Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – For cost/price – Utility usage
Patent
1997-01-06
1998-11-24
Cosimano, Edward R.
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
For cost/price
Utility usage
34087002, 702 61, 705 34, G06F 1760
Patent
active
058421874
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a method of and apparatus for determining charges for consumed electricity and more particularly to such a method and apparatus wherein a period during which consumption is measured is longer than a period used for settling the price of the electricity and where the electricity charge can be determined for either a metered period or a settlement period.
BACKGROUND ART
It is becoming increasingly desirable to enable the trading of electricity across either local, national or international boundaries. At present a system exists within the United Kingdom to enable the trading of electricity associated with a relatively small subset of consumers; this existing system is known as the Settlements system (or just Settlements). A general object of the present invention is to remove some of the technical barriers which are associated with the existing system and to provide a more flexible means to enable competition in supply to a greater set of consumers.
The purpose of Settlements is to calculate a financial charge for electricity consumed and determine the responsibility for that charge. To do this the system utilizes metering (at the consumers and at various points within the distribution network), communication to transfer information, and a means to determine the financial charges. Settlements may also be appropriate to the trading of other services, commodities and utilities, including gas. Therefore, while the present system is explained with respect to electricity, it can also applied to the trading of other similar products such as gas.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a system for generating charging information for a distribution system comprising a distribution network, first metering means through which electricity is supplied to the network, and a plurality of second metering means through which electricity is supplied from the network to respective consumers, the first metering means generating readings at first intervals and the second metering means generating readings at second intervals which are substantially larger than the first intervals, characterized by means for generating, for each second metering means, a charge value dependent on the combination of a reading for that metering means with the sequence of readings for the first metering means.
The present system relates to the means for determining a financial charge for consumed electricity. In the present system, conventional means of metering the utility service (for example electricity) and suitable means for communicating metered data to the Settlements system are assumed. Metered data can be communicated via modem and telephone lines if the meter is equipped with a suitable communication port. Or smart cards, hand-held units, or manual meter readings can be used with the data being fed into the Settlements system via appropriate means such as a unit capable of interrogating smart cards or hand-held units or, in the case of manual meter reading, a terminal for data entry of the meter readings.
Various further features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of various embodiments thereof, given by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the current Settlements system;
FIG. 2 shows unit 301/1 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows unit 300/1 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 shows a development of the unit of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 shows means for determining supplier charges;
FIG. 6 shows unit 302 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 shows units 108 and 109 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 shows a simple mode of operation for the Settlements system;
FIG. 9 shows a system with multiple units;
FIG. 10 shows a system with latching between units;
FIG. 11 shows a system with latching and convergent data paths;
FIG. 12 shows a unit 300/3 for calculating total Value per period;
FIG. 13 shows a modified form of unit 301;
FIG. 14 shows a modified form of unit 300;
FIG. 15 shows a further form of the
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patent: 4465970 (1984-08-01), DiMassimo et al.
patent: 4511979 (1985-04-01), Amirante
patent: 4731547 (1988-03-01), Alenduff et al.
patent: 4819180 (1989-04-01), Hedman et al.
Cosimano Edward R.
Optimum Solutions Ltd.
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