System for charging amounts recorded by consumption and service-meters

Claim 1

A PAYMENT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A PUBLIC UTILITY SUPPLYING A MEASURABLE QUANTITY OF SERVICE OR A PRODUCT WHEREIN A SUBSCRIBER IS PERMITTED A PREDETERMINED USE OF THE SERVICE OR CONSUMPTION OF THE PRODUCT BEFORE A PAYMENT FOR THE USE OR COMSUMPTION, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING: A CENTRAL COLLECTION STATION AND AT LEAST ONE SUBSCRIBER STATION; A SIGNAL CHANNEL CONNECTING SAID CENTRAL COLLECTION STATION TO SAID SUBSCRIBER STATION; A CONSUMPTION METER MEANS AT SAID SUBSCRIBER STATION FOR MEASURING THE CONSUMPTION OF SAID MEASURABLE QUANTITY; ALARM MEANS, AT SAID SUBSCRIBER STATION, ACTUATABLE BY SAID CONSUMPTION METER FOR INDICATING WHEN A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF SAID MEASURABLE QUANTITY HAS BEEN CONSUMED; A CONTROL SIGNAL TRANSMISSION MEANS AT SAID CENTRAL COLLECTION STATION FOR TRANSMITTING A CONTROL SIGNAL VIA SAID SIGNAL CHANNEL TO SAID SUBSCRIBER STATION; CONTROL SIGNAL RECEIVING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBSCRIBER STATION FOR DEACTUATING SAID ALARM MEANS, SAID CONTROL SIGNAL RECEIVING MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SIGNAL CHANNEL; AND A SWITCHING MEANS ACTUATABLE BY SAID CONSUMPTION METER MEANS, AFTER ALARM MEANS IS ENERGIZED AND AFTER SAID CONSUMPTION METER MEANS INDICATES THE CONSUMPTION OF AN ADDITIONAL QUANTITY, FOR SUSPENDING DELIVERY OF AT LEAST PART OF THE SERVICE OR PRODUCT.