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(11)    Patent No :    AP 2259   
(21)    Application No :    AP/P/2005/003285   
(22)    Filing Date :    09.10.2003   
(24)    Date of Grant &    25.07.2011   
           
(45)    Publication :

(30)  Priority Data       
(33) Country    (31) Number    (32) Date
ZA    2002/8148    10.10.2002

(84)    Designated State

GM    GH    KE    LS   MW  MZ   SL   SD   SZ
T Z    UG    ZM    ZW
 
(73) Applicant(s)

ACTARIS MEASUREMENT AND SYSTEM (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED, 11th Floor Metlife Centre, 7 Coen Stytler Avenue, Cape Town 8001, Western Cape Province,

South Africa

(72) Inventors

TAYLOR Donald Michael, South Africa

(74) Representative

FISHER CORMACK & BOTHA
 

(51)  International  Classification   G01D 4/00 (2006.01)    G01F 15/06 (2006.01)
G01F 15/075 (2006.01)   

(54)    Title

A system and data retention unit for the control of reticulated services or the like.

(57)    Abstract

A system is provided for the supply of a reticulated service (2), typically electricity, but optionally gas or water, in which multiple consumer installations (3) are each connected by way of a point of delivery meter (1) (optionally associated with a prepayment controller (4)) to the reticulated service. The point of delivery meters each have a data retention unit (14) associated therewith that not only maintains consumption data corresponding to consumption passed through the point of delivery meter, but also data selected from one or more of applicable tariff; events such as replacement of point of delivery meter or replacement of prepayment controller; occasions of communication with the data retention unit; locator data in respect of premises, consumer installation, point of delivery meter, or separate prepayment cont roller; and real-time of events logged by the data retention unit. The data retention unit may also have a microprocessor function providing profiles as outputs. The system includes communications stations, typically mobile stations, that are capable of communicating by short-range communication means, typically wireless, with the data retention unit to extract data maintained therein.
(56)    Documents Cited :    US 4 523 460 A   US 5 086 292 A