Processing and presenting information received from a plurality of remote sensors

• US 6,380,851 B1
• Filed: 05/12/1999
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Landis+Gyr Innovations Incorporated (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Resource Management Services Incorporated (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Gilbert, Bradley L., Cleary, Therese M.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/310,457
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/508, 340/517, 340/524, 340/525, 340/825.06, 340/825.36, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 340/517
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/24 for parking meters
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements

Abstract

The application discloses a processing system that includes a processor configured to qualify, based at least in part upon meta information, environmental status information extracted from signals received from a plurality of remote sensors, each of the sensor signals being indicative of the condition of a respective environment being monitored by a corresponding one of the sensors. The processor preferably is configured to generate a report of the status of a plurality of physically distributed environments based at least in part upon correlation of environmental status information extracted from a plurality sensor signals indicative of the condition of a plurality of respective monitored environments with information relating to the activities of one or more entities authorized to interact with the monitored environments. Methods of processing information received from a plurality of remote sensors also are disclosed.

Claims

1. A processing system, comprising:

a processor configured to qualify environmental status information extracted from signals received form a plurality of sensors located at a first remote location, wherein each of the sensor signals is indicative of the condition of a respective environment being monitored by a corresponding one of the sensors, and wherein the environmental status information is extracted at a second remote location and is qualified at least in part on meta information to distinguish authorized from unauthorized interactions with the monitored environment.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one collector configured to extract environmental status information from signals received from one or more sensors.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of remote sensors each configured to monitor one or more parameters representative of the condition of a respective environment and to transmit signals representative of the one or more monitored parameters.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the sensors has a wireless transmitter for transmitting signals representative of the one or more monitored parameters.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive from a user meta information for qualifying the environmental status information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to receive meta information in the form of a schedule of planned visits to each of the monitored environments.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to receive in real time meta information from a user in the form of a schedule of one or more planned visits to one or more of the monitored environments.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to qualify sensor signals representative of an alarm condition based upon the received meta information.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to qualify sensor signals representative of an alert condition based upon the received meta information.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to present the qualified environmental status information on a display.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to present on the display a form prompting a user to enter meta information for qualifying the environmental status information.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is configured to monitor the physical condition of a respective parking meter.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the sensors is configured to monitor opening and closing of the parking meter.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is configured to monitor the physical condition of a respective vending machine.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is configured to monitor the physical condition of a respective piece of office equipment.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is configured to monitor the physical condition of a respective residential home.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the environmental status information corresponds at least in part to the amount of funds contained in a plurality of remote, physically distributed parking meter systems, and the processor is configured to qualify the environmental status information to provide an indication when the parking meter systems should be scheduled for collection.

18. A processing system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors located at a first remote location and configured to monitor one or more parameters representative of the condition of a respective environment and to transmit signals representative of the one or more monitored parameters;

at least one collector located at a second remote location and configured to extract environmental status information from signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensors; and

a processor configured to qualify the extracted environmental status information based at least in part upon meta information to distinguish authorized from unauthorized interactions with the monitored environment.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein each of the sensors is configured to monitor the physical condition of a respective parking meter.

20. A processing system, comprising:

a processor configured to generate a report to distinguish authorized from unauthorized interactions with a plurality of physically distributed environments located at a first remote location, wherein the report is based at least in part upon correlation of environmental status information extracted at a second remote location from a plurality of sensor signals received from the first remote location and indicative of the condition of the plurality of physically distributed environments with information relating to the activities of one or more entities authorized to interact with the physically distributed environments.

21. A processing method, comprising:

qualifying environmental status information extracted from signals received from a plurality of sensors located at a first remote location, wherein each of the sensor signals is indicative of the condition of a respective environment being monitored by a corresponding one of the sensors, and wherein the environmental status information is extracted at a second remote location and is qualified based at least in part upon meta information to distinguish authorized from unauthorized interactions with the monitored environment.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising extracting environmental status information from signals received from one or more sensors.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising monitoring one or more parameters representative of the condition of a respective environment and wirelessly transmitting signals representative of the one or more monitored parameters.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving from a user meta information for qualifying the environmental status information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein meta information is received in the form of a schedule of planned visits to each of the monitored environments.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein meta information is received in real time from a user in the form of a schedule of one or more planned visits to one or more of the monitored environments.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein sensor signals representative of an alarm condition are qualified based upon the received meta information.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein sensor signals representative of an alert condition are qualified based upon the received meta information.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising presenting the qualified environmental status information on a display.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising displaying a form prompting a user to enter meta information for qualifying the environmental status information.

31. A processing method, comprising:

monitoring one or more parameters indicative of the condition of a plurality of environments, with a respective plurality of sensors located at a first remote location;

wirelessly transmitting signals representative of the one or more monitored parameters;

receiving the transmitted signals at a second remote location;

extracting environmental status information from the received signals at the second remote location; and

qualifying the extracted environmental status information based at least in part upon meta information received from a user to distinguish authorized from unauthorized interactions with the plurality of environments.

32. A processing method, comprising:

receiving environmental status information at a second remote location from a plurality of sensor signals transmitted from a plurality of sensors located at a first remote location and indicative of the condition of a plurality of physically distributed environments;

receiving meta information relating to the activities of one or more entities authorized to interact with the plurality of physically distributed environments;

correlating the environmental status information with the meta information to distinguish authorized from unauthorized interactions with the plurality of physically distributed environments; and

generating a report of the status of the plurality of physically of physically distributed environments based at least in part upon the results of the correlation.

33. The processing method of claim 32, further comprising presenting the report to a supervising entity.

34. A parking meter security system, comprising:

a plurality of parking meters distributed along one or more routes;

a plurality of remote sensors respectively attached to the plurality of parking meters and configured to monitor one or more parameters representative of the condition of the parking meters and to transmit signals representative of the one or more monitored parameters;

one or more collectors distributed along the one or more parking meter routes, wherein each collector is configured to extract environmental status information from the signals received from the remote sensors attached to the parking meters along the one or more routes; and

a gateway device comprising a processor configured to qualify the extracted environmental status information based at least in part upon meta information to distinguish authorized from unauthorized interactions with the parking meters distributed along the one or more routes.

35. A processing method, comprising:

monitoring one or more parameters indicative of the condition of a plurality of parking meters distributed along one or more routes with a plurality of sensors respectively attached to the meters;

wirelessly transmitting signals representative of the one or more monitored parameters to one or more collectors respectively distributed along the one or more parking meter routes;

receiving the transmitted signals;

extracting environmental status information from the received signals; and

qualifying the extracted environmental status information based at least in part upon meta information to distinguish authorized from unauthorized interactions with the parking meters distributed along the one or more routes.