Patent ID: 8164480

Claim:
An apparatus for remotely displaying a resource consumption value associated with a metering device, such apparatus comprising: a processing device comprising at least one input suitably configured for being electrically associated with a metering device through a communication link, said metering device configured to generate a meter reading value and a resource consumption signal; wherein said processing device is configured to receive said resource consumption signal over said communication link; a memory that is at least one of (a) integral to, and (b) electrically associated with, said processing device and configured for storing continuous resource consumption data and a customer resetable resource consumption value; wherein said processing device is configured to use at least part of said resource consumption signal to update at least one of (a) the stored continuous resource consumption data so that said stored continuous resource consumption data value is substantially equal to said meter reading value, and (b) the customer resettable resource consumption value; a display electrically associated with said processing device and suitably configured for displaying at least one of said continuous resource consumption data value and said customer resetable resource consumption value and wherein said display is controlled by a display controller that is one of (a) an integral display controller, (b) a external display controller electrically associated with said processing device; and (c) said processing device; a power source electrically associated with at least said processing device and said display; a preset interface suitably configured for being electrically associated with a programming module and further suitably configured for transferring initial continuous resource consumption values from said programming module to said memory; a reset device electrically associated with said processing device wherein said processing device is configured to reset said resettable resource consumption value to a predefined value when said reset device is activated; and wherein said display device is configured to display resource consumption values for at least one of (a) continuously, (b) for a predefined time period, and (c) upon customer request wherein said resource consumption values are derived by said processing device using said continuous resource consumption values.