Integrated Distribution Management System Channel Adapter

• US 20120191665A1
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Southern Company Services, Inc. (Southern Company)
• Original Assignee: Southern Company Services, Inc. (Southern Company)
• Inventors: Floyd, Gregory Ray, Hubbartt, Steven Kirk
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/687
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for communicating with an integrated distribution management system (IDMS). An IDMS often employs a communications protocol that is incompatible with a service oriented architecture. Accordingly, embodiments of the disclosure can allow utility computing systems in a service oriented architecture or in a messaging based environment to communicate with an IDMS.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

establishing, in at least one computing device, a session in a transmission control protocol (TCP) with at least one integrated distribution management system (IDMS);

receiving, in the at least one computing device, a request in the session from the IDMS to transmit a message to at least one recipient system;

publishing the message in at least one of a message history database and an enterprise system bus;

transmitting at least one of a message acknowledgement and an error message to the IDMS in the session; and

terminating the session with the IDMS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the session further comprises the steps of:

opening a socket between the at least one computing device and the IDMS; and

communicating with the IDMS via the socket.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of translating the message into a message format compatible with at least one of the enterprise service bus and a table in the message history database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one recipient system further comprises at least one of a customer information system, a voice system, a workforce management system, and an advanced metering infrastructure head-end.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one recipient system is at least one advanced metering infrastructure utility meter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting at least one of an acknowledgement and an error message to the IDMS further comprises:

creating an entry in the message history database corresponding to the at least one of the acknowledgement and the error message; and

marking the entry as one of delivered and undelivered in the message history database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

polling the message history database for an IDMS destined message from the at least one recipient system; and

transmitting the IDMS destined message to the IDMS in the session.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the message further comprises a request to receive data from the at least one recipient system, and the method further comprising the steps of:

publishing the request in the message format in at least one of the message history database and the enterprise service bus, wherein the request in the message format designates the at least one recipient system; and

polling at least one of the message history database and the enterprise service for a response to the request; and

transmitting at least one of a request response and an error message to the IDMS in the session, wherein the request response is translated to an IDMS message format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message further comprises a request to receive data from an AMI utility metering device, and the method further comprising the steps of:

publishing the request in the message format in at least one of the message history database and the enterprise service bus, wherein the request in the message format designates the AMI utility metering device as a recipient of the request; and

polling at least one of the message history database and the enterprise service for a response to the request; and

transmitting at least one of a ping response and an error message to the IDMS in the session, wherein the response to the request is translated into an IDMS message format.

10. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device;

an integrated distribution management system (IDMS) channel adapter executable in the at least one computing device, comprising

logic that establishes a session in a transmission control protocol (TCP) with at least one integrated distribution management system (IDMS);

logic that receives a request in the session from the IDMS to transmit a message to at least one recipient system;

logic that publishes the message in at least one of a message history database and an enterprise system bus (ESB);

logic that transmits at least one of a message acknowledgement and an error message to the IDMS in the session; and

logic that terminates the session with the IDMS.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the logic that establishes the session further comprises:

logic that opens a socket between the at least one computing device and the IDMS; and

logic that communicates with the IDMS via the socket.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the IDMS channel adapter further comprises logic that translates the message into a message format compatible with at least one of the enterprise service bus and a table in the message history database.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one recipient system further comprises at least one of a customer information system, a voice system, a workforce management system, and an advanced metering infrastructure head-end.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one recipient system is at least one advanced metering infrastructure utility meter.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the logic that transmits at least one of an acknowledgement and an error message to the IDMS further comprises:

creating an entry in the message history database corresponding to the at least one of the acknowledgement and the error message; and

marking the entry as one of delivered and undelivered in the message history database.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the IDMS channel adapter further comprises:

logic that polls the message history database for an IDMS destined message from the at least one recipient system; and

logic that transmits the IDMS destined message to the IDMS in the session.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the message further comprises a request to receive data from the at least one recipient system, and the IDMS channel adapter further comprises:

logic that publishes the request in the message format in at least one of the message history database and the enterprise service bus, wherein the request in the message format designates the at least one recipient system; and

logic that polls at least one of the message history database and the enterprise service for a response to the request; and

logic that transmits at least one of a request response and an error message to the IDMS in the session, wherein the request response is translated to an IDMS message format.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the message further comprises a request to receive data from an AMI utility metering device, and the IDMS channel adapter further comprises:

logic that publishes the request in the message format in at least one of the message history database and the enterprise service bus, wherein the request in the message format designates the AMI utility metering device as a recipient of the request; and

logic that polls at least one of the message history database and the enterprise service for a response to the request; and

logic that transmits at least one of a ping response and an error message to the IDMS in the session, wherein the response to the request is translated into an IDMS message format.

19. A system, comprising:

means for establishing a session in a transmission control protocol (TCP) with at least one integrated distribution management system (IDMS);

means for receiving a request in the session from the IDMS to transmit a message to at least one recipient system;

means for publishing the message in at least one of a message history database and an enterprise system bus (ESB);

means for transmitting at least one of a message acknowledgement and an error message to the IDMS in the session; and

means for terminating the session with the IDMS.