MOBILE METER READING FOR LOCATING STOLEN UTILITY METERS
First Claim
1. A method of locating a stolen meter reading device, the method comprising:
- receiving a set of identifiers, each identifier uniquely identifying a stolen meter reading device;
generating a first route comprising the stolen meter reading devices identified by the set of identifiers;
providing the first route and at least one additional route comprising a plurality of meter reading devices to a collection device;
receiving a transmission from a particular stolen meter reading device, the transmission comprising the identifier that uniquely identifies the particular stolen meter reading device; and
recording an indicator of a location of the collection device when the transmission was received.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, collection device, and automatic meter reading (AMR) system for locating stolen utility meters use a set of identifiers, such as transponder serial numbers, to build a route of utility meters that have been reported as having been stolen. When each mobile collection device'"'"'s daily routes are prepared, the route of stolen utility meters is added to the other routes for which the mobile collection device is ordinarily tasked with collecting meter read data. As the mobile collection device traverses its daily routes, it collects meter read data for the stolen utility meters along with the meter read data for its other routes. The route of stolen utility meters is unloaded from the mobile collection device along with the other daily routes when the read process is finished. The route of stolen utility meters may contain information that may assist the utility company in locating the stolen utility meters.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of locating a stolen meter reading device, the method comprising:
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receiving a set of identifiers, each identifier uniquely identifying a stolen meter reading device; generating a first route comprising the stolen meter reading devices identified by the set of identifiers; providing the first route and at least one additional route comprising a plurality of meter reading devices to a collection device; receiving a transmission from a particular stolen meter reading device, the transmission comprising the identifier that uniquely identifies the particular stolen meter reading device; and recording an indicator of a location of the collection device when the transmission was received. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A collection device comprising:
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a receiver configured to receive radio signals from a plurality of meter reading devices, each meter reading device having a transponder that is uniquely associated with a respective serial number; a processor executing processor-executable instructions to control operation of the collection device; and a memory in communication with the processor and storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control operation of the collection device to receive a plurality of serial numbers uniquely identifying a plurality of transponders of a plurality of stolen meter reading devices, generate a first route comprising the stolen meter reading devices whose transponders are identified by the received serial numbers, use the receiver to receive radio signals from at least one meter reading device of the first route and from at least one additional meter reading device of an additional route, the radio signals comprising a transmission from a particular stolen meter reading device, the transmission comprising the serial number that is uniquely associated with the transponder of the particular stolen meter reading device, and record an indicator of a location of the collection device when the transmission was received. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An automatic meter reading (AMR) system comprising:
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a plurality of gas meter reading devices, each gas meter reading device comprising a respective transponder uniquely associated with a serial number; a collection device comprising a transceiver configured to receive radio signals from the gas meter reading devices, a processor executing processor-executable instructions to control operation of the collection device, and a memory in communication with the processor and storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control operation of the collection device to receive a first route comprising a plurality of stolen gas meter reading devices and an additional route comprising a plurality of additional gas meter reading devices, use the transceiver to receive radio signals from at least one stolen gas meter reading device of the first route and from at least one additional gas meter reading device of the additional route, the radio signals comprising a transmission from a particular gas stolen meter reading device, the transmission comprising the serial number that is uniquely associated with the transponder of the particular stolen gas meter reading device, and record an indicator of a set of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the collection device when the transmission was received; and an AMR database in communication with the collection device and configured to store the set of GPS coordinates of the collection device when the transmission was received and the serial number that is uniquely associated with the transponder of the particular stolen gas meter reading device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification