Distributed Processing
AssigneePower Takeoff, L.P.
InventorW. Mark Daily
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A distributed processing system for acquiring utility usage information from customer facilities, processing the utility usage information, and delivering the utility usage information in formats that facilitate understanding by end-users. The distributed processing system may include a server system that may store utility usage information, generate real-time alert messages, and create spreadsheet report attachments that may be pushed to end-users. Some of the spreadsheet reports may include a number of navigations buttons allowing a user to toggle between various tools that analyze utility usage information.
Claims63
A method for allowing an end user to analyze utility usage data, the method comprising:
- receiving utility usage data related to the end user at a server system, the server system including at least one memory module and at least one processor module;
- storing the utility usage data in the at least one memory module;
- and
- sending, using the at least one processor module, a first message to the user, the first message including a spreadsheet attachment that is operable to access and analyze the utility usage data.
26-69. (canceled)
A method for use with utility usage data, comprising:
- using a gateway device to communicate with a plurality of utility usage recording devices over at least one telephone line;
- receiving, in response to the using step, utility usage data from each of the plurality of utility usage recording devices in the gateway device over the at least one telephone line;
- storing the utility usage data of each of the plurality of utility usage recording devices in a memory module of the gateway device;
- and
- sending the utility usage data of at least one of the plurality of utility usage recording devices to a server system via at least one communication network, the server system being operable to manipulate the utility usage data for at least one end user.
A system for use in allowing a user to analyze utility usage data, the system comprising:
- a storage module for storing utility usage information;
- computer readable instructions stored in the storage module that are operative to generate a first message to be sent to the user, the first message including a spreadsheet attachment that is operable to access and analyze the utility usage data;
- and
- a processor module that is operative to execute the computer readable instructions to generate the first message and send the first message to the user.
A system for use in allowing a user to analyze utility usage data, the system comprising:
- a creation module for creating an HTML webpage that includes utility usage data;
- and
- a triggering module for sending a first message to the user after creation of the HTML webpage, the first message including a spreadsheet attachment that is operable to access and analyze the utility usage data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.