Itron Gmbh

Schlumberger Resource Management Services, Inc.

Mark Alan Hastings

Lloyd Howard Strine

Michael Andrew Montgomery

Leor Amikam

Ralph Mannis

Susanne Kristina Marie Howard

Neil MacLean

A metering system is provided including a smartcard reader and peripheral computer in communication with a metering apparatus. A smartcard with memory, microprocessor, and license counter may then be engaged with a smartcard reader in the metering system to effect meter license transactions. The license transactions may be purchased by a user either to enable enhanced functional meter features via a meter upgrade process or to disable functional meter features via a meter downgrade process. Such features are typically enabled or disabled by respectively either providing or restricting access to selected portions of the meter firmware. Since both upgrades and downgrades can be effected at a utility meter, the smartcards provide transferable meter licenses. Advantages of the disclosed smartcard technology facilitate secure and reliable license transactions. Such advantages more particularly result from data encryption techniques when communicating with a smartcard and a random communication protocol implemented between smartcard and utility meter modules.

Transferable meter licenses using smartcard technology

Conventional AMR and DA/DSM systems typically suffer from a lack of extensibility due to the monolithic nature of the master station software. In contrast, this patent describes a system that is comprised of small modules connected using a component object model. This system allows straightforward extension in the areas of applications, communications, metering devices, and databases without requiring recompilation or relinking of the system. Furthermore, this system allows commercial applications such as spreadsheets, word processors, statistical packages, report generators, et cetera to be integrated directly with this system, and allows extension and customization of the system using such packages. Such a flexible open architecture is very attractive to utilities in that it allows easy extension by the utility or other third party developers without the involvement of the original authors of the system.

Modular object-based architecture for extensible master station software

Growing community of inventors

Seneca, SC, United States of America

Mark Alan Hastings