Patents by Inventor Neil R. Hovelsrud

Neil R. Hovelsrud has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7376118
    Abstract: A method for communicating with automatic meter reading (AMR) endpoints in adjacent cells, when the endpoints are arranged in a cell pattern similar to a cellular telephone system, is disclosed that substantially reduces the likelihood of signal interference. A Frame ID is identified as corresponding to a particular receive frequency that a system reader (receiver/collector) uses when listening for endpoint responses. In this example embodiment of the AMR network model, all endpoints in the network listen on the same control frequency to receive commands sent out from the readers. To allow for a relatively fast network read cycle, cells that are spaced far enough away from each other as to not interfere with each other are allowed to transmit at the same time. Cells with the same Frame ID are configured to be spaced a safe distance from each other so as not to interfere with each other's endpoint population.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Itron, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher L. Osterloh, Neil R. Hovelsrud