Managing Supply of a Utility to a Customer Premises

• US 20080294452A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Arc Innovations Limited
• Original Assignee: Arc Innovations Limited
• Inventors: Hunt, Stephen Gregory
• Application Number:
  US12/095,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20080294452A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/00 Coin-freed apparatus with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/10 with alarm or warning devices, e.g. indicating the interrupting of the supply
• 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

The invention provides a method of managing supply of a utility to a customer premises. A utility meter and a disconnect switch are installed at the customer premises. A management system remote from the customer premises is interfaced to the utility meter and disconnect switch over a data network. The method includes transmitting a termination instruction over the data network if the utility meter has not received configuration information from the management system; transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network if the utility meter has received an override switch ON command from the management system; transmitting a termination instruction over the data network on detecting tampering with the meter; and transmitting a termination instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to terminate supply of the utility if the utility meter has received an override switch OFF command from the management system.

Claims

1. A method of managing supply of a utility to a customer premises in which a utility meter and a disconnect switch are installed at the customer premises and in which a management system remote from the customer premises is interfaced to the utility meter and disconnect switch over a data network, the method comprising:

transmitting a termination instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to terminate supply of the utility if the utility meter has not received configuration information from the management system;

transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network, causing activation of the disconnected switch to initiate supply of the utility if the utility meter has received an override switch ON command from the management system;

transmitting a termination instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnected switch to terminate supply of the utility on detecting tampering with the meter; and

transmitting a termination instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to terminate supply of the utility if the utility meter has received an override switch OFF command from the management system.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising transmitting a termination instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to terminate supply of the utility on detecting tampering with a customer display terminal.

3. The claim of claim 1 further comprising transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to initiate supply of the utility after a predetermined penalty time period following termination of the supply of the utility.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the predetermined penalty time period is one minute.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the predetermined penalty time period is 30 minutes.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

assigning a penalty rating to the user on detecting tampering with the meter; and

calculating the predetermined penalty time period at least partly from the penalty rating.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

assigning a credit limit to the utility meter; and

calculating a customer price based at least partly on utility supplied to the customer premises.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to initiate supply of the utility if the credit limit is greater than the customer price.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to initiate supply of the utility if the credit limit is greater than the customer price and if the customer'"'"'s payment for the utility is not overdue.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

providing an extended service facility to the utility meter; and

transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to initiate supply of the utility if the customer price is greater than the credit limit.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

associating an extended service limit with the extended service facility; and

monitoring the amount of utility provided to the customer premises during the extended service facility.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to initiate supply of the utility if the amount of utility provided is less than the extended service limit.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting a termination instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to terminate supply of the utility if the amount of utility provided is greater than the extended service limit.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the amount of utility provided is monitored for a predetermined extended time period, the method further comprising transmitting a termination instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to terminate supply of the utility if the amount of utility provided within the predetermined extended time period is greater than the extended service limit.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network causing activation of the disconnect switch to initiate supply of the utility after the predetermined extended time period following termination of the supply of the utility.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user request to initiate supply of the utility; and

transmitting an initiation instruction over the data network causing actuation of the disconnect switch to initiate supply of the utility.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising checking the disconnect switch for a predetermined operating mode and activating supply on detection of the predetermined operating mode.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the user request comprises a key or button press by the user.