US5912633A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Mains signalling systems
Assignee: Remote Metering Systems Ltd
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Filing: 1995-08-17
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Granted: 1999-06-15
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Expires: 2015-08-17
Abstract
Abstract A control unit for a remote metering system of a mains supply system having plural consumer meter units arranged so messages can pass between the meter units and the control unit includes a router for determining routes to selected meter units via intermediate ones of the meter units. The router for each selected meter includes (1) a route table containing plural possible routes to the selected meter; (2) a route selector for selecting from the table different, previously untried routes; and (3) a route table updater. The untried routes are selected by the selector until one of them is successful, or until all untried routes are found to be unsuccessful. The route table updater generates a fresh route and inserts it into the table by displacing a single route from the table in response to the route selector detecting that all the routes in the table are found to be unsuccessful.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Joseph Allison
- 👤 David Roger Scholefield
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 07:09
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02J; H02J13/00; H02J13/13; H02J13/1321; H02J13/1323; H02J13/18; H02J13/333; G; G05; G05F; G05F1/00; G05F1/66; H02J13/14; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y04; Y04S; Y04S40/00; Y04S40/12; Y04S40/124
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
158 words
A control unit for a remote metering system of a mains supply system having plural consumer meter units, the control and meter units being arranged so messages can pass between the meter units and the control unit, the control unit comprising a router for determining routes to selected meter units via intermediate ones of said meter units, the router comprising for each selected meter: a route table containing plural possible routes to the selected meter; a route selector for selecting from the table different, previously untried routes, the untried routes being selected by the selector until one of them is successful, or until all untried routes are found to be unsuccessful; and a route table updater for generating a fresh route and inserting it into the table by displacing a single route previously in the table from the table in response to the route selector detecting that all the routes in the table are found to be unsuccessful.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
158 words
A control unit for a remote metering system of a mains supply system having plural consumer meter units, the control and meter units being arranged so messages can pass between the meter units and the control unit, the control unit comprising a router for determining routes to selected meter units via intermediate ones of said meter units, the router comprising for each selected meter: a route table containing plural possible routes to the selected meter; a route selector for selecting from the table different, previously untried routes, the untried routes being selected by the selector until one of them is successful, or until all untried routes are found to be unsuccessful; and a route table updater for generating a fresh route and inserting it into the table by displacing a single route previously in the table from the table in response to the route selector detecting that all the routes in the table are found to be unsuccessful.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The control unit of claim 1 wherein the plural possible routes are stored in a single route table.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The control unit of claim 1, wherein the router includes locations for storing, for each route, a figure of merit for that route.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The control unit of claim 3, further including an adjuster for adjusting the figure of merit for a route in dependence on the quality of that route.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The control unit of claim 3 wherein the length of a route is taken as its figure of merit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The control unit of claim 1, wherein the route selector selects routes in cyclic sequence.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The control unit of claim 6 further including a failure counter for counting the number of successive failures of successive routes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The control unit of claim 1 further including a failure counter for counting the number of successive failures of a route.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The control unit of claim 1 wherein the route selector selects routes in dependence on at least one of the time and conditions in the mains system.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
167 words
In combination, a mains supply system, a remote metering system for the mains supply system including plural consumer meter units and a control unit for the meter units, the control and meter units being arranged so messages can pass between the meter units and the control unit, the control unit comprising a router for determining routes to selected meter units via intermediate ones of said meter units, the router comprising for each selected meter: a route table containing plural possible routes to the selected meter; a route selector for selecting from the table different, previously untried routes, the untried routes being selected by the selector until one of them is successful, or until all untried routes are found to be unsuccessful; a route table updater for generating a fresh route and inserting it into the table by displacing a single route previously in the table from the table in response to the route selector detecting that all the routes in the table are found to be unsuccessful.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
167 words
In combination, a mains supply system, a remote metering system for the mains supply system including plural consumer meter units and a control unit for the meter units, the control and meter units being arranged so messages can pass between the meter units and the control unit, the control unit comprising a router for determining routes to selected meter units via intermediate ones of said meter units, the router comprising for each selected meter: a route table containing plural possible routes to the selected meter; a route selector for selecting from the table different, previously untried routes, the untried routes being selected by the selector until one of them is successful, or until all untried routes are found to be unsuccessful; a route table updater for generating a fresh route and inserting it into the table by displacing a single route previously in the table from the table in response to the route selector detecting that all the routes in the table are found to be unsuccessful.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The combination of claim 10 wherein the plural possible routes are stored in a single route table.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The combination of claim 10, wherein the router includes locations for storing, for each route, a figure of merit for that route.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
The combination of claim 12, further including an adjuster for adjusting the figure of merit for a route in dependence on the quality of that route.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The combination of claim 12 wherein the length of a route is taken as its figure of merit.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The combination of claim 10, wherein the route selector selects routes in cyclic sequence.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
The combination of claim 15 further including a failure counter for counting the number of successive failures of successive routes.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
The combination of claim 10 further including a failure counter for counting the number of successive failures of a route.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
26 words
The combination of claim 10 wherein the route selector selects routes in dependence on at least one of the time and conditions in the mains system.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-06-14 | 2002-12-14 | 2003-06-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-06-14 | 2006-12-14 | 2007-06-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-06-14 | 2010-12-14 | 2011-06-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |