Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – For cost/price – Utility usage
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-10
2001-06-05
Trammell, James P. (Department: 2161)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
For cost/price
Utility usage
C073S861000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243693
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a token-operated device for measuring consumption of water.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Non-payment of bills for water services has become a major problem to the service providers. Consequently a number of inventions have been propagated in an attempt to provide a way of supplying these services on a pre-payment basis.
A number of these systems involve the purchase of tokens which are then inserted into a device which activates the supply point on the consumer's premises.
Unfortunately, persons have found methods of duplicating or simulating the tokens used or tampering with the device at the supply point. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a system which overcomes these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention apparatus for prepayment water management includes a
an inlet and outlet for flowing water
a metering unit for the flow of water therethrough
a regulator to start and stop the flow of water
a data device interface capable of receiving data from a data device relating to customer identification and available credit
such data being transferable to a management station for permissibility of a transaction based on available credit
the management station being capable of recordal of a transaction
and means to activate the regulator for a predetermined and permissible volume of water through the metering device.
The recordal of the transaction by the management station is preferably transferable back to the data device interface for adjustment of available credit.
The means for activating the regulator may be monitored and controlled by the management station—for example so that the credit availability on the data device is not exceeded. The information regarding the transaction which is captured by the management station may be recorded and may be able to be printed out.
In the preferred form of the invention, the data device is a memory type device or a microprocessor type device used for the receiving and transferring of information. In one form of the invention where the situation arises, the information or data is stored and modified on the data device when it interacts with the prepayment metering unit or point of sale vending unit, or the management system.
The data may be loaded with credit and a price tariff structure, on presentation to the prepayment metering device via the data device interface. The management station may validate the authenticity of the data device, type of data device (being management or consumer), function required to perform, credit available, period of use and price tariff structure. When this validation process is complete, the data device credit information is debited per volume of water to be released and the regulator is allowed to be opened. On receipt of a signal via a probe or read switch from the meter when a predetermined volume has flowed, the data device is again debited and the consumption record credited. The management statement then records its own volume delivered; any monies received and updates this information to the data device. This form of prepayment in the prepayment metering device and modification of information on the management station and the data device and the transfer of information to and from the communicating items is repeated and repeated until a transaction with the consumer is completed.
The transaction with the consumer may be completed when the consumer removes the data device from the data device interface. Upon this removal, the management station may recognize that the data device has been removed and send a signal to the regulator to close.
In this form of the invention, the data device acts as the tap that a consumer would normally manually open and close. The consumer is able to determine their current status (credit available) via a consumer interface which could be a LCD or an LED or an audio type device. The prepayment-metering unit may be self-contained device and its power source may be derived from its own internal solar battery and/micro hydro generator, which uses the flow of water the consumer is drawing of to provide its energy to function.
Further to the above, certain circumstances arise where tampering or vandalism is apparent, the prepayment metering device has a tamper device in communication with the PC board. When physical tampering is detected by means of the lid of the unit being open or excessive blows being exerted on the prepayment-metering device, the management station will close itself down into a tamper mode. This can be reset when the management station has been initiated by a tamper-reset function on presentation to the data device interface.
The management station is able to gather data and information from the prepayment metering device such as volume delivered, monies received, power source status, operational status, consumption logging from management data devices that are initiated from the management statement to communicate with the prepayment metering device on presentation with the data device interface on the prepayment metering device. The management station will transfer the information requested a management data device. This information may then transferred to a management system for analysis.
The above information may also be transferred to a system via the consumer data device after each time the consumer data has been presented to the data device interface on the prepayment metering device. When the consumer needs to purchase more credit, the consumer's data device would then be presented to or be in some mode of communication with a point of sale vending unit which would then load new credit and tariff structure onto the data device and at the same time it would also record the information transferred from the prepayment metering device that is on the data device to itself. When the point of sale vending unit is in communication with the management system, via communication interface of some form, being via modem or interface cable this information that has been stored is then transferred to the management station.
Likewise the consumer data device can also communicate in this way directly with the management station for the transfer of this information on presentation to the management station's data device interface. This then reduces the need for management personnel to physically communicate with the prepayment-metering device as the consumer now takes over that function automatically. In the case where information is required before being retrieved from the consumer, the management station is able to initialize management data devices to communicate with the prepayment metering device on presentation to the data device interface. The transfer of information then takes place and is then transferred via the management data device to the management station.
In another form of the invention, all operation and transfer of information and interfacing remains the same except in the metering a power source, this being the meter and the existing power source being replaced with a micro hydro generator and metering device combination unit, comprising an inlet and outlet for the water passing an impeller, which rotates a magnet surrounded by coils, to spin and thereby generate electricity for the power of the prepayment-metering unit. This impeller also measures the flow of water and converts that flow to electronic pulses via a probe or read switch.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4216529 (1980-08-01), Krystek et al.
patent: 4351028 (1982-09-01), Peddie et al.
patent: 4777354 (1988-10-01), Thomas
patent: 5146067 (1992-09-01), Sloan et al.
patent: 5528507 (1996-06-01), McNamara et al.
patent: 5717597 (1998-02-01), Kara
patent: 2 745 823 (1997-09-01), None
Vic Wyman, “Meters fail to make a splash”, Mar. 26, 1992, The Engineer, p 27.*
Vic Wyman, “Water firms try out smart card metering to combat bad debt”, Mar. 19, 1992, The Engineer, p10.
Dixon Thomas A.
Merlin Gerin S.A. (Proprietary) Limited
Trammell James P.
Young & Thompson
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