Telemetering system for reading remotely loacted utility meters

Claim 1

A TELEMETERING SYSTEM THAT COMPRISES A CENTRAL STATION INCLUDING A SOURCE OF INTERROGATING SIGNAL, A PLURALITY OF REMOTE STATIONS, TRANSMISSION MEDIUM FOR SENDING SAID INTERROGATING SIGNAL FROM SAID CENTRAL RECORDING STATION TO SAID REMOTE STATIONS, MEANS AT EACH OF SAID REMOTE STATIONS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONVERTING SAID INTERROGATING SIGNAL INTO A DATA SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE READING OF EACH OF SAID REMOTE STATIONS, EACH OF SAID CONVERTING MEANS INCLUDING A METER HAVING A PLURALITY OF INDICATOR UNITS, EACH OF SAID INDICATOR UNITS INCLUDING A STATIONARY DIAL FACE AND AN INDICATING POINTER THEREFOR SECURED TO A ROTATABLE SHAFT DRIVEN BY SAID METER, A PLURALITY OF CODE DISCS MOUNTED ON SAID ROTATABLE SHAFT IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SPACED RELATION TO SAID DIAL FACE, THE ANNULUS OF EACH OF SAID CODE DISCS BEING CONSTRUCTED OF MAGNETIC AND NONMAGNETIC SECTORS ACCORDING TO A PREARRANGED CODE, AND A PLURALITY OF SWITCHING MEANS EACH OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF MAGNETICALLY ACTUATED CONTACTS SEPARATED BY A GAP AND IS DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO ONE OF SAID CODE DISCS SO THAT THE GAP BETWEEN SAID CONTACTS IS CLOSED WHENEVER THE EDGE OF A MAGNETIC SECTOR OF THE RESPECTIVE DISC IS ROTATED BY SAID SHAFT TO BE IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH SAID GAP, A PLURALITY OF RESISTANCE NETWORKS CORRESPONDING TO SAID PLURALITY OF INDICATOR UNITS, EACH OF SAID RESISTANCE NETWORKS BEING PROVIDED WITH AN INPUT TERMINAL, AN OUTPUT TERMINAL, AND A PLURALITY OF SERIES-CONNECTED RESISTANCE ELEMENTS IN ONE-TO-ONE CORRESPONDENCE WITH SAID SWITCHING MEANS IN EACH OF SAID INDICATOR UNITS,