The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 21, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 07, 1999
David Crawford Lawrence, Raleigh, NC (US);
Sergei Udin, Moscow, RU;
Eugene Wilson Hodges, IV, Holly Springs, NC (US);
John Chalmers Sutton, III, Cary, NC (US);
Edward John Beroset, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Sean Michael Scoggins, Raleigh, NC (US);
ABB Automation Inc., Wickliffe, OH (US);
Abstract
An interface layer and method is provided that permits applications, without modification, to operate with any type of meter. The interface comprises an abstraction layer and library or repository of descriptions specific to each meter type. The abstraction layer provides the capability to communicate with any meter through a variety of applications. Upon receiving an application request, the abstraction layer retrieves the description for the particular meter type from the repository and processes the request. In this manner, only one data representation is needed for applications to communicate with a wide variety of meters.