Time-of-use calendar events method and apparatus for a meter register
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRichard A. Balch, Marjorie J. Mancuso, Susan D. Dastous
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A Method and apparatus for identifying events for making changes to a meter register configuration. In the one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of storing event data, including event dates, in a meter register memory, the event data being stored in a floating date format or in a fixed date format, and processing the event data to determine whether a current date corresponds to an event date.
Claims15
A method of measuring time-of-use of electric energy consumed by an end user coupled to a power delivery system, the time-of-use measuring method comprising the steps of:
- formatting data within a storage device relating to a plurality of calendar events, including year specific calendar events and annual calendar events, said formatting step comprising the steps of:
- formatting the corresponding months of said year specific calendar events;
- formatting the corresponding days of the week of said year specific calendar events;
- and
- formatting the occurrence numbers of the days of the week of said year specific calendar events;
- and associating a time-of-use function with each year specific calendar event;
- comparing a calendar date to the formatted month, the formatted day of the week and the formatted occurrence number of at least one of said year specific calendar events, to determine whether the calendar date matches a a year specific calendar date;
- receiving signals indicative of an amount of energy consumed by an end user from a power delivery system;
- and
- processing the received signals based upon the time-of-use function associated with the matched year specific calendar event.
A time-of-use electric meter which measured energy consumed by an end user coupled to a power delivery system, the time-of-use electric meter comprising:
- means for retaining a plurality of year specific calendar events in floating date format, said floating date format retaining means including:
- first memory means for retaining the corresponding months of said year specific calendar events;
- second memory means for retaining the corresponding days of the week of said year specific calendar events;
- and
- third member means for retaining the occurrence numbers of the days of the week of said year specific calendar events;
- means for comparing a calendar date to the month, the day of the week and the occurrence number of at least one of said year specific calendar events in said first memory means, said second memory means and said third memory means, respectively, to determine whether the calendar date matches said at least one of said year specific calendar events;
- means for receiving signals indicative of an amount of energy consumed by an end user from the power delivery system during the calendar date;
- and
- means for selectively processing the received signals if the calendar date matches said at least one of said year specific calendar events.
A time-of-use electric meter which measures energy consumed by an end user coupled to a power delivery system, the time-of-use electric meter comprising:
- memory means, in the time-of-use electric meter, for retaining a plurality of calendar events including year specific calendar events and annual calendar events in floating date format and fixed date format, respectively, said memory means including:
- a first memory portion for retaining the months of said year specific calendar events and said annual calendar events;
- a second memory portion for retaining the days of the week of said year specific calendar events;
- a third memory portion for retaining the occurrence numbers corresponding to the days of the week of said year specific calendar events;
- a fourth memory portion for retaining the days of the month of said annual calendar events;
- and
- a fifth memory portion for retaining weekend qualifiers;
- and
- microcontroller means, connected to said memory means, for determining whether a calendar date matches at least one of said calendar events, based on data contained in said first, second, third and fourth memory portions, said microcontroller means including:
- means for receiving first signals indicative of an amount of energy consumed by an end user from a power delivery system during said calendar date;
- means for selectively processing the received first signals if said calendar date matches said at least one of said calendar events;
- means for receiving second signals indicative of an amount of energy consumed by an end user from a power delivery system during the day after said calendar date, if said calendar date is a Sunday, and during the day preceding said calendar date if said calendar date is a Saturday;
- and
- means for selectively processing the received second signals, based on the data contained in said fifth memory portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.