Automatic incremental metering

Claim 1

AUTOMATIC METERING APPARATUS COMPRISING A GROUP OF UP TO A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ELECTRIC METER INSTALLATIONS EACH INCLUDING AN INTEGRATING ELECTRICAL INDUCTION WATTHOUR METER UNIT HAVING A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM CAPACITY FOR MEASURING THE RATE OF SUPPLY OF POWER TO A CONSUMER LOAD THERETHROUGH FROM ELECTRIC SERVICE MAINS, WHEREBY ONLY ONE PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF THE SUPPLY WHICH REPRESENTS AN ACCEPTABLE RESOLUTION IN MEASUREMENT OF THE SUPPLY TO THE LOAD CAN BE MEASURED THROUGH SAID METER UNIT WITHIN A PREDETERMINED PERIOD, DIFFERENT ELECTRICAL SIGNALLING MEANS FORMING A PART OF EACH OF SAID METER INSTALLATIONS AND EACH CONTROLLED BY THE METER UNIT THEREOF TO DEVELOP AN ELECTRICAL PULSE TRAIN OUTPUT WITHIN A PREDETERMINED INTERVAL WHICH IS SHORT IN RELATION TO SAID PERIOD AND DISTINCTIVELY IDENTIFYING THE METER INSTALLATION OF WHICH IT IS A PART RESPONSIVE TO EACH SUCCESSIVE PASSAGE OF SAID PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF SUPPLY TO ITS LOAD, SAID PULSE TRAIN OUTPUT INCLUDING A FIRST PULSE FOR CONTROLLING OPERATION OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT FOLLOWED BY A CODING IN WHICH THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF PULSES AT PREDETERMINED TIMES CONSTITUTE BITS OF A BINARY CODING DISTINCTIVELY IDENTIFYING THE METER INSTALLATION IN WHICH IT ORIGINATES, DIFFERENT MEANS OPERATED BY EACH OF SAID METER UNITS CONTROLLING THE SIGNALLING MEANS THEREOF TO PRODUCE A FURTHER PULSE IN THE OUTPUT THEREOF ONLY EACH SUCCESSIVE TIME SAID METER UNIT MEASURES A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF SAID PREDETERMINED AMOUNTS OF SUPPLY TO ITS LOAD, RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY MEANS REMOTE FROM SAID METER INSTALLATIONS, AND A COMMUNICATION LINK APPLYING