Quotables
"I watched his countenance closely, to see if he was not deranged ... and I was assured by other senators after he left the room that they had no confidence in it."
U.S. Senator Smith of Indiana ; After seeing Samuel Morse demonstrate the telegraph.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8085911 | Central monitoring station with method to process call based on call source identification information A system and a method for processing an incoming telephone call to an alarm system central monitoring station using call source identification data such as caller ID. The alarm system central monitoring station can use the caller ID information transmitted by the te... | 12/27/2011 |
| 7561681 | Interactive system for managing and remotely connecting customer utility loads An interactive system for managing and remotely monitoring and effecting the connection status of a customer utility load network is disclosed. Preferred embodiments of the interactive system are utilized for customer loads that correspond to the distribution of ele... | 07/14/2009 |
| 7486782 | Multifunction data port providing an interface between a digital network and electronics in residential or commercial structures A multifunction data port is located in or attached to the utility meter or the meter box. The installation or removal of the data port requires opening the meter seal. The data port interface can provide broad band access to a digital network and the Internet. It c... | 02/03/2009 |
| 7400264 | Automated meter reading system, communication and control network for automated meter reading, meter data collector, and associated methods An automated meter reading system, communication and control for automated meter reading, a meter data collector, and associated methods are provided. The system includes at least one utility meter, at least one meter sensor interfaced with the utility meter, a mete... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7376118 | System and method for optimizing contiguous channel operation with cellular reuse A method for communicating with automatic meter reading (AMR) endpoints in adjacent cells, when the endpoints are arranged in a cell pattern similar to a cellular telephone system, is disclosed that substantially reduces the likelihood of signal interference. A Fram... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7373652 | Server-centric search function in an interactive program guide Techniques for searching a program guide database. In accordance with a method, one or more search criteria (e.g., keywords) are received and a request for a search is then sent, along with the search criteria, to a head end of an information distribution system. In... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7363031 | System for monitoring and controlling a set of household appliances A system for monitoring and controlling a set of power users, in particular household appliances, which users (U) are connected to a first communication network (RE) through appropriate interfacing means (N) for the exchange of information and/or instructions, where... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7324825 | Remote telemetry device The systems and methods disclosed herein relate to digital data communication systems, and more particularly, the systems and methods relate to systems and methods for facilitating digital communication between a modem equipped meter and a central data acquisition s... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7321316 | Grouping mesh clusters Systems and methods for grouping mesh networks. Mesh networks enable energy data to be transferred from an energy sensing device to a destination device using various networks and reduces the need to install metering stations. Embodiments of the invention join or gr... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7312721 | Data collector for an automated meter reading system The invention includes an electronic utility meter, a data collector/meter and a method for communicating data in an automated meter reading system. The inventive method includes communicating data with a network and a first electronic utility meter, and communicati... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7304587 | Automated meter reading system, communication and control network for automated meter reading, meter data collector program product, and associated methods An automated meter reading network system to collect utility usage data from multiple utility meters having utility meter sensors is provided. The system includes multiple meter data collectors each in communication with one or more utility meters to collect utility... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7301476 | Dynamic self-configuring metering network A dynamic self-configuring system for collecting metering data comprises a collector meter. The collector meter scans for meters that are operable to directly communicate with the collector and registers such meters as level one meters. The collector transmits instr... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7283062 | Mapping in mobile data collection systems, such as for utility meter reading and related applications A mobile data collection system may perform or facilitate monitoring and management of mobile automatic meter reading (MAMR) activities via out of route meter read identification and graphical route playback. In identifying out of route endpoints, the mobile data co... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7280643 | Audio status communication from an embedded device An embedded device configured to provide an audio status output is disclosed. The embedded device includes a processor, an input button in electronic communication with the processor and a speaker in electronic communication with the processor for outputting an audi... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7269413 | Telephone location caller ID A location caller ID feature where a cellular telephone placing a called is located by a telephone service and a message relating to that location is transmitted to a called telephone. The called telephone can display the location of the calling phone in human reada... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7262709 | System and method for efficient configuration in a fixed network automated meter reading system Meters are configured using either a program update method or a meter update method. In the program update method, meters associated with a specified configuration program are identified and configured with updated parameters. In the meter update method, a specified... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7254824 | Encoding optimization techniques for encoding program grid section of server-centric interactive programming guide An interactive program guide (IPG) may include a program grid section and a multimedia section. The program grid section typically contains program information organized in a grid with a time axis and a channel axis. The multimedia section may include video for adve... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7250874 | System and methods for wirelessly transmitting data from a utility meter A system and method for transmitting data from a utility meter, such as a power meter, is disclosed. A microprocessor housed inside the power meter obtains readings of various power indicia, stores the readings in memory, and determines an efficient means of formatt... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7245625 | Network-to-network adaptor for power line communications A portable, pluggable power line communications device provides convenient interfacing and connectivity between separate data networks interconnected over the same conventional electric power conveying media. The power line communications device plugs into a single ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7239250 | System and method for improved transmission of meter data The system includes a number of first meters, which are typically battery powered transmit only devices. The system includes a number of two-way meters, which are operable to both transmit and receive data. The first meters transmit their data to the collector eithe... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7236908 | Fuzzy time-of-use metering and consumption monitoring using load profile data from relative time transmit-only devices A system and method provide Time-of-Use (TOU) rate schedules that are bound by windows of time, i.e., a type of fuzzy switch time, which is bounded on both sides, rather than instantaneous switch times. The fuzzy TOU schedule defines the time of a tier switch as the... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7231482 | Method and system for monitoring and transmitting utility status via universal communications interface A method and system for monitoring utility meter status, and transmitting a status message via an output device connected to a universal communications interface in the event that the utility meter status meets a predetermined condition. Typically, the predetermined... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7231060 | Systems and methods of generating control signals Separating a source in a stereo signal having a left channel and a right channel includes transforming the signal into a short-time transform domain; computing a short-time similarity measure between the left channel and the right channel; classifying portions of th... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7209840 | Systems and methods for providing remote monitoring of electricity consumption for an electric meter A system for providing remote monitoring of electricity consumption is provided. In one embodiment the system may comprise electric meters, communication devices having a unique address and defining a wireless communication network, and a site controller. Each elect... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7203850 | Power management for a network utilizing a vertex/edge graph technique A power management technique for a network including a plurality of computing devices. The power management technique includes identifying an order in which one or more devices of the plurality of computing devices can transmit data within the prescribed time period... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7201586 | Housing for fastening of electrical and/or electronic power components to a circuit board The invention concerns an arrangement for fastening of electrical and/or electronic power components to a circuit board, wherein the electrical and/or electronic power components (8) are mechanically and removably fastened to the board (6). The power c... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7203666 | Virtual postage metering system A virtual postage metering system and method provides value added services corresponding to postage metering transactions. Funds are not stored at a user's site, reducing the risk of unauthorized modification of accounting balances. There is a database record of eve... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7185131 | Host-client utility meter systems and methods for communicating with the same A host automated meter reading (AMR) device may communicate with one or more client AMR devices in proximity to the host meter. The host and client AMR devices operate as master and slave devices, respectively, in a host-client AMR device system. The host AMR device... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7177917 | Scaleable message system A message system for delivering data in the form messages between message clients comprises a server cluster with a group of client manager nodes and a group of independent message manager nodes. The client manager nodes have the function of managing client connecti... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7159054 | System and method for digital protection and control device for a power distribution network A digital protection and control (P & C) device for a power distribution network, which comprises a computerized control unit comprising a microprocessor. The P & C device, according to the present invention, further comprises an external computerized palmtop comput... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7154866 | Message control protocol in a communications network having repeaters A wireless communications network which provides directed transmissions between components of the network is provided. The components within the wireless communications include a master apparatus, a plurality of remote devices, and a plurality of repeaters. The comp... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7139374 | System and method for gathering information related to a geographical location of a callee in a public switched telephone network In a telecommunication system having at least two communicants (i.e., a caller and a callee), a system and method are presented for collecting information associated with the geographical location of either of the communicants. In one embodiment, the approach entail... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7127737 | Bandwidth management techniques for delivery of interactive program guide Methods for managing delivery of video sequences of an interactive program guide (IPG) over a communications network to a plurality of terminals are provided. In one embodiment, the method pre-allocates a broadcast bandwidth in the communications network for common ... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7127488 | System and method for gathering information related to a geographical location of a caller in an internet-based communication system In a telecommunication system having at least two communicants (i.e., a caller and a callee), a system and method are presented for collecting information associated with the geographical location of either of the communicants from a server. In one embodiment, the a... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7110778 | Remote telemetry device The systems and methods disclosed herein relate to digital data communication systems, and more particularly, the systems and methods relate to systems and methods for facilitating digital communication between a modem equipped meter and a central data acquisition s... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7102533 | Automatic meter reading system and method using telephone line An automatic meter reading system includes meter-reading devices attached to respective utility meters and a remote control center collecting measured commodity utilization from the meter-reading devices through a telephone network when a meter reading request signa... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7098783 | System and method for real time generating, presenting, displaying and paying utility bills online A system for continuously providing information on the internet of the usage of a utility commodity at a meter includes an internet site at which the usage of the utility commodity at the meter can be viewed and at which a utility company can post pricing informatio... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7096487 | Apparatus and method for combining realtime and non-realtime encoded content Methods for slice-based encoding of program guides and user interfaces. The program guides include multiple video streams for picture-in-picture and other applications. A method for encoding the program guide includes encoding a first set of slices for each of a plu... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7091968 | Method and apparatus for encoding a user interface A method and apparatus for combining video frame sequences with a video display of an interactive program guide (IPG). The apparatus comprises a plurality of compositors that combine background information, video frame sequences and program guide graphics into a sin... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7089089 | Methods and apparatus for retrieving energy readings from an energy monitoring device An energy monitoring device including procedures for secure communication of data from the device is disclosed. The energy monitoring device includes a public/private key pair used to encrypt and/or digitally sign communications by the device. This allows the receiv... | 08/08/2006 |
