Claims:1. A system for facilitating wireless reading of utility measurements from utility meters, said system comprising:
at least one Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled utility meter (101);
at least one mobile computing device (106) of a consumer pre-installed with meter reading application (107), wherein the at least one mobile computing device is configured to acquire meter reading information for the at least one BLE enable utility meter (101) installed in a building (103); and
a transmitter configured to transmit the meter reading information for each of the meters (101) acquired from the mobile computing device (106) to at least one utility server (109) through a communication network (108), wherein the utility server (109) is configured to determine and manage the meter reading information for each of the meters (101) based on the transmitted information.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said meter reader application installed in the mobile computing device automatically displays the notification on the screen at each billing cycle.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said meter reader application installed in the mobile computing device is configured to download the usage details of at least one BLE enabled utility meter.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said Bluetooth module is fitted either internally or externally to the utility meter.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile computing device acquires the meter reading information from each of the meters periodically.
6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said communication network includes cellular provider, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and include an IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) network.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said utility server communicate with the communication network directly or via other wired/wireless connections.
8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said meter reading image or information obtained with the mobile computing device is transmitted to the server associated with the utility provider to determine utility usage and manage billings
9. A method for facilitating wireless reading of utility measurements from utility meters, said method comprising;
acquiring (301), by at least one mobile computing device (106) pre-installed with meter reading application (107), meter reading information for a plurality of BLE enable utility meters (101) installed in a building (103);
transmitting (302), by the transmitter, the meter reading information for each of the meters acquired from the mobile computing device (106) to a utility server (109) through a communication network (108); and
determining (303), by the utility server (109) the meter reading information for each of the meters (101) based on the transmitted information.

, Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to wireless utility meter reading system. More particularly, it relates to a system and method for reading utility meters data usage by consumer using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Modern households are powered by electricity, gas and water. The household receives electricity from the electrical company, in many cases a public utility. Similarly, natural gas is supplied by a gas provider, and water is supplied by the water commission. The consumption of electricity, gas and water is measured by meters which have been installed at the customer's house. Utility meters are used in many places to monitor utility usage of a location (e.g., residence, commercial building, etc.) for natural gas, water, and/or electric. Typically, the utility supplier or its agent hires an individual, e.g., a meter reader, to travel to the various locations, view the meters, and record the meter readings. The meter reader provides that information back to the utility supplier or agent, so that their server can determine utility usage and manage billings, such as billing the customer for the usage.
[0004] Utility meters, including electric, gas and water meters, require periodic metering at the location of the meter. Visual inspection by authorized personnel is used, as opposed to automatic systems, in order to prevent tampering. Given the exponential growth rate of homes and other buildings that use public utilities, the ability to manually monitor each and every meter has become burdensome. In addition to the time and effort required to personally monitor each meter at its location, meter readers must travel to each meter. This prevents a utility company from being able to monitor a specific meter on demand. Even if a meter reader is rerouted to a particular location, the meter reader must still spend time traveling to the location. This methodology uses the manual meter reading where in meter reader travels to each and individual usage point to collect the usage readings.
[0005] In another attempt to provide billings at regular and frequent intervals, electrical power utilities have resorted to other techniques. One method involves estimating power consumption for a household based on past usage patterns. The consumer is billed based on an estimate, an every few months, for example six months, the meter is manually inspected, and the actual power consumption is determined. Although such an approach is effective to reduce the number of on-site visits required by utility employees, it may be less than satisfactory from the viewpoint of the power utility or the consumer. For example, if the estimated power consumption is less than the actual power consumption, then the power utility is not collecting all the revenue it is owed. Similarly, if the estimate is overly conservative, then the consumer is paying for electricity which is not being used, which is not desirable from the consumer point of view and leads to the impression of over-billing.
[0006] Another method uses the radio frequency (RF)/programmable logic controller (PLC)/public switched telephone network (PSTN)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)/Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks to collect the usage details remotely by fitting communication modules/devices to the meter. The costs involved in having a meter reader travel to the various customer locations to take the meter reading can be excessive. Moreover, in some situations, the meter may be located inside of a structure which is not always readily accessible to the meter reader, thus hampering the meter reader and adding delay and further costs. Also, there may be manual errors while reading the details. In addition, the meter-readers may be subject to dog bites, human attack, or other dangers.
[0007] Some new utility meters are being installed that have wired programmable logic controller (PLC)/public switched telephone network (PSTN) or wireless radio frequency (RF)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)/Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) communication of usage data to the utility. These meters may directly address the problems raised above as in case of manual meter reading, and in the long term, may be a satisfactory solution. However, these meters are quite expensive and total system cost of deployment and maintenance is high. Also, in case of wired communication there is a possibility of tampering the communication line.
[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a system and method that wirelessly transmit the usage details to a central location or utility provider by the consumer to determine utility usage and to manage billing information with no manual intervention and to facilitate easy capture of utility meter readings by which to simply, economically, and automatically obtain accurate utility meter readings by solving the aforementioned problems.
[0009] All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for reading utility meters data usage by consumer using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology having merits of low cost, nullifies the manual meter reading cost and reading errors.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that comprises at least one utility meter with a Bluetooth module mounted on the wall or to other structure of the house or building. The Bluetooth module can be fitted either internally or externally to the utility meter.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that comprises at least one Bluetooth Low Energy and Internet-enabled mobile computing device of a consumer or any individual to provide one or more wireless meter reading details of the at least one utility meter.
[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that comprises a mobile computing device pre-installed with the software application to read the Bluetooth enabled utility meter through its Bluetooth module.
[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that comprises a mobile computing device that transmits the meter reading information over a communication network for communicating the meter reading images or information to a central location or server, which is used by or on behalf of a utility provider or supplier to determine utility usage, and to manage billings.
[0015] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method that includes acquiring meter reading information for a plurality of BLE enable utility meters; transmitting, the meter reading information for each of the meters acquired from the mobile computing device to a utility server through a communication network; determining the meter reading information for each of the meters based on the transmitted information, and thereby managing the billing based on the meter reading information.

SUMMARY
[0016] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in Detailed Description section. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0017] The present invention relates generally to wireless utility meter reading system. More particularly, it relates to a system and method for reading utility meters data usage using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.
[0018] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for facilitating wireless reading of utility measurements from utility meters, said system comprising: at least one Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled utility meter; at least one mobile computing device of a consumer pre-installed with meter reading application, wherein the at least one mobile computing device is configured to acquire meter reading information for the at least one BLE enable utility meter installed in a building; and a transmitter configured to transmit the meter reading information for each of the meters acquired from the mobile computing device to at least one utility server through a communication network, wherein the utility server is configured to determine and manage the meter reading information for each of the meters based on the transmitted information.
[0019] In an embodiment, said meter reader application installed in the mobile computing device automatically displays the notification on the screen at each billing cycle.
[0020] In another embodiment, said meter reader application installed in the mobile computing device is configured to download the usage details of at least one BLE enabled utility meter.
[0021] In another embodiment, said Bluetooth module is fitted either internally or externally to the utility meter.
[0022] In another embodiment, said mobile computing device acquires the meter reading information from each of the meters periodically.
[0023] In another embodiment, said communication network includes cellular provider, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and include an IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) network.
[0024] In another embodiment, said utility server communicate with the communication network directly or via other wired/wireless connections.
[0025] In another embodiment, said meter reading image or information obtained with the mobile computing device is transmitted to the server associated with the utility provider to determine utility usage and manage billings.
[0026] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for facilitating wireless reading of utility measurements from utility meters, said method comprising: acquiring, by at least one mobile computing device pre-installed with meter reading application, meter reading information for a plurality of BLE enable utility meters installed in a building; transmitting, by the transmitter, the meter reading information for each of the meters acquired from the mobile computing device to a utility server through a communication network; and determining, by the utility server the meter reading information for each of the meters based on the transmitted information.
[0027] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] The following drawings form part of the present specification and are included to further illustrate aspects of the present disclosure. The disclosure may be better understood by reference to the drawings in combination with the detailed description of the specific embodiments presented herein.
[0029] Figure 1: shows a diagrammatic illustration of an individual, such as a utility customer, using the mobile computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] Figure 2: shows a block diagram illustrating the components of the system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0031] Figure 3: shows a flow diagram of a process for reading utility meter data usage according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0033] All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
[0034] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0035] In some embodiments, numbers have been used for quantifying distance, percentages, angles, and so forth, to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention and are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
[0036] Various terms as used herein are shown below. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined below, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in printed publications and issued patents at the time of filing.
[0037] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0038] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense that is as “including, but not limited to.”
[0039] As used herein, entities can include one or more persons, organizations, businesses, institutions and/or other entities, including but not limited to, financial institutions, and services providers, that implement one or more portions of one or more of the embodiments described and/or contemplated herein. In particular, entities can include a person, business, school, club, fraternity or sorority, an organization having members in a particular trade or profession, sales representative for particular products, charity, not-for-profit organization, labour union, local government, government agency, or political party.
[0040] All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
[0041] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified.
[0042] The description that follows, and the embodiments described therein, is provided by way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular embodiments of the principles and aspects of the present disclosure. These examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not of limitation, of those principles and of the disclosure.
[0043] It should also be appreciated that the present disclosure can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a system, a method or a device. In this specification, these implementations, or any other form that the invention may take, may be referred to as processes. In general, the order of the steps of the disclosed processes may be altered within the scope of the invention.
[0044] The present invention relates generally to wireless utility meter reading system. More particularly, it relates to a system and method for reading utility meters data usage using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.
[0045] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for facilitating wireless reading of utility measurements from utility meters, said system comprising: at least one Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled utility meter (101); at least one mobile computing device (106) of a consumer pre-installed with meter reading application (107), wherein the at least one mobile computing device is configured to acquire meter reading information for the at least one BLE enable utility meter (101) installed in a building (103); and a transmitter configured to transmit the meter reading information for each of the meters (101) acquired from the mobile computing device (106) to at least one utility server (109) through a communication network (108), wherein the utility server (109) is configured to determine and manage the meter reading information for each of the meters (101) based on the transmitted information.
[0046] In an embodiment, said meter reader application installed in the mobile computing device automatically displays the notification on the screen at each billing cycle.
[0047] In another embodiment, said meter reader application installed in the mobile computing device is configured to download the usage details of at least one BLE enabled utility meter.
[0048] In another embodiment, said Bluetooth module is fitted either internally or externally to the utility meter.
[0049] In another embodiment, said mobile computing device acquires the meter reading information from each of the meters periodically.
[0050] In another embodiment, said communication network includes cellular provider, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and include an IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) network.
[0051] In another embodiment, said utility server communicate with the communication network directly or via other wired/wireless connections.
[0052] In another embodiment, said meter reading image or information obtained with the mobile computing device is transmitted to the server associated with the utility provider to determine utility usage and manage billings.
[0053] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for facilitating wireless reading of utility measurements from utility meters, said method comprising: acquiring (301), by at least one mobile computing device (106) pre-installed with meter reading application (107), meter reading information for a plurality of BLE enable utility meters (101) installed in a building (103); transmitting (302), by the transmitter, the meter reading information for each of the meters acquired from the mobile computing device (106) to a utility server (109) through a communication network (108); and determining (303), by the utility server (109) the meter reading information for each of the meters (101) based on the transmitted information.
[0054] The present invention relates to a system and method for reading utility meters data usage using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology. The present invention relates to a system that includes at least one Bluetooth Low Energy enabled utility meter, at least one Bluetooth Low Energy and Internet-enabled mobile computing device of a consumer or any individual to provide one or more wireless meter reading details of the at least one utility meter from time to time. In an aspect, the software such as Android/Windows/iOS application can be installed in at least one mobile computing device of the consumer for communicating the meter reading images to a central location or utility provider. In an aspect, the utility meter readings data or information can be utilized by the utility provider or its billing agent to determine utility usage and manage billing such as such as billing the customer for the usage.
[0055] In an aspect, the proposed system comprises a utility meter that is mounted on the wall or to other structure of the house or building. The Bluetooth module can be fitted either internally or externally to the utility meter. The individual or the consumer can hold the mobile computing device and can open the meter reading application. The meter reader application installed in the mobile computing device can automatically display the notification on the screen of the mobile computing device at each billing cycle as per the utility to remind the individual to read the usage details from the utility meter. Once the meter reader application is launched, it automatically downloads the usage details from the utility meter over Bluetooth communication to the mobile computing device. In other words, the mobile computing device can use the pre-installed meter reading application to read the Bluetooth enabled utility meter through its Bluetooth module.
[0056] In another aspect, the meter reading information can be transmitted via the communication network from the mobile computing device to the server which is used by or on behalf of a utility provider or supplier to determine utility usage, manage billings and/or for other purposes as considered necessary by the utility supplier or its agents. In other words, the usage details received by the mobile computing device are transmitted to the utility server by means of using the mobile communication network.
[0057] Further, the server can communicate with the communication network directly or via other wired/wireless connections, such as telephone lines, other cable connections, the internet, and/or cellular or other wireless connections.
[0058] In another aspect, the present invention facilitates easy capture of utility meter readings by which to simply, economically, and automatically obtain accurate utility meter readings without the problems disclosed in the prior meter reading methods. A customer or other individual automatically takes the reading of the meter using the Bluetooth enabled mobile computing device. The meter reading image or information obtained with the computing can be sent, using the communication facility of the mobile computing device, to the server associated with a utility provider or its agent to determine utility usage and manage billings.
[0059] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of an individual, such as a utility customer, using the mobile computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0060] Referring to FIG 1, a system includes a plurality of utility meters 101, a Bluetooth module 104, a mobile computing device 106 and so on. The utility meters 101 can be mounted on the wall 102 or to other structure of the house 103. Each meter 101 may be a typical meter for metering the usage of electricity, gas, tap water, hot water and so on and can display metering information in an analogue or digital manner.
[0061] According to one embodiment, the individual or a consumer 105 can hold the mobile computing device 106 to take the reading of the meter. The mobile computing device is exemplified by a smart phone which is able to be installed with additional programs. These phones are deployed today in the billions of units worldwide and encompass two major brands, the I-Phone, a market brand of the company Apple Inc. and the Android, an operating system developed by the Google company.
[0062] The device 106 may be a smart phone, which is a combination mobile telephone and a handheld computer having personal digital assistant (“PDA”) functionality. The teachings herein can be applied to other mobile computing devices (e.g., a laptop computer, tablet computers, netbook computers) or other electronic devices. Today, these digital devices are sophisticated units which can accomplish a host of different operations, manually or automatically, in the foreground or in the background, and are specially developed and optimized to utilize downloaded applications or “apps” which have exponentially increased in number since the phones and digital devices have become standardized by their manufacturers. These apps are routinely and easily updated with little effort by the users as improvements are made in their operation and efficiencies.
[0063] While one embodiment of the present disclosure is particularly advantageously applied to and with a smartphone, other embodiments do not necessarily require or involve a smartphone. For example, other mobile computing devices generally considered to be hand-held and having digital imaging and communication capability may be used, such as tablet computers, netbook computers, or the like.
[0064] In an aspect of the invention, the Bluetooth module 104 can be fitted either internally or externally to the utility meter 101. The present invention applies the Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technique for a data communication scheme for a meter reading. A “beacon” used herein refers to a Bluetooth Low Energy-based radio communication device that is in the spotlight as the core technology in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT). Incidentally, as a Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) protocol-based NFC (Near-Field Communication), the Bluetooth beacon has the ability to communicate with devices within a range of 70 m at maximum and has the accuracy so high that the devices can be identified in the units of 5 to 10 cm. In addition, because of its low power consumption, the Bluetooth beacon is suitable to implement the Internet of Things (IoT) in which all devices are always connected.
[0065] In an implementation, the individual 105 can hold the smart phone 106 and opens the meter reading application 107. The meter reader application 107 is installed in the smart phone 106 and can automatically display the notification on smart phone106 screen at each billing cycle as per the utility to remind the individual 105 to read the usage details from the utility meter 101. Once the meter reader application 107 is launched, it can automatically download the usage details from the utility meter 101 over Bluetooth 104 communication to the Smart Phone 106. A customer or other individual automatically takes the reading of the meter using the Bluetooth enabled smart phone. The meter reading image or information obtained with the smart phone can be sent, using the communication network 108 of the smart phone, to a utility server 109.
[0066] According to this embodiment, the improved wireless meter reading system enables all parties with an interest in utility usage to obtain real-time information. The consumer benefits from this arrangement by being able to observe the meter and optimize utility usage.
[0067] Further, the network 108 can be a wireless network, a wired network or a combination thereof. The network 108 can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as an intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, LTE network, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and may also include an IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) network, and the like. Further, network 108 can either be a dedicated network or a shared network. The shared network represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the like, to communicate with one another. Further, the network 108 can include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, mobile computing devices, storage devices, and the like.
[0068] In an aspect of the invention, the utility server 109 associated with a utility provider or its agent can determine utility usage and manage billings. This utility server can perform all the management functions required by the utility for its ongoing operations.
[0069] The server 109 can communicate to the communication network 108. The server (109) may contain a program that will cause the processor of the server to analyse the received information and generate the meter reading directly. Where the mobile computing device transmits the meter reading information, the processor of the server may analyse the information and can compare it to the received meter reading as a reliability check. The meter reading information may be evaluated at or by the server to confirm that the digital image and/or meter reading is from an expected meter.
[0070] The present disclosure facilitates easy capture of utility meter readings by which to simply, economically, and automatically obtain accurate utility meter readings without the disadvantages encountered with prior meter reading methods. To that end, and in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a customer or other individual with the mobile computing device reads the utility meter. The meter reading can then be transmitted to the utility provider and utilized by the utility provider or its billing agent to determine utility usage and manage billing.
[0071] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the components of the system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0072] Referring to FIG 2, the system includes consumer or individual 201, mobile computing device 202 with Bluetooth 204 and utility meter read application 203, utility meter 205 with Bluetooth module 206, network 207 and utility server 208.
[0073] In an embodiment, the mobile computing device 202 has housing to be easily held in one hand by an individual, such as a utility customer or someone acting on the customer's behalf, or a meter reader or the like. The mobile computing device is a smart phone, such as an iPhone or Android-based cellular phone by way of examples, the housing of which is sized to be hand-held so as to be easily carried in or with one hand. The mobile computing device can be referenced herein as a smart phone, although it will be understood that the mobile computing device could be some other comparable, handheld device, such as a tablet computer an example of which is the iPad, a netbook computer, or the like.
[0074] The mobile computing device 202 of a consumer 201 may be integrated with the Bluetooth beacon transmitter at a position distant from the utility meters 205 and performs a function of acquiring meter reading information on each meter. The mobile computing device 202 may be configured to acquire the meter reading information from each utility meter 205 periodically. In addition, the system according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured to replace a number of remote meter reading devices with a Bluetooth module 206.
[0075] The housing of the mobile computing device 202 supports the various electronic components. These components include a processor, transmitter/receiver, memory, keypad, display and various applications. The housing may also support a battery which may be rechargeable, to provide power to the various electrical components of the mobile computing device. For reference, the supply of power for the operation of the Bluetooth may be achieved through a typical battery or the like. However, it may be more desirable that a commercial power source or a solar power source is used to prevent system malfunctioning or incorrect meter reading due to any power outage. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a configuration.
[0076] The display/user interface provides images to the user, such as icons or other virtual buttons, or digital images sent to the smart phone, or as captured by the digital camera thereof. Similarly, the memory includes various operating programs for the operation of the smart phone and data storage. Smart phone may communicate information over a communication network. The communication network 207 may be provided by a cellular provider, examples of which include Airtel, Vodafone, BSNL etc. The communication network 207 can be, by way of further example, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network and may also include an IEEE 802,1 1 (Wi-Fi) network as all or part thereof. Data may be stored in data storage of memory by which to facilitate storage and communication of data such as digital images taken by camera or messages, texts, images, and/or web pages received by the smart phone over the communication network 207.
[0077] In an embodiment, the memory may also contain therein an application 203, which may be stored along with other operating programs. The application 203 stores various instructions, routines, functions, operations and the like to be executed by the processor to adapt the smart phone to perform as meter reader of utility meters 205 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As will be readily appreciated by users of smart phones, the application 203 may be downloaded into the smart phone over the communication network 207, for example, or otherwise loaded into the smart phone by means of wireless communication such as by a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or infrared link, or with a cable or other physical link from another computer (not shown) or memory stick or the like having access to the software making up the application 203.
[0078] In another embodiment, the use of the user terminal with the application 203 activated or launched or pre-installed, such as by tapping on or otherwise selecting the icon on the display/user interface associated with the application 203 for purposes of obtaining a meter reading. As seen in FIG. 2, a utility meter 205 may be mounted to a wall 102 or other structure of a house. The utility meter 205 includes a plurality of components that includes controller, power supply, display and memory. The Bluetooth module 104 as seen in FIG. 1, may be fitted either internally or externally to the utility meter 205. While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0079] In an implementation, the individual 201 or any other consumer can hold the smart phone 202 and can activate the meter reading application 203. Once the meter reader application 202 is launched, it automatically downloads the usage details from the utility meter 205 over Bluetooth communication to the smart phone 202. The meter reader application installed in the smart phone 202 can automatically display the notification on the display/user interface of the smart phone at each billing cycle as per the utility to remind the individual to read the usage details from the utility meter 205. The application 203 includes the necessary program code for the processor to analyse the digital image and generate therefrom a meter reading. The meter reading image or information may be transmitted via the communication network 207 from the smart phone 202 to a utility server 208, which is used by or on behalf of a utility supplier to determine utility usage, manage billings and/or for other purposes as considered necessary by the utility supplier or its agents. As will be readily understood, the server 208 may communicate with the communication network 207 directly or via other connections, such as telephone lines, other cable connections, the internet, and/or cellular or other wireless connections.
[0080] Advantageously, the system of the present invention can eliminate the manual process of meter reading and thereby nullifying the cost of meter reading and use of higher- end cost expensive meters with automatic meter reading capability. The system can help to read the meters which are installed in the field by externally mounting the low-cost Bluetooth communication module without need of replacement.
[0081] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the process of reading utility meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0082] Referring to FIG 3, the method includes acquiring 301 meter reading information for a plurality of BLE enable utility meters installed in a building by at least one BLE enabled mobile computing device pre-installed with meter reading application. The method further includes transmitting 302 the meter reading information for each of the meters acquired from the mobile computing device to a utility server through a communication network and determining and managing 303 the meter reading information for each of the meters based on the transmitted information by the utility server.
[0083] Additionally, while the present disclosure advantageously facilitates easy capture of meter readings by which to simply, economically, and automatically obtain accurate customer-supplied meter readings without the disadvantages encountered with present approaches, meter readers may also take advantage of the present disclosure, such as with an appropriate programmed mobile computing device. Similarly, while the disclosure has been described in the context of a fully functioning smart phone, it will be appreciated that the various embodiments of the programming for implementing the disclosure are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the disclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of computer readable media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable media include but are not limited to physical and tangible recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM's, DVD's, etc.), among others.
[0084] The steps and/or actions of a method described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to the processor, such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Further, in some embodiments, the processor and the storage medium can reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a computing device. Additionally, in some embodiments, the events and/or actions of a method can reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a machine-readable medium and/or computer-readable medium, which can be incorporated into a computer program product.
[0085] In an embodiment, all information stored in each database can be retrieved. In another embodiment, only a single entry in each of the one or more databases can be retrieved. The retrieval of information can be performed a single time or may be performed multiple times. In an exemplary embodiment, only information pertaining to a specific predictive model is retrieved from each of the databases.
[0086] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C … and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc. The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
[0087] While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described herein, it will be clear that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as described in the claims.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0088] The present invention provides a system that nullifies the cost incurred in case of manual meter reading and reduces the use of cost expensive automatic meter reading (AMR) enabled meters and systems.
[0089] The present invention provides a system that eliminates the need for manual meter reader deployed by the utility or meter reading agency and also eliminates the danger or other threats posed to the meter reader.
[0090] The present invention provides a system that can eliminate the replacement of meters which are already installed in the field, as the Bluetooth communication module can be fitted externally to the utility meter.
[0091] The present invention provides a system that can provide a consumer to be part of the billing system and utility can pass benefits of meter reader to the consumer.
[0092] The present invention provides a system that can provide remote communication to the utility server and instant bill generation for the usage and further can help to read the meters which are installed in the field by externally mounting the low-cost Bluetooth communication module without need of replacement.