Patent ID: 7283580

Claim:
In an automatic meter reading (AMR) system comprising a plurality of utility meter end point modules that generate and transmit utility consumption data, and at least one AMR system receiver configured to receive consumption data transmitted by the end point modules by way of frequency hopping spread spectrum transmission, a method of communicating between a first end point module and the receiver, the method comprising: maintaining, at the receiver, transmission profile information for the first end point module that represents at least a frequency hopping pattern used by the first end point module; transmitting, by the first end point module, a first message, wherein the first message includes an identifier of the first end point module; receiving, by the receiver, the first message; determining, by the receiver, an identity of the first end point module based on the identifier of the first message to obtain a first determined identity; determining, by the receiver, frequency hopping information associated with a future second transmission by the first end point module based on the first determined identity of the first end point module to obtain a first set of determined frequency hopping information; predicting, by the receiver, whether the future second transmission will be unsuccessful based on the first set of determined frequency hopping information; and responding to a predicted unsuccessful future second transmission by adjusting the communicating between the first end point module and the receiver.