Patent ID: 7702594

Claim:
A method for automated configuration of a meter according to a billing rate, the method comprising: receiving an identification of the billing rate according to which the meter is to be configured, the identification of the billing rate including a name of the billing rate and not including configuration parameters associated with the billing rate; responsive to receiving the identification of the billing rate, retrieving, from stored data, the configuration parameters associated with the billing rate, the configuration parameters comprising at least a number of seasons included in the billing rate and a number of billing tiers included in the billing rate; responsive to receiving the identification of the billing rate, retrieving, from stored data, meter configuration capability information indicating a configuration capability of the meter including at least a maximum number of seasons for which the meter is configurable and a maximum number of billing tiers for which the meter is configurable; receiving configuration parameters associated with the billing rate; prior to configuring or refusing to configure the meter, determining based on the meter configuration capability information and the configuration parameters whether the meter is capable of implementing the configuration parameters associated with the billing rate, wherein the determining comprises determining whether the number of seasons and the number of tiers included in the billing rate is less than or equivalent to the maximum number of seasons and the maximum number of tiers included in the meter configuration capability information; if not, then: refusing to configure the meter to implement the configuration parameters associated with the billing rate; and is so, then: translating the billing rate from a meter independent format into a format specific to the meter; and configuring, by a server, the meter in accordance with the meter's particular requirements to implement the configuration parameters associated with the billing rate.