Integrated head-end utility metering system

A method for transmitting a message to an endpoint device in a network, wherein the endpoint device includes a meter and a communication module, the method comprising:

• generating, by an application layer of a head-end system, a request for metering information from the endpoint device, wherein the request includes an identifier for the endpoint device;
• transmitting, by the application layer, the request to an end-device protocol layer of the head-end system;
• receiving the request for metering information by the end-device protocol layer;
• determining, by the end-device protocol layer, a metering protocol used by the meter of the endpoint device to obtain the metering information, wherein the end-device protocol layer uses the identifier for the endpoint device received from the application layer to determine an identifier for the meter and uses the identifier for the meter to determine the metering protocol;
• based on the metering protocol used by the endpoint device, routing, by the end-device layer, the request for metering information to a first metering protocol adapter in the end-device layer, wherein the first metering protocol adapter is one of a plurality of metering protocol adapters included in the end-device layer and the plurality of metering protocol adapters support a plurality of distinct metering protocols;
• generating, by the first metering protocol adapter, an instruction corresponding to the request, wherein the instruction is in a first format corresponding to the metering protocol;
• transmitting, by the end-device protocol layer, the instruction to a network protocol layer of the head-end system, wherein the instruction includes an identifier for the communication module;
• receiving the instruction from the end-device protocol layer by the network protocol layer;
• determining, by the network protocol layer, a network protocol associated with the network that includes the endpoint device, wherein the network protocol layer uses the identifier for the communication module to determine the network protocol;
• based on the network protocol used by the communication module of the endpoint device, routing, by the network protocol layer, the instruction to a first network protocol adapter in network protocol layer, wherein the first network protocol adapter is one of a plurality of network protocol adapters included in the network protocol layer and the plurality of network protocol adapters support a plurality of distinct network protocols;
• packaging the instruction into a network message for transmission to the endpoint device using the network protocol by the first network protocol adapter;
• and
• transmitting the network message to the endpoint device via the network.

A head-end system comprising a processing device and a storage device, communicatively couplable to at least a first network and a second network, comprising:

• an application layer;
• an end-device protocol layer below the application layer that includes a first metering protocol adapter that supports a first metering protocol, wherein the first metering protocol adapter is one of a plurality of metering protocol adapters included in the end-device protocol layer and the plurality of metering protocol adapters support a plurality of distinct metering protocols;
• and
• a network protocol layer below the end-device protocol layer that includes a first network protocol adapter that supports a first network protocol and a second network protocol adapter that support a second network protocol,
• wherein the first network includes a first plurality of endpoint devices that use the first metering protocol and communicate within the first network using the first network protocol and the second network includes a second plurality of endpoint devices that use the first metering protocol and communicate within the second network using the second network protocol,
• wherein the first network protocol and the second network protocol are distinct,
• wherein the application layer generates a first request for metering information from a first endpoint device and a second request for metering information from a second endpoint device,
• wherein the end-device protocol layer receives the first request for metering information and the second request for metering information from the application layer, determines that the first endpoint device in the first plurality of endpoint devices is associated with the first metering protocol, determines that the second endpoint device in the second plurality of endpoint devices is associated with the first metering protocol, routes the first request to the first metering protocol adapter to convert the first request into a first end-device request having a format corresponding to the first metering protocol and routes the second request to the first metering protocol adapter to convert the second request into a second end-device request having the first metering protocol, and
• wherein the network protocol layer receives the first end-device request and the second end-device request from the end-device protocol layer, routes the first end-device request to the first network protocol adapter to package the first end-device request into a first network message for transmission to the first endpoint device using the first network protocol, routes the second end-device request to the second network protocol adapter to package the second end-device request in a second network message for transmission to the second endpoint device using the second network protocol and transmits the first network message including the first end-device request over the first network using the first network protocol to the first endpoint device in the first network and transmits the second network message including the second end-device request over the second network using the second network protocol to the second endpoint device in the second network.