Meter reading system

• US 5,278,551 A
• Filed: 04/06/1993
• Issued: 01/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nitto Kohki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nitto Kohki Company Limited
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hajime, Shimizu, Giichiro, Wakatsuki, Yoshio, Shimizu, Misao, Okuyama, Toshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Weldon, Ulysses
• Application Number:
  US08/042,919
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380-382.5, 235/456, 235/462, 235/472, 364/464.04, 340/870.02, 340/870.05, 341/22, 368/41
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A meter at each user'"'"'s house has a bar-coded user number shown thereon, and has a display section for displaying a reading. A data input terminal unit has a bar code reader for reading the user number and a keyboard for manually inputting a present reading. A data recording controller has a meter reading data file having a present reading for each user number. The data input terminal unit radio-transmits a read user number to the data recording controller and radio-receives a previous reading, corresponding to the user number, from said data recording controller. The data input terminal unit computes the amount used from this previous reading and the present reading manually input, and causes a printer to print meter reading data including this used amount on a reading slip while radio-transmitting it to the data recording controller.

Claims

1. A meter reading system comprising:

a data recording controller mounted on a vehicle, said vehicle being in general proximity to a meter to be read, said controller including a meter reading data file having a data storage area formed for storing a previous reading for each user number and capable of storing at least a present reading and charged rate, said data recording controller further including an RF transceiver for receiving and transmitting data;

a meter placed at a house of each user and having a display section for displaying a present reading and having a bar-coded user number attached onto a front surface of said meter; and

a data input terminal unit for radio-transmitting and receiving data directly to and from said data recording controller, said data input terminal unit comprising,

a casing having an end portion, the size of which is such that the end portion can be held by one hand,

a pen-scanner type bar code reader, attached to one end of said casing in the longitudinal direction, for reading said bar-coded user number attached on said meter,

a keyboard, attached near the other end of said casing in the longitudinal direction, for manually entering a present reading according to a reading displayed on said display section of said meter,

a transmitting/receiving means, included within said casing, for transmitting wirelessly to said data recording controller said user number read by said bar code reader and for receiving wirelessly a previous reading associated with said user number from said data recording controller,

used-amount computing means, included within said casing, for computing the amount used from said previous reading as obtained from said data recording controller in response to said user number and said present reading entered through said keyboard,

printer means, attached to the other end of said casing in the longitudinal direction, responsive to said computing means for printing on a reading slip, meter reading data including at least said previous reading and said computed amount used, and

means, included within said casing and responsive to said keyboard for causing the wireless transmission of said meter reading data to said data recording controller by said transmitting/receiving means.

2. A meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein said data recording controller includes means for retrieving said meter reading data file to read said previous reading and transmitting said previous reading to said data input terminal unit in accordance with an inquiry from said data input terminal unit.

3. A meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein said data recording controller includes means for storing at least a present reading into said meter reading data file based on said meter reading data sent from said meter reading data transmitting means of said data input terminal unit.

4. A meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein said data input terminal unit further includes rate computing means for computing a charged rate based on a used amount computed by said used-amount computing means.

5. A meter reading system according to claim 4, wherein said reading slip printer means of said data input terminal unit includes means for permitting said printer to also print on said reading slip said charged rate computed by said rate computing means.

6. A meter reading system according to claim 5, wherein said meter reading data wireless transmitting means of said data input terminal unit includes means for also transmitting rate data representing charged rate computed by said rate computing means, to said data recording controller.

7. A meter reading system according to claim 6, wherein said data recording controller includes means for storing at least a present reading and a charged rate into said meter reading data file based on said meter reading data and said rate data, sent from said meter reading data wireless transmitting means of said data input terminal unit.