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Call in-bound remote reading and data collection system

  • US 5,434,911 A
  • Filed: 06/04/1993
  • Issued: 07/18/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A call in-bound remote reading and data collection system for the remote reading of utility meters, comprising:

  • data processing means for collecting, storing and processing data, said data processing means further including means for interconnecting said data processing means to conventional telephone lines;

    a meter interface unit remotely located from said data processing unit and being interconnected to at least one meter to be read; and

    wherein said meter interface unit further includes;

    elapsed time determining means for determining when a prespecified amount of time, an elapsed time interval, has elapsed, where one elapsed time interval is prespecified for making a scheduled automatic reading of the meter and another time interval is prespecified for making an unscheduled reading of the meter;

    phone line monitoring means for monitoring the telephone lines for telephone line transmissions;

    demand read means, responsive to said phone line monitoring means, for evaluating telephone line transmissions and determining when the telephone line transmissions indicate that the meter interface unit is to interconnect to the data processing means for the unscheduled reading of the meter;

    means for interconnecting said meter interface unit to said data processing means for communication and data transfer between said data processing means and said meter interface unit, where said meter interface unit is interconnected to said data processing means via the telephone lines when the elapsed time interval for making a particular meter reading is determined to have elapsed by said elapsed time determining means; and

    command and data processing means for processing commands from said data collection means and for outputting data, in response to the commands received, to said data collection means.

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