reading verification data;

determining an incentive to offer to a metered service customer in exchange for meter reading services performed by the metered service customer;

offering the incentive to the metered service customer;

receiving the meter reading data and reading verification data from a remote communication device operated by the metered service customer;

storing the meter reading data and reading verification data and processing the meter reading data and reading verificabon data to obtain a meter reading; and

billing the metered service customer in accordance with the meter reading.

35. The method of claim 34, where the incentive comprises a discounted camera-equipped wireless communication device.

36. The method of claim 35, where the wireless communication device comprises a secure messaging program operable to obtain a meter image, obtain customer verification data, encrypt the meter image and customer verification data, and transmit the encrypted meter image and customer verification data to the processing system.

37. The method of claim 34, where the incentive comprises a discount on a metered service provided to the metered service customer.

38. The method of claim 37, where establishing a processing system comprises establishing a meter reading outsourcing center operable to process meter reading data for multiple outsourcing engagements.

39. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

establishing a trust level for the metered service customer; and

establishing required meter reading data, required verification data, or both according to the trust level.

40. The method of claim 34, where the required meter reading data comprises a touch tone input representing the meter reading, and where the required verification data is null.