General Electric Company

At&t Intellectual Property I, LP

At&t Mobility II LLC

Aclara Meters LLC

Bradley Richard Ree

John Christopher Boot

Venson Shaw

Ginger Li Chien

Emily Soelberg

Ryan Marc LaFrance

Murali Narayanan

Glenn Blumstein

George William Alexander

Vernon Meadows

Steven Lee Bietz

James Patrick Hanley

Thomas Clayton Mayo

Matthew Thomson

Christopher Terry Prince

Matthew J Farley

Ajay Pal Singh Grewal

Mark Victor Penna

Robert Warren Hepler

Ryan Marc Lafrance

Wireless pairing is automatically performed based on a purchase of a wireless product. When the wireless product is purchased, a unique product identifier and/or an account number (such as a credit card number) may be used to obtain one or more corresponding wireless network security credentials. Once the wireless network security credentials are identified, the wireless product may be paired to a wireless network based on the wireless network security credentials.

Point of sale pairing to wireless networks

Device power consumption is reduced by operating using both one-way and two-way communication techniques. In an aspect a device operates in a first mode enabling one-way communication to an other device for a first portion of device operation time. The first mode includes transmitting a first set of messages to the other device while turning off a power supply used by a receiver of the device. The device switches between operating in the first mode and the second mode. The second mode enables two-way communication between the device and the other device for a second portion of device operation time less than the first portion of device operation. The second mode includes transmitting a second message to the other device, and in response to the transmitting the second message, turning on the power supply used by the receiver.

Low power sensor network

Systems, methods, and apparatuses may allow a host device to facilitate communication from a guest device to a network, wherein the service usage charges that would ordinarily be charged against the host device account may be transferred to the guest device account. A method may include a host device connecting to a network. The host device may be associated with a first account. The host device may receive a connection from a guest device. The guest device may be associated with a second account. The host device may facilitate communication from the guest device to the network, wherein the facilitated communication from the guest device to the network may be a charge against the first account. The host device may provide instruction to the network to transfer the charge against the first account to the second account.

Communication service usage transfer

Wireless pairing is automatically performed based on purchase. By providing a unique identifier and/or account number (such as a credit card number), a wireless device is automatically paired to a wireless network. For example, when a smartphone or other mobile device is used to purchase an electronic door lock, the smartphone may be used to identify security credentials for accessing the wireless network. A cellular telephone number, for example, may reveal an SSID and/or a network password that is required to access a residential or business WI-FI network. As another example, a credit card number may also be used to identify the security credentials for the wireless network.

Point of sale pairing

Techniques for mirroring to allow for data transmissions from a device through mirror capable device. In an embodiment, a plurality of mirror capable devices may report their capability, which may include signaling conditions related thereto. A mirror capable device may be selected from the plurality of mirror capable devices based on signaling conditions associated with the utility device's power consumption.

Apparatus and methods to mirror a battery operated instrument

A system, method, and apparatus for determining energy savings are provided. The method may include repeatedly measuring energy usage of a load, determining that a demand response load control event exists, modifying the cycle of operation based at least in part on determining that a demand response load control event exists, and determining an energy savings based on comparing the measured energy usage of the load with an energy usage statistic. The determining that the demand response load control event exists may include receiving a demand response load control notification. The modifying the cycle of operation may include reducing a power draw of the load.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for determining energy savings

Wireless pairing is automatically performed based on purchase. By providing a unique identifier of a cellular customer, a wireless device may be automatically paired to a residential wireless network. A central database, for example, may store networking credentials associated with residential wireless networks. When the cellular customer purchases the wireless device, a server may query the central database for a cellular telephone number associated with the cellular customer. The server may thus retrieve the networking credentials that are associated with the cellular telephone number.

Described herein are embodiments of methods, systems and devices of providing multicast functionality through an energy portal such as a meter, which reduces bandwidth required for communication between the energy portal and a server. In accordance with one aspect, a method is provided of providing multicast functionality through an energy portal, which reduces bandwidth required for communication between the energy portal and a server. In one embodiment, the method includes: receiving, over a first network, a single message, wherein the single message includes at least one device characteristic; determining, using a processor, one or more devices associated with the at least one device characteristic, wherein each of the one or more devices are connected to a second network; and transmitting the single message over the second network to each of the one or more devices associated with the at least one device characteristic, wherein the single message is transmitted individually to each of the one or more devices associated with the at least one device characteristic such that the single message is transmitted as many times as there are devices associated with the at least one device characteristic.

Method, system and device of multicast functionality in an energy portal

Certain embodiments herein are directed to transferring information between devices on a network using a filing system such as the WebDAV file system. In one embodiment, a sensor device may communicate with a computer server including a WebDAV file system to obtain information for various purposes, such as for software upgrades or resolution of software bugs. The computer server may receive data from a sensor associated with a home, business, or power generation equipment, or other asset. The computer server may further prepare the data for transmission to a filing system, which may include calling one or more WebDAV functions. The data may be used to determine additional data that may be used by the computer device that sent the data, in one embodiment. The data, as well as the additional data, may be stored in a WebDAV file system and/or transmitted to a remote computing device.

Sharing information associated with power generation devices via a file system on a network

Methods and apparatuses may be provided for utility meters or other devices with communications prioritization. The methods and apparatuses may include receiving first information addressed to or from a first network device of the one or more network devices; determining that the first network device is either (i) battery-powered or associated with a limited power source, or (ii) associated with wireless communications; and based upon the determination that the first home device is either (i) battery-powered or associated with a limited power source, or (ii) associated with wireless communications, identifying the first information as higher priority. The identification of the first information as higher priority may result in the utility meter or other device processing of the first information ahead of one or more second information designated as lower priority.

Methods and apparatuses for utility meters or other devices with communications prioritization

Described herein are embodiments of methods and systems for configuring a wireless-enabled device over an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network. In accordance with one aspect, a method is provided comprising receiving, from a first device via a first network, information about one or more wireless access points accessible by the first device. The method further comprises receiving, from a second device via a second network, configuration information for the first device for configuring the first device to connect to a wireless network through one of the one or more wireless access points; and configuring the first device using the configuration information. In one aspect, configuring the first device includes sending at least a portion of the configuration information to the first device via the first network.

System and method of wireless enabled device configuration over an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)

Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for estimating power time of use. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for synchronizing local system time with a network clock for estimating power time of use. The method includes storing power usage data and initial time stamps, wherein the initial time stamps are derived from one or more of a local clock or broadcast network time; receiving data comprising network time; adjusting the local system time with a PID loop, wherein the PID loop adjusts the local system time based at least in part on a difference between the local clock and the received network time; storing, with the power usage data and initial time stamps, an indicator when the difference is greater than a predetermined value; and determining synchronization when the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for estimating power time of use

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for reducing network congestion in a smart utility meter system are provided. The systems, methods, and apparatuses may include providing, for a utility meter, a first communications interface for communicating with a first network; providing, for the utility meter, a second communications interface for communicating with a second network different from the first network; receiving or generating, by the utility meter, information having a destination; selecting either the first communications interface or the second communications interface; and delivering the information to the destination via the selected communications interface.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for reducing network congestion in a smart utility meter system

Described herein are embodiments of methods and systems of using a timer based memory buffer for metrology. One embodiment of the method comprises receiving metrology data from one or more metrology sensors; writing at least part of the metrology data to a volatile memory; incrementing a write pointer to indicate the metrology data contained within the volatile memory; and repeating the above until a timer expires, then reading at least a portion of the metrology data from the volatile memory.

Growing community of inventors

Cumming, GA, United States of America

Bradley Richard Ree