What is claimed is:
1. An article information providing system, comprising:
a portable terminal to which an information demander inputs a desire for an article as demand information, and receiving information corresponding to said demand information from an information provider;
a mediate apparatus provided with: registration means for previously registering each information provider and a keyword so as to allow the information and the keyword to correspond to each other; retrieval means for retrieving said keyword from said demand information; delivery destination determination means for determining said information provider as a delivery destination of said demand information, said information provider being registered in said registration means while corresponding to the keyword when the keyword is retrieved from the demand information; and transmission means for transmitting information to said information demander, the information being provided from the information provider determined by said delivery destination determination means and corresponding to said demand information.
2. A mediate apparatus for mediating demand information to an information provider, the demand information being input to a portable terminal with regard to an article by an information demander, comprising:
registration means for previously registering each information provider and a keyword so as to allow the information and the keyword to correspond to each other;
retrieval means for retrieving said keyword from said demand information;
delivery destination determination means for determining said information provider as a delivery destination of said demand information, said information provider being registered in said registration means while corresponding to the keyword when said keyword is retrieved from the demand information; and
transmission means for transmitting information to said information demander, the information being provided from the information provider determined by said delivery destination determination means and corresponding to said demand information.
3. The mediate apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein said mediate apparatus is included in a computer system operating as a server and comprises demand information reception means for receiving said demand information.
4. The mediate apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:
provided information reception means for receiving information, the information being provided from the information provider determined by said delivery destination determination means and corresponding to said demand information.
5. A portable terminal used by an information demander when obtaining article information provided by an information provider via a mediate apparatus comprising:
an interface section to which the information demander inputs a desire for an article as demand information potentially including a keyword, and from which the information demander outputs information provided from said information provider and corresponding to said demand information.
6. The portable terminal according to claim 5,
wherein said interface section is at least one of a browser, a home page and a portal site.
7. A providing method of article information, comprising the steps of:
registering each information provider and a keyword previously so as to allow the information and the keyword to correspond to each other;
urging an information demander to input a desire for an article to a portable terminal as demand information potentially including a keyword;
receiving said demand information;
retrieving said keyword from said demand information;
determining the information provider as a delivery destination of said demand information, the information provider being registered while corresponding to the keyword when said keyword is retrieved;
receiving information provided from said information provider and corresponding to said demand article information; and
transmitting said provided information received by said provided information reception means to said information demander.
8. A method, in which an information demander obtains article information from an information provider via a mediate apparatus, comprising the steps of:
inputting a desire for an article to a potable terminal as demand information potentially including a keyword by the information demander; and
receiving information from said information provider, the information being provided from the information provider and corresponding to said demand information.
9. The mediate apparatus according to claim 8,
wherein said demand information is at least one of character information, image information and voice information.
10. The mediate apparatus according to claim 8,
wherein said demand information is transmitted to said mediate apparatus together with terminal identification information.
11. The mediate apparatus according to claim 10,
wherein said terminal identification information is at least one of a telephone number, a mail address and an account (a user ID).
12. A recording medium readable by a computer providing article information, comprising the steps of:
registering each information provider and a keyword previously so as to allow the information and the keyword to correspond to each other;
urging an information demander to input a desire for an article to a portable terminal as demand information potentially including a keyword;
receiving said demand information;
retrieving said keyword from said demand information;
determining the information provider as a delivery destination of said demand information, the information provider being registered while corresponding to said keyword when said keyword is retrieved;
receiving information corresponding to said demand information and provided from said information provider; and
transmitting the information to said information demander, the information being provided from said information provider and corresponding to said demand information.
13. A computer-readable recording medium used by an information demander when obtaining article information from an information provider via a mediate apparatus,
wherein the computer-readable recording medium is recorded with an article information transmissionreception program for executing: a step of inputting a desire for an article to a portable terminal as demand information potentially including a keyword by an information demander; and a step of receiving provided information from the information provider, the provided information being provided from said information provider and corresponding to said demand information.
14. The mediate apparatus according to claim 13,
wherein said demand information is at least one of character information, image information and voice information.
15. The mediate apparatus according to claim 13,
wherein said demand information is transmitted to said mediate apparatus together with terminal identification information.
16. The mediate apparatus according to claim 15,
wherein said terminal identification information is at least one of a telephone number, a mail address and an account (a user ID).
17. A computer-program for providing article information, causing a computer to execute the steps of:
registering each information provider and a keyword previously so as to allow the information and the keyword to correspond to each other;
receiving demand information;
urging an information demander to input a desire for an article to a portable terminal as demand information;
retrieving said keyword from said demand information;
determining the information provider as a delivery destination of said demand information, the information provider being registered while corresponding to said keyword when said keyword is retrieved;
receiving information provided from said information provider and corresponding to said demand information; and
transmitting the provided information to said information demander, the provided information being provided from said information provider and corresponding to said demand information.
18. An article information transmissionreception program used by an information demander when obtaining article information from an information provider via a mediate apparatus, causing a computer to execute the steps of:
inputting a desire for an article to a portable terminal as demand information potentially including a keyword by the information demander; and
receiving provided information from the information provider, the provided information being provided from said information provider and corresponding to said demand information.
19. The mediate apparatus according to claim 18,
wherein said demand information is at least one of character information, image information and voice information.
20. The mediate apparatus according to claim 18,
wherein said demand information is transmitted to said mediate apparatus together with terminal identification information.
21. The mediate apparatus according to claim 20,
wherein said terminal identification information is at least one of a telephone number, a mail address and an account (a user ID).
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A utility meter comprising:
a first portion including metrology components arranged to measure utility consumption at a site; and
a second portion coupled to the first portion and arranged to transfer data between the utility meter and a peripheral device using a universal serial bus (USB) connection and a USB protocol.
2. The utility meter of claim 1, further comprising a third portion including a processor and at least one computer-readable memory storage device, the processor arranged to facilitate data transfer via the USB connection.
3. The utility meter of claim 2, further comprising a fully-functional operating system (OS) stored on the at least one computer-readable memory storage device and operable on the processor to facilitate the data transfer via the USB connection.
4. The utility meter of claim 1, further comprising a fourth portion including utility conductor terminals and a power supply, the fourth portion arranged to convey utility consumption information to the metrology components of the first portion and to supply electrical power to the second portion.
5. The utility meter of claim 4, further comprising a terminal cover arranged to at least partially enclose the utility conductor terminals at the fourth portion, and including an access panel arranged to provide access to the USB connection from the exterior of the utility meter.
6. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the second portion is electrically isolated from the first portion via a predetermined conductor spacing.
7. The utility meter of claim 6, wherein the second portion is arranged to interface with the first portion via one or more optical interface components.
8. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is arranged to at least one of collect, transmit, store, and process data corresponding to measured utility consumption at the site.
9. A system, comprising:
an apparatus including metrology hardware, a processor, and at least one computer-readable memory storage device, the apparatus arranged to collect data corresponding to utility consumption at a site; and
a peripheral device arranged to interface with the apparatus via a universal serial bus (USB) connection at the apparatus and using a USB protocol.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the apparatus includes an isolated section including data transfer components associated with the USB connection and a non-isolated section including the metrology hardware, the isolated section being electrically isolated from the non-isolated section based on a predetermined conductor spacing and the isolated section interfacing with the non-isolated section based on optical interface components.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the USB connection is administered at least in part by the processor, based on an operating system stored at the at least one computer-readable memory storage device.
12. The system of claim 9, wherein the peripheral device is arranged to receive power from the apparatus via the USB connection, and to at least one of: provide communications for the apparatus, provide sensor data to the apparatus, provide diagnostics of the apparatus, update firmware andor software of the apparatus, and download data from the apparatus.
13. The system of claim 9, wherein the peripheral device is arranged to be located external to an enclosure of the apparatus while coupled to the apparatus via the USB connection, the enclosure including an access portion arranged to allow access to a USB port.
14. A method, comprising:
coupling a peripheral device to a utility metering device at a site via a universal serial bus (USB) connection at the metering device; and
transferring data between the metering device and the peripheral device via the USB connection.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising enabling data transfer between the metering device and the peripheral device via the USB connection using an operating system (OS) stored on at least one computer-readable memory storage device and operable on a processor coupled to the metering device.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising establishing a network connection via a communications portion of the metering device and downloading a USB driver for the peripheral device when the peripheral device is coupled to the metering device.
17. The method of claim 14, further comprising supplying direct current (DC) power to the peripheral device via the USB connection.
18. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving sensor data at the metering device from the peripheral device via the USB connection.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising updating firmware andor software of the metering device using the peripheral device via the USB connection.
20. The method of claim 14, further comprising running diagnostics andor provisioning the metering device using the peripheral device via the USB connection.