Data transmission apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A system comprising a data collector and a plurality of end consumers connected to and supplied with a utility by a utility distribution station,wherein each end consumer comprises a metering device arranged to meter the end consumer'"'"'s consumption of the utility supplied by the distribution station, wherein the metering device is arranged to:
- report consumption data to the data collector using a high frequency ID, andreport the consumption data to the same data collector using a low frequency ID so that the consumption data reported by the metering device together with the low frequency ID is able to be attributed to a particular metering device,wherein the metering device is arranged to communicate with the data collector more frequently using the high frequency ID than using the low frequency ID, andwherein the data collector stores high frequency and low frequency IDs and is arranged to only accept consumption data carrying a said stored high frequency or a said low frequency ID,wherein the high frequency ID is anonymous to the data collector, so that the data collector cannot associate the consumption data reported by the metering device together with the high frequency ID with a particular metering device.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system comprising a data collector and a plurality of end consumers connected to and supplied with a utility by a utility distribution station. Each end consumer comprises a metering device arranged to meter the end consumer'"'"'s consumption of the utility supplied by the distribution station. The metering device is arranged to report consumption data to the data collector using a high frequency ID, the high frequency ID being anonymous so that the consumption data reported by the metering device together with the high frequency ID is not able to be associated to a particular metering device and to report the consumption data to the data collector using a low frequency ID so that the consumption data reported by the metering device together with the low frequency ID is able to be attributed to a particular metering device. The data collector stores IDs and is arranged to only accept consumption data carrying a said stored ID.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A system comprising a data collector and a plurality of end consumers connected to and supplied with a utility by a utility distribution station,
wherein each end consumer comprises a metering device arranged to meter the end consumer'"'"'s consumption of the utility supplied by the distribution station, wherein the metering device is arranged to: -
report consumption data to the data collector using a high frequency ID, and report the consumption data to the same data collector using a low frequency ID so that the consumption data reported by the metering device together with the low frequency ID is able to be attributed to a particular metering device, wherein the metering device is arranged to communicate with the data collector more frequently using the high frequency ID than using the low frequency ID, and wherein the data collector stores high frequency and low frequency IDs and is arranged to only accept consumption data carrying a said stored high frequency or a said low frequency ID, wherein the high frequency ID is anonymous to the data collector, so that the data collector cannot associate the consumption data reported by the metering device together with the high frequency ID with a particular metering device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A metering device arranged to meter an end consumer'"'"'s consumption of a utility supplied by a distribution station, wherein the metering device is arranged to:
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report consumption data to a data collector using a high frequency ID, the high frequency ID being anonymous to the data collector so that the consumption data reported by the metering device together with the high frequency ID is not able to be associated to a particular metering device; and report the consumption data to the same data collector using a low frequency ID so that the consumption data reported by the metering device together with the low frequency ID is able to be attributed to a particular metering device, wherein the consumption data is metering data transmitted via a communication channel using said high frequency ID more regularly than transmitting the metering data using the low frequency ID. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification