Apparatus for central recording of remote meter data by periodic and sequential meter interrogation

Claim 1

AUTOMATIC METERING APPARATUS COMPRISING A METER INSTALLATION INCLUDING A METER HAVING AN OUTPUT MEMBER THE MOVEMENTS OF WHICH UNIT HAVING AN OUTPUT MEM ELECTRICAL ENERGY TO A CONSUMER LOAD BY SERVICE MAINS AND HAVING A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM CAPACITY FOR MEASURING THE RATE OF THE SUPPLY TO THE LOAD, 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, SWITCHING MEANS ACTUATED BETWEEN TWO SWITCHING STATES BY SUCCESSIVE MOVEMENTS OF SAID OUTPUT MEMBER WHICH ARE EACH RELATED TO THE PASSAGE OF SAID PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF SUPPLY TO THE LOAD THROUGH SAID METER UNIT, GENERATOR MEANS REMOTE FROM SAID METER INSTALLATION PRODUCING SUCCESSIVE ELECTRICAL INTERROGATION SIGNALS RECURRING AT A PERIODICITY EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED PERIOD, A COMMUNICATION LINK APPLYING SAID RECURRING INTERROGATION SIGNALS TO SAID METER INSTALLATION, ELECTRICAL SIGNALLING MEANS FORMING A PART OF SAID METER INSTALLATION COUPLED WITH SAID COMMUNICATIONS LINK AND CONTROLLED BY SAID SWITCHING MEANS EXHIBITING IN SAID COMMUNICATION LINK RESPONSIVE TO SAID INTERROGATION SIGNALS DIFFERENT ELECTRICAL OUTPUT CHARACTERISTICS WHEN SAID SWITCHING MEANS REMOTE FROM SAID METER INSTALLATION RESTATES, AND MEANS REMOTE FROM SAID METER INSTALLATION RECORDING THE CHANGES IN SAID OUTPUT CHARACTERISTICS APPERAING IN SAID COMMUNICATION LINK.