AUTOMATED FIELD PROVISIONING FOR ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

• US 20130060395A1
• Filed: 05/25/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hunt Energy IQ LP
• Original Assignee: Hunt Energy IQ LP
• Inventors: Burke, Robert, Sangal, Prateek
• Application Number:
  US13/481,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060395A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A mobile communication device, a computer-implemented method, and a computer program product are provided for automated field provisioning for energy management systems. A meter model is identified based on an electronic image of at least one of a serial number associated with a meter and a quick response code associated with the meter. A location identifier is determined based on a location of the mobile communication device. Information is communicated, via a communication network, to a server associated with an energy management system, wherein the information includes at least one of the meter model and the location identifier.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device for automated field provisioning for an energy management system, the mobile communication device including:

a computer;

a memory;

a user interface; and

a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the computer to;

identify a meter model based on an electronic image of at least one of a serial number associated with a meter and a quick response code associated with the meter;

determine a location identifier based on a location of the mobile communication device;

communicate information, via a communication network, to a server associated with an energy management system, wherein the information comprises at least one of the meter model and the location identifier.

2. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, further comprising outputting, via the user interface, a prompt to generate the electronic image of at least one of the serial number associated with the meter and the quick response code associated with the meter.

3. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, further comprising at least one of a scanner and a camera to generate the electronic image of at least one of the serial number associated with the meter and the quick response code associated with the meter.

4. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, wherein identifying the meter model comprises identifying a commodity.

5. A mobile communication device as in claim 4, wherein the information further comprises the commodity.

6. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, further comprising outputting, via the user interface, a request to select at least one of an organization associated with the meter and a site associated with the meter.

7. A mobile communication device as in claim 6, wherein the information further comprises the organization associated with the meter and the site associated with the meter.

8. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, further comprising outputting, via the user interface, a request to select at least one of a site type associated with the meter and a site size associated with the meter.

9. A mobile communication device as in claim 8, wherein the information further comprises the site type associated with the meter and the site size associated with the meter.

10. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, further comprising outputting, via the user interface, an option to confirm a site address based on the location identifier.

11. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, further comprising outputting, via the user interface, a request to generate a site photograph.

12. A mobile communication device as in claim 11, wherein the information further comprises the site photograph.

13. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, further comprising a camera to generate a site photograph.

14. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, further comprising outputting, via the user interface, a request to select at least one of a suggested utility provider and a suggested tariff, wherein at least one of the suggested utility provider and the suggested tariff is based on the location identifier.

15. A mobile communication device as in claim 14, wherein the information further comprises the selected utility provider and the selected tariff.

16. A mobile communication device as in claim 1, wherein the energy management system depicts live data from the meter prior to provisioning a second meter associated with a site associated with the location identifier.

17. A computer-implemented method for automated field provisioning for energy management systems, the method including the steps of:

identifying, by a computer program stored in a memory and executed by a computer, a meter model based on an electronic image of at least one of a serial number associated with a meter and a quick response code associated with the meter;

determining, by the computer program, a location identifier based on a location of a mobile communication device associated with the computer;

communicating information, by the computer program via a communication network, to a server associated with an energy management system, wherein the information includes at least one of the meter model and the location identifier.

18. A computer-implemented method as in claim 17, wherein determining the location identifier is based on at least one of a relative location based system, a latitude/longitude system, a map segment based system, a cellular triangulation system, a WiFi triangulation system, and a Global Positioning System (GPS).

19. A computer program product for automated field provisioning for energy management systems, the computer program product including:

a computer readable storage medium storing computer executable program code that, when executed by a processor, causes the computer executable program code to perform a method including the steps of;

identifying a meter model based on an electronic image of at least one of a serial number associated with a meter and a quick response code associated with the meter;

determining a location identifier based on a location of a mobile communication device associated with the processor;

communicating information, via a communication network, to a server associated with an energy management system, wherein the information includes at least one of the meter model and the location identifier.

20. A computer program product as in claim 19, wherein the communication network, comprises at least one of a cellular telephone network, a satellite network, a Wi-Fi network, an Internet, a Bluetooth communication network, a ZigBee communication network, and a near field communication (NFC) network.