METER READING SYSTEMS

摘要

This invention relates to meter reading systems and devices in particular to systems and methods for low cost detection of consumer-side water leaks. A meter reading system comprising: at least one meter data manager computer system; and a plurality of physically separate meter reading devices; wherein each of said meter reading devices is configured to enable a householder to releasably attach a said meter reading device to a domestic utility meter, and wherein a said meter reading device, when attached, is able to read usage data from said domestic utility meter, said usage data representing usage of a consumable utility monitored by said domestic utility meter; and wherein each of said meter reading devices and said at least one meter data manager computer system has a short-range data communications link to enable bidirectional communications between each of said meter reading devices and said at least one meter data manager computer system, wherein said meter data manager computer system includes a data store for storing at least address information for a set of domestic users of said consumable utility, and corresponding utility consumption information for each household monitored by a said domestic utility meter; wherein said meter data manager computer system includes program code to control issue and retrieval of a said meter reading device, wherein said issue comprises: printing of an address label for dispatching of a said meter reading device to a household at said address and downloading address identification data to the meter reading device via said bi-directional communications link to identify the address to which said device is dispatched; and wherein said retrieval comprises: uploading said usage data or data derived from said usage data from a said meter reading device in association with said address identification data, and storing said usage data or data derived from said usage data in said data store in association with the address identified by said address identification data; whereby, in use, said meter reading system is able to dispatch a plurality of said meter reading devices to a plurality of different households and afterwards retrieve and store utility consumption information relating to said households in said data store.