Automated meter reading, billing and payment processing system

• US 7,385,524 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2000
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James Robert Orlosky
• Original Assignee: James Robert Orlosky
• Inventors: Orlosky, James Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Borissov; Igor N
• Application Number:
  US10/380,940
• Time in Patent Office: 2,819 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.01, 340/870.02, 340/870.03, 340/870.28, 250/356.1, 250/356.2, 250/302, 738/610.5, 738/617.7, 738/610.6, 705/412, 705/413, 235/94.R, 235/94.A
• US Class Current: 340/870.28
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/008 Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• 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

The present invention includes an automatic commodity or services billing and metering system that when installed does not damage any existing meters or gauges, will fit virtually all known meters and gauges, and has incorporated into the system programmable reading ability to allow reading and accumulation of data by unit, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or any other form of counting required by the customer. The meters are read by various means, one method is by counting and or sensing radiation increases and decreases of radiation emitting from a meter hand or gauge passing a sensor to generate a count. The read data is then sent via the Internet through the telephone line, by satellite, or by cellular phone connection to an offsite central billing and payment processing center where the rate payer and the utility or customer will have various forms of programmable access to its consumption data.

Claims

1. A utility meter reading device comprising:

a sensor to generate a periodic input signal based on a commodity usage tracking signal, where the commodity usage tracking signal characterizes use of a commodity by a customer of a commodity provider;

a processing module to generate usage data based on the periodic input signal and identification data corresponding to the meter;

a transceiver operatively coupled to the processing module, the transceiver to condition the usage data for transmission;

an antenna operatively coupled to the transceiver;

a power supply to provide the reading device with a power signal; and

a power conditioning unit operatively coupled to the power supply, the power conditioning unit conditioning the power signal for use in the reading device;

said sensor receiving the tracking signal from the meter over a dielectric communication path;

said sensor including a radioactive emission sensor such that the tracking signal corresponds to radioactive emissions originating from a movable component of the meter, wherein the radioactive emissions are continuously received by the sensor during movement of the movable component, wherein transitions of the movable component between a minimum distance from the sensor and a maximum distance from the sensor correspond to respective maximum and minimum values in radioactive emission strength and respective maximum and minimum amplitudes of the periodic input signal, wherein the processing module is configured to count revolutions of the movable component based on a period of the periodic input signal, and wherein changes in the period are proportional to a rate of commodity usage by the customer so that a higher rate of commodity consumption corresponds to a shorter period.

2. The reading device of claim 1 wherein the commodity usage tracking signal characterizes use of electricity by the customer of the commodity provider.

3. The reading device of claim 1 wherein the commodity usage tracking signal characterizes use of water by the customer of the commodity provider.

4. The reading device of claim 1 wherein the commodity usage tracking signal characterizes use of natural gas by the customer of the commodity provider.

5. The reading device of claim 1, further including:

a radiation shielding container coupled to the moving component and having surfaces defining an opening, wherein the radioactive isotope is disposed within the radiation shielding container, the opening to direct the radioactive emissions toward the sensor.