System and Method for Improved Transmission of Meter Data

Abstract

The system includes a number of first meters, which are typically battery powered transmit only devices. The system includes a number of two-way meters, which are operable to both transmit and receive data. The first meters transmit their data to the collector either directly or indirectly via the two-way meters, which serve as intermediaries. Multiple records from each first meter may be stored at each of the two-way meters, thereby ensuring that records from a one-way meter will not be blocked when an attempt is made to forward them to the collector. Furthermore, multiple records from each first meter may be stored at the collector, thereby enabling the transmission and storage of meter records in a number of different formats. Additionally, records from each first meter are marked to reflect a sequence in which they are generated, thereby ensuring that the collector will store the most recent data records available.

1 . A method for collecting a device record generated at a first device, the device record comprising a sequence number identifying a sequence in which the device record is generated, the method comprising: 
 receiving the device record at a collector;    storing the received device record at the collector if the update sequence number indicates that the received device record is more recently generated than an existing device record from the first device already stored at the collector.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising receiving the device record at a plurality of collectors.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising transmitting device data from the plurality of collectors to a server.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising receiving the device record at the collector from the first device, which is a one-way meter device.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising receiving the device record at the collector from the first device, which is a battery powered meter device.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising receiving the device record at the collector from the first device, which is a two-way meter device.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising receiving the device record at the collector directly from the first device.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising receiving the device record at the collector indirectly from the first device via an intermediate two-way device.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein receiving the device record at the collector indirectly from the first device via an intermediate two-way device comprises: 
 performing a periodic read of the intermediate two-way device;    detecting that at least one device record from at least one first device is available; and    sending a request for each of the detected device records until all of the detected device records have been retrieved at the collector.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising timestamping the device record at the intermediate two-way device.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 upon receiving the time stamped device record at the collector, comparing the received timestamped device record to another time stamped device record already stored at the collector;    determining that the other timestamp is invalid; and    overwriting the other timestamped device record with the received timestamped device record.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising timestamping the device record at the collector.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein storing the received device record at the collector comprises: 
 identifying a data format of the received device record and the existing device record;    determining whether the received device record has the same data format as the existing device record; 
 if not, then storing the received device record at the collector; and  
 if so, then comparing the sequence marker of the received device record with a sequence marker of the existing device record and overwriting the existing device record with the received device record if the received device record is more recently generated than the existing device record.  
   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein storing the received device record at the collector comprises storing the received device record along with previous received device records from the first device.  
   
   
       15 . A method for transmitting a device record generated at a first device to a two-way device, the method comprising: 
 receiving the device record at the two-way device; and    storing the device record at the two-way device in one of a plurality of memory locations.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising storing the device record in one of the plurality of memory locations implemented as a circular table whereby a number of memory writes to each particular memory location is minimized.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising receiving the device record at the two-way device from the first device, which is a one-way meter device.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising receiving the device record at the two-way device from the first device, which is a battery powered meter device.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising receiving the device record at the two-way device from the first device, which is a two-way meter device.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 transmitting from the two-way device to a collector an exception message including the device record; and    receiving at the two-way device from the collector an acknowledgement that causes the two-way device to clear the device record from its memory location.    
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 receiving at the two-way device from a collector a first request to read the device record;    transmitting the device record from the two-way device to the collector;    receiving at the two-way device from the collector a second request for a next device record associated with the first device, the second request comprising instructions to clear the previously transmitted device record from its memory location at the two-way device; and    clearing the previously transmitted device record from its memory location at the two-way device.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising recursively transmitting device records from the two-way device to the collector until all device records associated with the first device are cleared from the memory at the two-way device.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising timestamping the device record at the two-way device.  
   
   
       24 . An automated device reading system comprising: 
 a first device that generates and transmits a device record comprising a sequence number identifying a sequence in which the device record is generated; and    a collector that receives the device record from the one way device and stores the received device record if the sequence number indicates that the received device record is more recently generated than an existing device record from the first device already stored at the data collector.    
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the collector is one of a plurality of collectors receiving the device record.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising a server that receives device data from the plurality of collectors.  
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the first device is a one-way meter device.  
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the first device is a battery powered meter device.  
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the first device is a two-way meter device.  
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the device record further comprises a first data format code identifying a data format of the device record.  
   
   
       31 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the collector determines whether the existing device record has a same data format as the received device record, and overwrites the existing device record with the received device record if the sequence number of the received device record indicates that the received device record is more recently generated than the existing device record.  
   
   
       32 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the collector timestamps the device record when the device record is received by the collector.  
   
   
       33 . The system of  claim 24 , further comprising an intermediate two-way device that relays the device record from the first device to the collector.  
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein the intermediate two-way device timestamps the device record when the device record is received by the intermediate two-way device.  
   
   
       35 . An automated device reading system comprising: 
 a first device that generates and transmits a device record;    a two-way device that receives the device record from the one way device and stores the device record in one of a plurality of memory locations.    
   
   
       36 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the plurality of memory locations are implemented as a circular table whereby a number of memory writes to each particular memory location is minimized.  
   
   
       37 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the first device is a one-way meter device.  
   
   
       38 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the first device is a battery powered meter device.  
   
   
       39 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the first device is a two-way meter device.  
   
   
       40 . The system of  claim 35 , further comprising a collector.  
   
   
       41 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the two-way device transmits to the collector an exception message including the device record.  
   
   
       42 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the two-way device receives from the collector a request to read the device record, and transmits the device record to the collector in response to the request.  
   
   
       43 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the two-way device timestamps the device record when the device record is received by the two-way device.  
   
   
       44 . A processor-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for establishing a wireless communication network among a plurality of devices, the instructions, when executed by a processor at a collector, causing the processor at said collector to: 
 receive a device record generated at a first device, the device record comprising a sequence number identifying a sequence in which the device record is generated;    store the received device record if the update sequence number indicates that the received device record is more recently generated than an existing device record from the first device already stored at the collector.    
   
   
       45 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 44 , wherein the collector is one of a plurality of collectors receiving the device record.  
   
   
       46 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 45 , further comprising a server that receives device data from the plurality of collectors.  
   
   
       47 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 44 , wherein the first device is a one-way meter device.  
   
   
       48 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 44 , wherein the first device is a battery powered meter device.  
   
   
       49 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 44 , wherein the first device is a two-way meter device.  
   
   
       50 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 44 , wherein the device record further comprises a first data format code identifying a data format of the device record.  
   
   
       51 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 44 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to store the received device record by determining whether the existing device record has a same data format as the received device record, and overwriting the existing device record with the received device record if the sequence number of the received device record indicates that the received device record is more recently generated than the existing device record.  
   
   
       52 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 44 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to timestamp the device record when the device record is received by the collector.  
   
   
       53 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 44 , further comprising an intermediate two-way device that relays the device record from the first device to the collector.  
   
   
       54 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 53 , wherein the intermediate two-way device timestamps the device record when the device record is received by the intermediate two-way device.  
   
   
       55 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 54 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to upon receiving the timestamped device record at the collector, compare the received timestamped device record to another timestamped device record already stored at the collector; 
 determine that the other timestamp is invalid; and    overwrite the other timestamped device record with the received timestamped device record.    
   
   
       56 . A processor-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for establishing a wireless communication network among a plurality of devices, the instructions, when executed by a processor at a two-way device, causing the processor at said two-way device to: 
 receive a device record generated at a first device; and    store the device record in one of a plurality of memory locations.    
   
   
       57 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 56 , wherein the plurality of memory locations are implemented as a circular table whereby a number of memory writes to each particular memory location is minimized.  
   
   
       58 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 56 , wherein the first device is a one-way meter device.  
   
   
       59 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 56 , wherein the first device is a battery powered meter device.  
   
   
       60 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 56 , wherein the first device is a two-way meter device.  
   
   
       61 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 56 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit to a collector an exception message including the device record.  
   
   
       62 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 56 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: 
 receive from a collector a request to read the device record; and    transmit the device record to the collector in response to the request.    
   
   
       63 . The processor-readable medium of  claim 56 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to timestamp the device record when the device record is received by the two-way device.