Remote metering system

Claim 1

IN A CONTROL APPARATUS HAVING SIGNAL CHANNEL MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN A CONTROL STATION AND A REMOTE STATION, A PLURALITY OF APPARATUS POINTS AT THE REMOTE STATION AND CORRESPONDING APPARATUS POINTS AT THE CONTROL STATION, MEANS AT THE CONTROL STATION AND THE REMOTE STATION FOR OPTIONALLY PERFORMING A MANUALLY INITIATED ONE-STEP OR A TWO-STEP SELECTIVE OPERATION OF CORRESPONDING PAIRS OF CONTROL POINTS OVER THE SIGNAL CHANNEL WHEREIN THE FIRST STEP COMPRISES SELECTION OF A CORRESPONDING PAIR OF POINTS FOR BOTH METERING AND CONTROL OPERATION AND WHEREIN THE OPTIONAL SECOND STEP COMPRISES A CONTROL OPERATION OF THE APPARATUS AT THE SELECTED PAIR OF POINTS, IN COMBINATION, METERING TRANSMITTING MEANS AT THE REMOTE STATION ASSOCIATED WITH ONE APPARATUS POINT OF ONE PAIR OF SAID CORRESPONDING POINTS, METERING RECEIVER MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CORRESPONDING APPARATUS POINT AT THE CONTROL STATION, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A FIRST SINGLE MANUAL OPERATION TO PERFORM THE FIRST STEP OF SAID SELECTIVE OPERATION, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE COMPLETION OF SAID FIRST STEP OF THE POINT SELECTION OPERATION AT SAID ONE PAIR OF CORRESPONDING APPARATUS POINTS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONNECTING THE METERING TRANSMITTING MEANS AND THE METERING RECEIVER MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ONE PAIR OF CORRESPONDING APPARATUS POINTS PRIOR TO SAID OPTIONAL SECOND STEP IN A METERING CIRCUIT ENERGIZED BY THE METERING TRANSMITTER, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A SECOND SINGLE MANUAL OPERATION FOR INITIATING SAID OPTIONAL SECOND STEP, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE INITIATION OF THE OPTIONAL SECOND STEP FOR DISCONNECTING THE METERING CIRCUIT, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE COMPLETION OF THE OPTIONAL SECOND STEP OF AN APPARATUS SELECTION AND CONTROL OPERATION AT SAID POINT FOR RECONNECTING SAID METERING CIRCUIT.