Patent ID: 7209840

Claim:
A communication device adapted for use in an automated monitoring system for providing remote monitoring of commodity consumption, the automated monitoring system comprising a data controller in communication with a plurality of commodity meters via a wireless communication network and in communication with a host computer via a wide area network, the communication device comprising: a data interface configured to receive data related to the commodity consumption measured by the commodity meter; memory comprising a unique identifier corresponding to the commodity meter; logic configured to receive the data related to the commodity consumption measured by the commodity meter, retrieve the unique identifier corresponding to the commodity meter, and generate a transmit message comprising the unique identifier and the data related to the commodity consumption measured by the commodity meter and configured such that the transmit message may be received by the data controller via the wireless communication network and such that the data controller may identify the commodity meter; a wireless transceiver configured for communication over the wireless communication network and configured to provide the transmit message to the wireless communication network and receive messages from the wireless communication network; and logic configured to receive a transmit message from another communication device and retransmit the received transmit message.