Patent ID: 8928489
Filing Date: 2015-01-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method of processing an incident in a utility service area, the method comprising: under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions: detecting the incident in the utility service area; identifying a plurality of utility devices within the utility service area to which to send an information request, based on the detected incident; interrogating one or more utility devices of the plurality of utility devices to determine one or more of a communication technology, a communication protocol, or a combination thereof used by the one or more utility devices; selecting a preset quantity of utility devices comprising a subset of the plurality of utility devices based at least in part on the results of the interrogation; sending an information request to the preset quantity of utility devices using one or more of a communication technology, one or more of a communication protocol, or a combination thereof, based at least in part on the results of the interrogation; receiving results from the one or more utility devices based on the sending; and formulating a response to the incident based on the results of the sending.