SMS COMMUNICATION FOR CELLULAR NODE

• US 20170303103A1
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cullinan, Thomas, Burtea, Valentin Mircea, Dukes, Brent
• Granted Patent: US 10,582,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/00 Tariff metering apparatus in taximeters G07B13/00; apparatus actuated by coins, cards or the like with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas, or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Disclosed are technologies for a communication system for a utility infrastructure system. The communication system includes a host configured to aggregate and collect utility data. The communication system also includes a remote, battery-powered node connected to a utility device of the utility infrastructure system. According to some examples, the node is configured to initiate a first communication message to the host via a first type of communication channel. The first type of communication channel is short message service (SMS), and the first communication message includes the utility data. The node is also configured to receive a SMS reply from the host, wherein the SMS reply includes information for communicating with the host via a second type of communication channel.

Claims

1. A communication system for a utility infrastructure system comprising:

a host configured to aggregate and collect utility data; and

a remote, battery-powered node connected to a utility device of the utility infrastructure system, the node configured to;

initiate a first communication message to the host via a first type of communication channel, wherein the first type of communication channel is short message service (SMS), and wherein the first communication message includes the utility data; and

receive a SMS reply from the host, wherein the SMS reply includes network protocol information for communicating with the host via a second type of communication channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the utility device is a water meter, wherein data related to utility data comprises one of utility consumption data and alert data, and wherein the utility infrastructure system is a water infrastructure system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the node is further configured to listen for the SMS reply during a listening period.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the node is configured to enter a sleep state when not in a listening period.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the listening period is one of a plurality of listening periods.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the network protocol information is internet protocol (“

IP”

) information, and wherein the second type of communication channel is an IP network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the node is further configured to:

establish a connection with the host over the IP network; and

send a second communication message to the host over the IP network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the SMS reply includes an acknowledgment confirming receipt of the first communication message by the host.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the node is further configured to:

establish a connection with the host over the second type of communication channel; and

send a second communication message to the host over the second type of communication channel.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the SMS reply further includes information about at least one of the group comprising of a time for the node to establish a connection with the host over the second type of communication channel, a time for the node to read the utility data, and a time to activate an activation device of the utility infrastructure associated with the utility meter.

11. A method for communicating utility data within a utility infrastructure system, the method comprising:

initiating, by a node, a first communication message to a host via a first type of communication channel, wherein the first type of communication channel is short message service (SMS), and wherein the node is a remote, battery-powered node of the utility infrastructure system;

receiving, by the node, a SMS reply from the host, wherein the SMS reply includes network protocol information for communicating with the host via a second type of communication channel; and

sending, by the node a second communication message to the host via the second type of communication channel based on the network protocol information in the SMS reply.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

waking, by the node, from a sleep state; and

listening, by the node, for the SMS reply during a listening period.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, by the node, utility data from a water meter, wherein the utility infrastructure system is a water infrastructure system, and wherein the first communication message initiated by the node includes the utility data from the water meter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network protocol information is internet protocol (“

IP) information, and wherein the second type of communication channel is an IP network.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

listening, by the node, during a listening period for a hailing SMS message from the host over the first type of communication channel; and

receiving, by the node, the hailing SMS message, wherein the initiation, by the node, of the first communication message is based on the receiving of the hailing SMS message.

16. A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium having a set of instructions stored therein that when executed by a processing element cause the processing element to perform and/or control operations comprising:

listening, by a node, for a first communication message from a host via a first type of communication channel during a listening period, wherein the first type of communication channel is short message service (SMS), wherein the first communication message includes network protocol information for communicating with the host via a second type of communication channel, and wherein the node is a remote, battery-powered node of a utility infrastructure system connected to a utility meter that measures utility data; and

sending, by the node, a second communication message to the host via the second type of communication channel based on the network protocol information in the first communication.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the network protocol information is internet protocol (“

IP”

) information, and wherein the second type of communication channel is an IP network.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein listening for the first communication message comprises waking from a sleep state and listening for the first communication message during a listening period.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein listening for the first communication message comprises initiating, by the node, a hailing SMS message to the host over the first type of communication channel, wherein the hailing SMS message comprises the utility data.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the utility infrastructure system is a water infrastructure system, and wherein the utility meter is a water meter.