Patent ID: 7312693

Claim:
In a monitoring system having an automatic meter reader (AMR) used in an electrical distribution system, the AMR including a communications module housed within an AMR enclosure for two-way communications between a utility and the AMR to report information to the utility concerning electricity usage at the site where the AMR is installed, and the communications module including at least one resistive element to which a current is supplied during the communications, the monitoring system comprising: a receiver module for receiving an outbound signal from the utility; a signal transmission module for generating an inbound signal to the utility in response to the outbound signal, the inbound signal having current pulses up to and including 21 amps and having a burst rate up to and including 32 bytes, the signal transmission module configured to communicate the inbound signal through the restive element; and a phase change material (PCM) applied to the resistive element, the PCM quickly absorbing heat from the resistive element, storing heat within the PCM, and then slowly releasing the heat into the ambient air within the enclosure to control the operating temperature of the resistive element when the resistive element acts as a heat source due to current flow through the element, thereby to control the temperature rise of ambient air inside the AMR enclosure during two-way communications.