Intelligent electric utility meter
First Claim
1. An improved electric utility meter unit of the type having a meter housing, means for connecting the unit to external power lines, means for connecting the power from the lines to the structure to which the meter unit is associated, and electromechanical measuring means for determining the quantity of electricity passing into the structure, wherein the improvement comprises:
- receptacle means, including a slot in said unit, for receiving a thin rectangular card, such as a credit card, having encodable medium included in its structure;
circuit means included in said unit for monitoring and regulating the electricity supplied to said structure;
transducer means for interchanging digital information between said card medium and said circuit means;
interface means, adapted to work in conjunction with said electromechanical measuring means, for converting the resulting quantity of electricity to a form usable by said circuit means and for transferring said converted quantity to said circuit means; and
indicator means, controlled by said circuit means, for numerically displaying an indication of the quantity of electricity passing to said structure in a time interval determined upon said insertion of said card.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A conventional electric utility meter is equipped with special circuitry and components which work in conjunction with an inserted magnetic card to regulate the supply of electricity to the structure to which the unit is attached. In addition to including the conventional dials which indicate overall kilowatt hours, the exterior of the unit includes a receptacle for the card and additional displays which show the kilowatt hours, and corresponding dollar value thereof, for the current payment period. The special circuitry includes a microprocessor, a set of magnetic read/write/erase heads, and a power relay. The circuitry interfaces with the conventional meter components by means of a photocell positioned above apertures or notches in the rotating disk of the meter. In the primary mode of operation, a prepayment card is inserted containing a predetermined kilowatt hour credit. The special circuitry senses this amount and adds it to the amount of power the customer is entitled to receive. Also, the circuitry warns the customer when only a small electricity credit remains. In an alternative mode, a blank postpayment card is inserted into the unit and the amount of the electricity utilized during the current payment period is encoded on the card. The card is then sent to the utility company as the basis of a future billing. Finally, the unlocking of the meter unit case is controlled by a special card code.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An improved electric utility meter unit of the type having a meter housing, means for connecting the unit to external power lines, means for connecting the power from the lines to the structure to which the meter unit is associated, and electromechanical measuring means for determining the quantity of electricity passing into the structure, wherein the improvement comprises:
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receptacle means, including a slot in said unit, for receiving a thin rectangular card, such as a credit card, having encodable medium included in its structure; circuit means included in said unit for monitoring and regulating the electricity supplied to said structure; transducer means for interchanging digital information between said card medium and said circuit means; interface means, adapted to work in conjunction with said electromechanical measuring means, for converting the resulting quantity of electricity to a form usable by said circuit means and for transferring said converted quantity to said circuit means; and indicator means, controlled by said circuit means, for numerically displaying an indication of the quantity of electricity passing to said structure in a time interval determined upon said insertion of said card. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An improved utility meter unit of the type having a meter housing, means for connecting the unit to external utility lines, means for supplying the utility from the meter to the structure with which the meter unit is associated, and measuring means for determining the quantity of the utility passing into the structure, wherein the improvement comprises:
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receptacle means, including a slot in said unit, for receiving a thin rectangular card, such as a credit card, having encodable medium included in its structure; circuit means included in said meter unit for monitoring and regulating the utility supplied to said structure; transducer means for interchanging digital information between said card medium and said circuit means; interface means, adapted to work in conjunction with said measuring means, for converting the resulting quantity of the utility to a form usable by said circuit means and for transferring said converted quantity to said circuit means; and indicator means, controlled by said circuit means, for numerically displaying an indication of the quantity of the utility passing to said structure in a time interval determined upon said insertion of said card. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification