Methods and systems of reading utility meters and methods and systems of transmitting utility meter data
First Claim
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1. A method of polling of meter data measured by a plurality of utility measuring devices and transmitted over a plurality of wireless local area network (WLAN) channels, comprising:
- capturing a plurality of frames of a WLAN protocol which are transmitted periodically by the plurality of utility measuring devices over the plurality of WLAN channels, said plurality of frames are of a type of Management Frames,wherein a format of said plurality of frames is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association with an interrogation device is established,wherein each of said plurality of frames contains meter data of respective each of said plurality of utility measuring devices embedded in an Information Element (IE) field of said plurality of frames, wherein said plurality of frames are of the type of the Management Frames, said IE field and said Management Frames are defined according to said WLAN protocol, andwherein said transmission periodically by the plurality of utility measuring devices is conducted without establishing the WLAN association with the interrogation device;
extracting said meter data from said each of said plurality of frames; and
updating a plurality of consumer records, each one of the consumer records according to respective said meter data from the respective said each of said plurality of utility measuring device.
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Abstract
A method of polling of meter data measured by a plurality of utility measuring devices and transmitted over a plurality of wireless local area network (WLAN) channels. The method comprises capturing a plurality of management frames which are transmitted periodically by a plurality of utility measuring devices over a plurality of WLAN channels, extracting meter data from each the management frame, and updating a plurality of consumer records, each according to respective the meter data from a respective the utility measuring device.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of polling of meter data measured by a plurality of utility measuring devices and transmitted over a plurality of wireless local area network (WLAN) channels, comprising:
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capturing a plurality of frames of a WLAN protocol which are transmitted periodically by the plurality of utility measuring devices over the plurality of WLAN channels, said plurality of frames are of a type of Management Frames, wherein a format of said plurality of frames is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association with an interrogation device is established, wherein each of said plurality of frames contains meter data of respective each of said plurality of utility measuring devices embedded in an Information Element (IE) field of said plurality of frames, wherein said plurality of frames are of the type of the Management Frames, said IE field and said Management Frames are defined according to said WLAN protocol, and wherein said transmission periodically by the plurality of utility measuring devices is conducted without establishing the WLAN association with the interrogation device; extracting said meter data from said each of said plurality of frames; and updating a plurality of consumer records, each one of the consumer records according to respective said meter data from the respective said each of said plurality of utility measuring device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of providing an interrogation device with meter data over a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel of a plurality of WLAN channels, comprising:
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automatically receiving the meter data from at least one consumption reading unit of a plurality of consumption reading units, wherein the meter data is transmitted periodically by said at least one consumption reading unit over the plurality of WLAN channels; encoding said meter data to embedded meter data in an information element (IE) field of a frame, wherein the frame is of a type of Management Frame of a WLAN protocol, wherein a format of the frame in said IE and said Management Frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol; and wherein said frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association with the interrogation device is established; and transmitting said frame containing said encoded meter data over the WLAN channel without establishing the WLAN association with the interrogation device; extracting said encoded meter data from said frame; and updating a plurality of consumer records, each one of the consumer records according to respective said encoded meter data from respective each of said plurality of consumption reading units. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A utility measuring device, comprising:
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a power source; at least one consumption reading unit of a plurality of consumption reading units which measures consumption of at least one resource and outputs meter data accordingly; a processing unit which encodes said meter data in a dedicated Information Element (IE) field of a frame, wherein the frame is of a type of Management Frame of a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol, wherein a format of the frame in said Information Element field and said Management Frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol, and wherein said frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association with an interrogation device is established; and WLAN interface unit which periodically transmits said encoded meter data over a WLAN channel without establishing the WLAN association with the interrogation device, wherein extracting said encoded meter data from said frame; and
updating a plurality of consumer records, each one of the consumer records according to respective said encoded meter data from a respective each of said plurality of consumption reading units. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A system of monitoring a plurality of consumption reading units installed in a plurality of consumer sites, comprising:
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a plurality of utility measuring devices, each of the utility measuring devices transmits meter data, acquired from at least one consumption reading unit of the consumption reading units, over a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel, said meter data is encoded in a dedicated Information Element (IE) field of a respective frame, wherein the respective frame is of a type of Management Frame of said WLAN protocol; and an interrogation device which captures from said each utility measuring device of the utility measuring devices said respective frame and updates a plurality of consumer records, each of the plurality of consumer records according to respective said meter data which is extracted from said respective frame; wherein a format of said respective frame is in the Information Element and said Management Frame is defined according to said WLAN protocol for communication before a WLAN association is established, and wherein said plurality of utility measuring devices transmit said meter data without establishing the WLAN association with said interrogation device. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification