The present invention relates to utility meter monitoring systems and particularly to a system for automatically and remotely reading and processing data from one or more utility meters.
Efforts have been made to automate utility meters; i.e., gas, electric, water, for many years. The reason for the efforts is abundantly clear. The present manual system requires meter readers to visit every user premises, residence and business, and actually read the utility consumption from the meter dials. The cost is considerable and the reliability is subject to human error.
The various efforts to automate utility meter readings have included early efforts to use wireless devices and direct wiring between the user facility and utility. These efforts have not materialized, probably due to the high cost involved.
Other proposed systems have focused on use of existing telephone lines to facilitate utility meter reading.
One system described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 26,331 Brothman et al. relies on the telephone leakage testing systems, which varies from company to company and is subject to change. Other systems have utilized the tip and ring of the telephone line to provide a communication line between the utility meter and the utility office. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,490, Pettis, a D.C. system is disclosed in which resistances are switched on and off across the tip and ring of a telephone line by the least significant digit pointer of the utility meter. Each resistance change is sensed in a central office and counted. An A.C. system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,849 Oliver also relies on the tip and ring of the telephone line but is a one way communication system adapted to be powered by the telephone line when in the idle ON-HOOK condition. Although these various systems have their particular functions and advantages they all lack broad versatility and adaptability for use with a wide variety of utility meters
The present invention is directed to providing a fully automated, error-free, two-way system for remotely reading and managing the data from utility meters of all types in a rapid and efficient manner.
The present system is intended to save utility companies tremendous meter reading expense, provide essentially 100% coverage of all meters, speed up billing cycles and improve customer relations. Furthermore, through the use of the system a utility can position itself in the future as an energy manager as well as a utility supplier.