Apparatus for cumulatively storing and remotely reading a meter

Claim 1

An apparatus for reading, while at a central location, a meter containing information which is located at a station remote from said central location, comprising: a means for producing a plurality of information signals indicative of the information being registered on said meter; a counter means for accumulating said information signals and for converting said information into data indicative of the total information which is registered on said meter; a battery power source connected to said counter means wherein said counter means maintains said accumulated information in the event of a loss of conventional power; a remotely initiated selecting means for interrogating said counter means wherein said selecting means provides a plurality of individual output data bits each of which is representative of one of the digits of information registered on said meter and contained within said counter means; a first encoding means for converting said output data bits into coded output data bits wherein said coded output data bits have a predetermined characteristic whereby a parity check of said information may be made; shift register means connected to receive said coded data bits and to serially shift out said coded data bits; a second encoding means for converting each of said coded output data bits into a frequency coDed signal wherein the frequency of the signal from said second encoding means is representative of the magnitude of each of said coded output data bits; and a means for sequentially transmitting each of said frequency coded signals to said central location thereby enabling each of said digits of information registered on said meter to be read.

Claim 2

An apparatus for reading, while at a central location, a meter containing information which is located at a station remote from said central location, comprising: a means for producing a plurality of information signals indicative of the information being registered on said meter; a counter means for accumulating said information signals and for converting said information into data indicative of the total information which is registered on said meter; a battery power source connected to said counter means wherein said counter means maintains said accumulated information in the event of a loss of conventional power; a remotely initiated selecting means for interrogating said counter means wherein said selecting means provides a plurality of individual output data bits each of which is representative of one of the digits of information registered on said meter and contained within said counter means; a first encoding means for converting said output data bits into coded output data bits wherein said coded output data bits have a predetermined characteristic whereby a parity check of said information may be made; shift register means connected to receive said coded data bits and to serially shift out said coded data bits; a second encoding means for converting each of said coded output data bits into a frequency coDed signal wherein the frequency of the signal from said second encoding means is representative of the magnitude of each of said coded output data bits; and a means for sequentially transmitting each of said frequency coded signals to said central location thereby enabling each of said digits of information registered on said meter to be read.

Claim 5

An apparatus for reading, while at a central location, a meter containing information which is located at a station remote from said central location, comprising: a means for producing a plurality of pulse information signals indicative of the information being registered on said meter; a plurality of binary coded decimal counter means to accumulate said pulse information signals and to convert said accumulated information signals into a plurality of binary data bits indicative of the total information which is registered on said meter; a battery power source connected to said plurality of binary counter means wherein said counter means maintain said accumulated information in the event of a loss of conventional power; a first encoding means for converting said binary data bits into coded output data bits wherein said coded output data bits have a predetermined characteristic whereby a parity check of said information may be made; a shift register means connected to receive said coded data bits and to serially shift out said coded data bits; gate means for selectively transferring said binary data bits from any one of said counter means to said first encoding means; control means for actuating said gate means to transfer said selected coded data bits into said shift register means and then causing said shift register means to serially shift out said transferred coded data bits; an oscillator means connected to the output of said shift register means to convert each of said serially shifted out transferred coded data bits into a frequency coded signal wherein the frequency is representative of the binary state of each of said bits; and a means for sequentially transmitting each of said frequency coded signals to said central office location.

Claim 6

An apparatus for reading, while at a central location, a meter containing information which is located at a station remote from said central location, comprising: a means for producing a plurality of pulse information signals indicative of the information being registered on said meter; a plurality of binary coded decimal counter means to accumulate said pulse information signals and to convert said accumulated information signals into a plurality of binary data bits indicative of the total information which is registered on said meter; a battery power source connected to said plurality of binary counter means wherein said counter means maintain said accumulated information in the event of a loss of conventional power; a first encoding means for converting said binary data bits into coded output data bits wherein said coded output data bits have a predetermined characteristic whereby a parity check of said information may be made; a shift register means connected to receive said coded data bits and to serially shift out said coded data bits; gate means for selectively transferring said binary data bits from any one of said counter means to said first encoding means; control means for actuating said gate means to transfer said selected coded data bits into said shift register means and then causing said shift register means to serially shift out said transferred coded data bits; an oscillator means connected to the output of said shift register means to convert each of said serially shifted out transferred coded data bits into a frequency coded signal wherein the frequency is representative of the binary state of each of said bits; and a means for sequentially transmitting each of said frequency coded signals to said central office location.

Claim 16

An apparatus for reading, while at a central location, a plurality of meters each containing information which is located at a station remote from said central location, comprising: a means associated with each meter for producing a plurality of information signals indicative of the information being registered on said meter; a counter means associated with each meter for accumulating said information signals and for converting said information into data which is indicative of the total information which is registered on said associated meter; a battery power source connected to said counter means wherein said counter means maintains said accumulated information in the event of a loss of conventional power; a remotely initiated selecting means for interrogating a preselected one of said counter means wherein said selecting means provides a plurality of individual output data bits each of which is representative of one of the digits of information registered on said preselected meter and contained within said preselected counter means; a first encoding means for converting said output data bits into coded output data bits wherein said coded output data bits have a predetermined characteristic whereby a parity check of said information may be made; shift register means connected to receive said coded data bits and to serially shift out said coded data bits; a second encoding means for converting each of said output data bits into a frequency coded signal wherein the frequency of the signal from said second encoding means is representative of the magnitude of each of said coded output data bits; and a means for sequentially transmitting each of said frequency coded signals to said central location thereby enabling each of said digits of information registered on said preselected meter to be read.

Claim 17

An apparatus for reading, while at a central location, a plurality of meters each containing information which is located at a station remote from said central location, comprising: a means associated with each meter for producing a plurality of information signals indicative of the information being registered on said meter; a counter means associated with each meter for accumulating said information signals and for converting said information into data which is indicative of the total information which is registered on said associated meter; a battery power source connected to said counter means wherein said counter means maintains said accumulated information in the event of a loss of conventional power; a remotely initiated selecting means for interrogating a preselected one of said counter means wherein said selecting means provides a plurality of individual output data bits each of which is representative of one of the digits of information registered on said preselected meter and contained within said preselected counter means; a first encoding means for converting said output data bits into coded output data bits wherein said coded output data bits have a predetermined characteristic whereby a parity check of said information may be made; shift register means connected to receive said coded data bits and to serially shift out said coded data bits; a second encoding means for converting each of said output data bits into a frequency coded signal wherein the frequency of the signal from said second encoding means is representative of the magnitude of each of said coded output data bits; and a means for sequentially transmitting each of said frequency coded signals to said central location thereby enabling each of said digits of information registered on said preselected meter to be read.

Claim 18

An apparatus for reading, while at a central location, a plurality of meters each containing information which is located at a station remote from said central location, comprising: a means associated with each meter for producing a plurality of pulse information signals indicative of the information being registered on said meter; a plurality of binary coded decimal counter means associated with each meter adapted to accumulate said pulse information signals and to convert said accumulated information signals into a plurality of binary data bits indicative of the total information which is registered on said meter; a battery power source connected to said plurality of binary counter means wherein said counter means maintain said accumulated information in the event of a loss of conventional power; a first encoding means for converting said binary data bits into coded output data bits wherein said coded output data bits have a predetermined characteristic whereby a parity check of said information may be made; a shift register means connected to receive said coded data bits from the counter means associated with a preselected one of said meters and then causing said shift register to serially shift out said coded data bits; gate means for selectively transferring said binary data bits from any one of said counter means to said first encoding means; control means for actuating said gate means to transfer said selected coded data bits into said shift register means and then causing said shift register means to serially shift out said transferred coded data bits; an oscillator means connected to the output of said shift register means to conveRt each of said serially shifted out transferred coded data bits into a frequency coded signal wherein the frequency is representative of the binary state of each of said bits; and a means for sequentially transmitting each of said frequency coded signals to said central office location.

Claim 19

An apparatus for reading, while at a central location, a plurality of meters each containing information which is located at a station remote from said central location, comprising: a means associated with each meter for producing a plurality of pulse information signals indicative of the information being registered on said meter; a plurality of binary coded decimal counter means associated with each meter adapted to accumulate said pulse information signals and to convert said accumulated information signals into a plurality of binary data bits indicative of the total information which is registered on said meter; a battery power source connected to said plurality of binary counter means wherein said counter means maintain said accumulated information in the event of a loss of conventional power; a first encoding means for converting said binary data bits into coded output data bits wherein said coded output data bits have a predetermined characteristic whereby a parity check of said information may be made; a shift register means connected to receive said coded data bits from the counter means associated with a preselected one of said meters and then causing said shift register to serially shift out said coded data bits; gate means for selectively transferring said binary data bits from any one of said counter means to said first encoding means; control means for actuating said gate means to transfer said selected coded data bits into said shift register means and then causing said shift register means to serially shift out said transferred coded data bits; an oscillator means connected to the output of said shift register means to conveRt each of said serially shifted out transferred coded data bits into a frequency coded signal wherein the frequency is representative of the binary state of each of said bits; and a means for sequentially transmitting each of said frequency coded signals to said central office location.