US6181258B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Receiver capable of parallel demodulation of messages
Assignee: Landis and Gyr Innovations Inc
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Filing: 1999-05-17
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Granted: 2001-01-30
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Expires: 2019-05-17
Abstract
Abstract A receiver which is capable of receiving in parallel data transmitted at arbitrary frequencies within a radio channel includes: a radio frequency (RF) front end to convert an RF signal to a digitized signal; a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) generator coupled to the RF front-end to separate the digitized signal into a plurality of sub-channels; a bank of phase locked loops (PLLs) coupled to the FFT generator, each PLL operating on a sub-channel with a sub-channel center; and a flag detector coupled to the bank of PLLs to detect variations from the sub-channel center and to recover the usage data transmitted from the end-point.
Inventors
- 👤 Andrew Gordon Summers
- 👤 Clive Russell Irving
- 👤 Gregory Vincent Luxford
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 15:34
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04B; H04B1/00; H04B1/0003; H04B1/0007; H04B1/0025; H03; H03D; H03D7/00; H03D7/16; H03D7/161; H03D7/163; H04B1/06; H04B1/16; H04B1/26; H04B1/28; H04L; H04L7/00; H04L7/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
111 words
A receiver to collect usage data from an end-point, the receiver capable of receiving in parallel data transmitted at arbitrary frequencies within a radio channel, comprising: a radio frequency (RF) front end to convert an RF signal to a digitized signal; a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) generator coupled to the RF front-end to separate the digitized signal into a plurality of sub-channels; a bank of phase locked loops (PLLs) coupled to the FFT generator, each PLL operating on a sub-channel with a sub-channel center; and a flag detector coupled to the bank of PLLs to detect variations from the sub-channel center and to recover the usage data transmitted from the end-point.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
111 words
A receiver to collect usage data from an end-point, the receiver capable of receiving in parallel data transmitted at arbitrary frequencies within a radio channel, comprising: a radio frequency (RF) front end to convert an RF signal to a digitized signal; a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) generator coupled to the RF front-end to separate the digitized signal into a plurality of sub-channels; a bank of phase locked loops (PLLs) coupled to the FFT generator, each PLL operating on a sub-channel with a sub-channel center; and a flag detector coupled to the bank of PLLs to detect variations from the sub-channel center and to recover the usage data transmitted from the end-point.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The receiver of claim 1 , further comprising a second RF front end coupled to the FFT generator to convert a diversity RF signal to an intermediate frequency and to digitize the intermediate frequency.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The receiver of claim 2 , further comprising a multiplexer coupled to the RF front ends.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The receiver of claim 1 , further comprising a decimator coupled to the RF front-end and the FFT generator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The receiver of claim 4 , further comprising a mixer coupled to the decimator.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The receiver of claim 1 , wherein the FFT generator produces a stream of values representing a plurality of band pass filters.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
The receiver of claim 6 , wherein data is transferred at a bit rate and wherein each band pass filter has a center which is spaced by one half the bit rate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The receiver of claim 1 , wherein the PLL has a PLL frequency, wherein each sub-channel has a bin frequency, and wherein the flag detector determines a difference between the PLL frequency and the bin frequency.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
The receiver of claim 8 , wherein each bin spacing separates one bin from an adjacent bin and wherein the flag detector correlates the digitized signals of each sub-channel against a first flag sequence if the difference is less than the bin spacing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
The receiver of claim 8 , wherein each bin spacing separates one bin from an adjacent bin and wherein the flag detector correlates the digitized signals of each sub-channel against a second flag sequence if the difference is greater than the bin spacing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
126 words
A remote data collection system to collect usage data from an end-point, comprising: a monitoring module coupled to the end-point, the monitoring module having a wireless transmitter to transmit the usage data; a remote receiver coupled to the wireless transmitter, including: a radio frequency (RF) front end to convert an RF signal to a digitized signal; a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) generator coupled to the RF front-end to separate the digitized signal into a plurality of sub-channels; a bank of phase locked loops (PLLs) coupled to the FFT generator, each PLL operating on a sub-channel with a sub-channel center; and a flag detector coupled to the bank of PLLs to detect variations from the sub-channel center and to recover the usage data transmitted by the end-point.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
126 words
A remote data collection system to collect usage data from an end-point, comprising: a monitoring module coupled to the end-point, the monitoring module having a wireless transmitter to transmit the usage data; a remote receiver coupled to the wireless transmitter, including: a radio frequency (RF) front end to convert an RF signal to a digitized signal; a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) generator coupled to the RF front-end to separate the digitized signal into a plurality of sub-channels; a bank of phase locked loops (PLLs) coupled to the FFT generator, each PLL operating on a sub-channel with a sub-channel center; and a flag detector coupled to the bank of PLLs to detect variations from the sub-channel center and to recover the usage data transmitted by the end-point.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
The remote data collection system of claim 11 , further comprising a second RF front end coupled to the FFT generator to convert a diversity RF signal to an intermediate frequency and to digitize the intermediate frequency.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
The remote data collection system of claim 12 , further comprising a multiplexer coupled to the first and second RF front ends.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The remote data collection system of claim 11 , further comprising a decimator coupled to the RF front-end and the FFT generator.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The remote data collection system of claim 14 , further comprising a mixer coupled to the decimator.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
The remote data collection system of claim 11 , wherein the FFT generator produces a stream of values representing a plurality of band pass filters.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
35 words
The remote data collection system of claim 16 , wherein data is transferred at a bit rate and wherein each band pass filter has a center which is spaced by one half the bit rate.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
39 words
The remote data collection system of claim 11 , wherein the PLL has a PLL frequency, wherein each sub-channel has a bin frequency, and wherein the flag detector determines a difference between the PLL frequency and the bin frequency.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
46 words
The remote data collection system of claim 18 , wherein each bin spacing separating one bin from an adjacent bin and wherein the flag detector correlates the digitized signals of each sub-channel against a first flag sequence if the difference is less than the bin spacing.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
43 words
The receiver of claim 8 , wherein each bin spacing separating one bin from an adjacent bin and wherein the flag detector correlates the digitized signals of each sub-channel against a second flag sequence if the difference is greater than the bin spacing.
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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) | 2004-01-30 | 2004-07-31 | 2005-01-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-01-30 | 2008-07-31 | 2009-01-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-01-30 | 2012-07-31 | 2013-01-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |