Advanced metering system enabling regulation and billing of utilities by third party interagent

• US 6,553,353 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2000
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John Joseph Littlejohn
• Original Assignee: John Joseph Littlejohn
• Inventors: Littlejohn, John Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US09/493,600
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 324/115, 324/116, 324/142, 340/870.01, 700/291, 702/61, 702/62, 702/60, 705/39, 705/40, 705/41, 705/400, 705/412, 705/413
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/00 Arrangements for measuring time integral of electric power or current, e.g. electricity meters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/003 for electricity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

A power metering apparatus provides utility services to a customer'"'"'s facility when the customer prepays or makes other sufficient advance payment assurances. This apparatus is inserted between the utility company'"'"'s delivery lines and the customer'"'"'s facility. A utility service interagent establishes an account with a utility supplier for the provision of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility, with responsibility for payment and/or provision of utility services lying with the power interagent. When the customer desires utility services, the customer. submits prepayment by various means, such as (1) purchasing a payment card and locally presenting the card to the metering apparatus, or (2) providing prepayment or other payment assurances to the interagent via telephone, cable, internet, or another means, in which case the interagent sends machine-readable payment notification to the metering apparatus via telephone, cable connection, etc. Ultimately, the metering apparatus selectively enables the delivery of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility depending upon whether the customer has made adequate prepayments.

Claims

1. A method of doing business, comprising the following operations:

a utility interagent interposing a metering apparatus between a utility company'"'"'s delivery line and a customer'"'"'s utility consuming facility, the apparatus selectively enabling delivery of utility services from the utility company to the customer'"'"'s facility;

the interagent assuming financial responsibility for utility services delivered to the customer'"'"'s facility, and paying for delivered utility services as measured by the utility company; and

the metering apparatus automatically enabling delivery of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility only when the customer has made payment assurances of prescribed character to the interagent.

2. The method of claim 1, the utility services comprising electric power and operations further comprising:

the power interagent arranging for wheeling of electric power to an electric power company that operates the delivery line.

3. The method of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

the metering apparatus accepting customer submission of machine-readable indicia of the payment assurances.

4. The method of claim 1, the metering apparatus maintaining a balance of payment assurances and the operation of automatically enabling the delivery of utility services comprising:

enabling the delivery of utility services only when there is a positive balance of payment assurances.

5. The method of claim 4, the operations further comprising reducing the balance of payment assurances in accordance with delivery of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility.

6. The method of claim 1, the operations further comprising the interagent receiving payment assurances from the customer for delivery of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility.

7. The method of claim 2, the operation of receiving payment assurances comprising at least one of the following operations:

charging funds to a credit card of the customer;

debiting funds from a bank account of the customer;

receiving cash from the customer;

refinancing real property of the customer at an interest rate that incorporates payment for utility services;

obtaining the customer'"'"'s agreement to make payment to the interagent.

8. The method of claim 6, the operations further comprising:

the power interagent transmitting machine-readable notification of the received payment assurances to the metering apparatus.

9. The method of claim 6, the payment assurances being received via at least one of the following:

in person, postal service, internet web site, e-mail, wire transfer, automated teller machine, telephone, wireless link.

10. A method for operating a third party utility service metering apparatus including a switch interposed between a utility company'"'"'s delivery line and a customer'"'"'s utility consuming facility, a local meter, at least one input device to receive signals remotely transmitted by a third party, and a controller coupled to the switch and the local meter and the input device, the method comprising operations of:

the input device receiving the third party'"'"'s remotely transmitted notifications of the customer having made payment assurances of a prescribed character to the third party, and forwarding each said notification to the controller;

the controller recalculating a utility service balance to reflect each said notification;

the local meter measuring delivery of utilities to the customer'"'"'s facility, and the controller reducing the utility service balance in accordance therewith; and

the controller configuring the switch to enable delivery of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility whenever there is a positive utility service balance, otherwise configuring the switch to disable delivery of utility services.

11. The method of claim 10, where each notification includes an amount of utility services for which payment assurances have been made.

12. The method of claim 10, where:

each notification includes a monetary amount for which payment assurances have been made; and

the operations further include the utility service metering apparatus receiving a utility service rate.

13. The method of claim 10, where:

the utility services comprise electrical power;

the utility service metering apparatus additionally includes a power conserving device; and

the operations further include the power conserving device conditioning electricity delivered by the utility service metering apparatus to reduce power consumption at the customer'"'"'s facility.

14. A signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method for operating a third party utility service metering apparatus including a switch interposed between a utility company delivery line and a customer'"'"'s utility consuming facility, a local meter, at least one input device to receive remotely transmitted signals by a third party, and a controller coupled to the switch and the local meter and the input device, the method comprising operations of:

the input device receiving the third party'"'"'s remotely transmitted notifications of the customer having made payment assurances of a prescribed character to the third party, and forwarding each said notification to the controller;

the controller recalculating a utility service balance to reflect each said notification;

the local meter measuring delivery of utilities to the customer'"'"'s facility, and the controller reducing the utility service balance in accordance therewith; and

the controller configuring the switch to enable delivery of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility whenever there is a positive utility service balance, otherwise configuring the switch to disable delivery of utility services.

15. A logic circuit of multiple interconnected electrically conductive elements configured to perform a method for operating a third party utility service metering apparatus including a switch interposed between a utility company delivery line and a customer'"'"'s utility consuming facility, a local meter, at least one input device to receive signals remotely transmitted by a third party, and a controller coupled to the switch and the local meter and input device, and input device, the method comprising operations of:

the input device receiving the third party'"'"'s remotely transmitted notifications of the customer having made payment assurances of a prescribed character to the third party, and forwarding each said notification to the controller;

the controller recalculating a utility service balance to reflect each said notification;

the local meter measuring delivery of utilities to the customer'"'"'s facility, and the controller reducing the utility service balance in accordance therewith; and

the controller configuring the switch to enable delivery of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility whenever there is a positive utility service balance, otherwise configuring the switch to disable delivery of utility services.

16. A third party utility service metering apparatus, comprising:

a utility service delivery path interposed between a utility company delivery line and a customer'"'"'s utility consuming facility, the path including a switch and a local meter to measure delivery of utilities to the customer'"'"'s facility;

at least one input device to receive remotely transmitted signals; and

a controller coupled to the switch, the local meter, and the input device, the controller being programmed to configure the switch by performing operations comprising;

receiving via the input device remotely transmitted notification of the customer having made payment assurances of a prescribed character to the third party;

recalculating a utility service balance to reflect each said notification;

reducing the utility service balance in proportion to the delivery of utility services as measured by the local meter; and

configuring the switch to enable delivery of utility services whenever there is a positive utility service balance, otherwise configuring the switch to disable delivery of utility services.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 the input device including at least one of the following:

a cable modem, a telephone modem, a wireless communications link.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a local card reader, coupled to the controller, to receive the customer'"'"'s submission of a payment card bearing machine-readable notification of customer prepayment for utility services.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, where:

the utility services comprise electrical power;

the apparatus further comprises a power conserving device.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a mode switch alternatively configurable by user input into settings comprising:

a METERING-ENABLED setting routing utility services through the utility service delivery path;

a SHUNT setting routing utility services from the utility company meter to the customer'"'"'s facility bypassing the utility service delivery path.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, the mode switch being additionally configurable by user input into an OFF setting preventing delivery of utility service to the customer.

22. A third party utility service metering apparatus, comprising:

a utility service delivery path interposed between a utility company delivery line and a customer'"'"'s utility consuming facility, the path including a switching means and a means for measuring delivery of utility services to the customer'"'"'s facility;

input means for receiving remotely transmitted signals; and

controller means, coupled to the switching means, means for measuring delivery, and input means, for configuring the switching means by performing operations comprising;

receiving via the input means remotely transmitted notification of the customer having made payment assurances of a prescribed character to the third party;

recalculating a utility service balance to reflect each said notification;

reducing the utility service balance in proportion to delivery of utilities to the customer'"'"'s facility as measured by the means for measuring delivery;

configuring the switching means to enable delivery of utility services whenever there is a positive utility service balance, otherwise configuring the switching means to disable delivery of utility services.