Title of Invention

"TAMPER EVIDENCING METER"

Abstract The present invention provides a tamper evidencing meter comprising a casing comprising a front cover (1), a rear cover (2) and optionally an intermediate cover (6), characterized in that said casing comprises: a frangible portion (3) formed on the front cover (1) or on the intermediate cover (6) at a location which is easily observable for retaining a permanent evidence indicative of attempt to tamper and/or tamper; at least one element (4) engageable with a portion (5) of the said casing, being located so that any force applied to disengage the engagement there between is directly transferred to the frangible portion.
Full Text Field of invention
The present invention relates to a meter, more particularly to a tamper evidencing meter.
Background of invention
Power meter is being used in electric power distribution system and is located at the subscriber's or customer's premises. The power meter measures the amount of electric energy supplied by the subscriber/customer.
Various components of the power meter are encased inside a casing in order to (a) provide protection to the components, (b) to enhance the ease of mounting of the power meter at the user's premises and (c) to avoid access of the components. By avoiding access of the components of the power of the power meter, tampering to the meter can be reduced.
The casing of the power meter is made in two or three parts and the parts are joined together. In one of the recent techniques adopted, the components of the power meter are placed inside a plastic casing, which is formed in at least two parts, and the parts are ultrasonically welded with each other.
Although the above mentioned construction of the power meter overcomes previously faced problems, in the recent time it has been noticed that dishonest customers still attempt to manipulate or tamper the meter that are formed in the above-mentioned manner by cutting the sealed cover and gluing the cover back after tampering. Once the plastic casing is glued, it is difficult for the representative of the power company to detect the tampering. The situation is further aggravated when the glued portion is not easily noticeable or detectable. This results in the power companies a low revenue collection from the dishonest customer for electric consumption. Thus there exists a need to provide a meter in which it is easier to detect tampering.
Brief description of drawings
Figure 1 is exemplary illustration of a tamper evidencing meter according to the present
invention.
Figure 2 is an exemplary illustration of a tamper evident meter with snap lockable device
according to present invention.
Figure 3 is an exemplary illustration of an embodiment of the present invention.
Objects of the invention
The main object of the present invention is to provide a tamper evident meter which helps the meter readers to detect tampering.
Summary of the invention
To overcome aforesaid problems, the applicant has developed a tamper evidencing meter which clearly indicates if any tampering is done or tried in the meter.
Statement of the invention
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a tamper evidencing meter comprising a casing
comprising a front cover, a rear cover and optionally an intermediate cover, characterized in
that said casing comprises:
a frangible portion formed on the front cover or on the intermediate cover at a location which
is easily observable for retaining a permanent evidence indicative of attempt to tamper and/or
tamper;
at least one element engageable with a portion of the said casing, being located so that any
force applied to disengage the engagement there between is directly transferred to the
frangible portion.
Detailed description of the invention
Accordingly, the present invention provides a tamper evidencing meter comprising a casing having a portion adapted to retain a permanent evidence indicative of attempt to tamper and/or tamper, wherein the said portion is formed at a location which is easily observable.
In an embodiment of the present invention the casing comprises a front cover, a rear cover and optionally an intermediate cover.
In another embodiment of the present invention the portion adapted to retain a permanent evidence is a frangible portion.
In still another embodiment of the present invention the front cover comprises at least one frangible portion and at least one element engageable with a portion of said rear cover.
in yet another embodiment of the present invention the front cover comprises at least one frangible portion and at least one element engagebale with a portion of said intermediate cover.
In a further embodiment of the present invention the intermediate cover comprises at least one frangible portion and at least one element engageable with a portion of said rear cover.
In a further more embodiment of the present invention the force required to disengage the element from the portion is larger than the force required to break the frangible portion.
In another embodiment of the present invention the front cover is releasably secured to the rear cover and the element is configured to engage with said portion of said rear cover when the front cover is secured to the rear cover.
In still another embodiment of the present invention the intermediate cover and the front cover are releasably secured to the rear cover and the element of said front cover configured to engage with said portion of said intermediate cover when the front cover is secured to the rear cover.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention the intermediate cover and the front cover are releasably secured to the rear cover and the element of said intermediate cover is configured to engage with said portion of said rear cover when the intermediate cover is secured to the rear cover.
In a further embodiment of the present invention the element is engaged with the portion using means selected from the group comprising glue, locking device, magnetic lock, magnetic hook and snap lockable device.
In a further more embodiment of the present invention the element is located in the frangible portion or in the vicinity of the frangible portion and preferably in the frangible portion.
In another embodiment of the present invention the front cover and the optional intermediate cover are configured to co-operate with one or more fasteners for securing with the rear cover.
In still another embodiment of the present invention at least one of the said fasteners is covered by a cap element for restricting access to the said fastener.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention the cap element is attached to the front cover by means selected from the group comprising ultrasonic welding, glue.
In a further embodiment of the present invention the cap element is optionally provided with a locking clip or snap lock arrangement.
In a further more embodiment of the present invention the fastener is selected from the group comprising screws, nut-bolts and sealing screws.
In one more embodiment of the present invention the front cover and/or the intermediate cover are provided with a unique serial number.
The present invention is described with reference to the figures and specific embodiments; this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed invention, as well as alternate embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the
description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that such modifications that can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention are also deemed.
Figure 1 shows a tamper evidencing meter according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As can be noticed from figure 1, the meter comprises two covers, a top cover (1) and a bottom cover (2). The top cover (1) has at least one weaker or frangible portion (3) located at a portion of the top cover which is easily visible or in other words, observable. The frangible portion provided on the top cover carries a permanent and nonerasable mark or evidence of any attempt to tamper or tampering.
The top cover is provided with at least one element (4) engageable with a corresponding portion (5) of the bottom cover when the said top cover is secured to the bottom cover. Particularly, the element (4) engages with the portion (5) when the top cover and the bottom cover are joined / sealed together. The top cover and the bottom cover can be sealed or joined by any suitable joining process e.g., by fastening, gluing or ultrasonic welding. The element (4) and portion (5) are located in such a manner that by cutting the cover at any location, the element (4) or the portion (5) or the engagement between the element (4) and the portion (5) is not disturbed. In other words, even by cutting the sealed cover, the element (4), the portion (5) and the engagement between the element (4) and the portion (5) remain intact, due to which, free access inside to cover is not available.
Thus, if any unauthorized person tries to access the components inside the cover, he would be required to apply further force and disengage the engagement between the element (4) and the portion (5). The location of the element (4) and the portion (5) is such that any force applied to disengage the engagement there-between is directly transferred to the frangible portion. By way of example, the element (4) can be located on the frangible portion (3) or in vicinity of the frangible portion (3) and the portion (5) can be located substantially beneath the element (4). The further force required for disengaging the engagement between the element (4) and the portion (5) is larger than the force required for breaking the frangible portion (3). Thus, whenever the unauthorized person tries to access the components inside the cover, the frangible portion (3) of the top cover
(1) breaks, thereby leaving a permanent and non-erasable mark or evidence of the attempt to tamper or tampering. Once the frangible portion is broken, it cannot be rejoined.
By way of example, the element (4) can be engaged with the portion (5) by gluing, by means of a locking device, a magnetic lock, magnetic hook or snap lockable device.
Figure 2 shows a tamper evidencing meter according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As can be noticed from figure 2, the meter comprises a top cover (1), a bottom cover (2) and an intermediate cover (6) located between the top and the bottom covers. The intermediate cover (6) is arranged to be secured with the bottom cover (2) and the top cover (1) is also arranged to be secured with the bottom cover (2). Similar to the first embodiment shown in figure 1, the top cover (1) has at least one weaker or frangible portion (3) located at a portion of the top cover which is easily visible or in other words, observable. The frangible portion provided on the top cover carries a permanent and non-erasable mark or evidence of any attempt to tamper or tampering.
The top cover is provided with at least one element (4) engageable with a corresponding portion (5) of the intermediate cover (6) when the said top cover (1) is secured to the bottom cover (2). Particularly, the element (4) engages with the portion (5) when the top cover and the bottom cover are joined / sealed together. As mentioned in the first embodiment, the top cover and the bottom cover can be sealed or joined by any suitable joining process e.g., fastening, gluing or ultrasonic welding. The element (4) can be adapted to comprise of a snap-lockable device (7) and portion (5) can be adopted to comprise of slots (8) that interact with the snap-lockable device. The snap lockable device is located in such a manner that by cutting the cover at any location, the snap-lockable device (7) or the engagement between the snap lockable device (7) and the slots (8) is not disturbed. In other words, even by cutting the sealed cover, the snap-lockable device (7) and the engagement between the snap lockable device (7) and the slots (8) remain intact, due to which, free access inside to cover is not available.
Thus, if any unauthorized person tries to access the components inside the cover, he would be required to apply further force and disengage the engagement between the snap
lockable device (7) and the slots (8). The location of the snap lockable device (7) and the slots (8) is such that any force applied to disengage the engagement there-between is directly transferred to the frangible portion (3). By way of example, the snap lockable device (7) can be located on the frangible portion (3) or in vicinity of the frangible portion (3) and the slots (8) can be located substantially beneath the snap lockable device (7). The further force required for disengaging the engagement between the snap lockable device (7) and the slots (8) is larger than the force required for breaking the frangible portion (3). Thus, whenever the unauthorized person tries to access the components inside the cover, the frangible portion (3) of the top cover (1) breaks, thereby leaving a permanent and non-erasable mark or evidence of the attempt to tamper or tampering. Once the frangible portion is broken, it cannot be rejoined.
In a third embodiment, which can be considered as an alternative to the second embodiment, the portion (5) can be adapted to comprise of a snap-lockable device (7) and the element (4) can be adopted to comprise of slots (8) that interact with the snap-lockable device. Thus, in this alternative embodiment, the slots are formed inside the frangible portion (3) on the front cover (1) and the snap-lockable device may be formed in the intermediate cover (6).
In a fourth embodiment, which can be considered as an alternative to the second and/or the third embodiment, the top cover could be formed to include at least one transparent portion and the intermediate cover (6) comprises at least one weaker or frangible portion (3) located at a portion which is easily visible or in other words, observable. Preferably, the transparent portion included in the top cover overlaps with the frangible portion included in the intermediate cover.
The intermediate cover (6) may be provided with at least one element (4) engageable with a corresponding portion (5) of the bottom cover (2) when the said intermediate cover is secured to the bottom cover. In an alternative, the bottom cover (2) may be provided with at least one element (4) engageable with a corresponding portion (5) of the intermediate cover (6) when the said intermediate cover is secured to the bottom cover.
n another alternative, the intermediate cover (6) may be provided with at least one element (4) engageable with a corresponding portion (5) of the top cover (1) when the said top cover is secured to the bottom cover. In yet another the top cover (1) may be provided with at least one element (4) engageable with a corresponding portion (5) of the intermediate cover (6) when the said top cover is secured to the bottom cover.
The Applicants would like to add than when the top and the bottom covers are secured with the help of externally mounted fasteners, at least one of the fasteners is covered by a cap element (9) to avoid any unauthorized access to the fastener. By avoiding access to the fastener, the chances of tampering can be reduced. As shown in figure 3, the top cover (1) is arranged to be secured to the bottom cover sealing screws. However, instead of using sealing screws, nut-bolts or screws may be used as fasteners. The cap element (9) could be located above the fastener and sealed to the top cover. The fastener can be sealed by ultrasonically welding the cap element or by gluing the cap element to the top cover. As shown in figure 3, the cap element is optionally provided with a snap lock arrangement (10). The cap element (9) is optionally surrounded by a wall type structure (11) which prevents insertion of screw driver or any other tools to break open the cap element which snugly fits inside the wall type structure (11). If the fastener used is a sealing screw, an aperture (12) can be provided in the wall type structure (11) for inserting a sealing wire.
All the above-mentioned embodiments are primarily directed towards leaving a permanent and non-erasable mark or evidence of any attempt to tamper or tampering on the meter itself which is easily observable, which is the novel and the inventive aspect of the present application. As would be understood, a person skilled in the art might be able to come up with other alternative embodiments / mechanical constructions without deviating from the teachings from the present invention or without investing any amount of innovative skills. The teaching of the present invention is intended to cover such minor modifications also.
Advantages of the present invention
(a) easy to manufacture
(b) cost of the tamper evidencing meter is less
(c) effective to indicate the tampering.
(d) Innovative and simple in mechanism




We Claim:
1. A tamper evidencing meter comprising a casing comprising a front cover (1), a rear
cover (2) and optionally an intermediate cover (6), characterized in that said casing
comprises:
a frangible portion (3) formed on the front cover (1) or on the intermediate cover (6) at a location which is easily observable for retaining a permanent evidence indicative of attempt to tamper and/or tamper;
at least one element (4) engageable with a portion (5) of the said casing, being located so that any force applied to disengage the engagement there between is directly transferred to the frangible portion.
2. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front cover (1) comprises the at least one frangible portion (3) and the at least one element (4) engageable with the portion (5) of the said rear cover (2).
3. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front cover (1) comprises the at least one frangible portion (3) and the at least one element (4) engagebale with the portion (5) of said intermediate cover (6).
4. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intermediate cover (6) comprises the at least one frangible portion (3) and the at least one element (4) engageable with the portion (5) of the said rear cover (2).
5. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, wherein the force required to disengage the element (4) from the portion (5) is larger than the force required to break the frangible portion (3).
6. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the front cover (1) is releasably secured to the rear cover (2) and the element (4) is configured to engage
with said portion (5) of said rear cover (2) when the front cover (1) is secured to the rear cover (2).
7. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in claim 3, wherein the intermediate cover (6) and the front cover (1) are releasably secured to the rear cover (2) and the element of said front cover (1) configured to engage with said portion of said intermediate cover when the front cover is secured to the rear cover (2).
8. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the intermediate cover (6) and the front cover (1) are releasably secured to the rear cover (2) and the element (4) of said intermediate cover (6) is configured to engage with said portion (5) of said rear cover (2) when the intermediate cover is secured to the rear cover.
9. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, wherein the element (4) is engaged with the portion using means selected from the group comprising glue, locking device, magnetic lock, magnetic hook and snap lockable device.
10. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, wherein the element (4) is located in the frangible portion (3) or in the vicinity of the frangible portion (3) and preferably in the frangible portion (3).
11. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 10, wherein the front cover (1) and the optional intermediate cover are configured to cooperate with one or more fasteners for securing with the rear cover.
12. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of the said fasteners is covered by a cap element (9) for restricting access to the said fastener.
13. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 12, wherein the cap element (9) is attached to the front cover (1) by means selected from the group comprising ultrasonic welding, glue.
14. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 13, wherein the cap element (9) is optionally provided with a locking clip or snap lock arrangement.
15. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 14, wherein the fastener is selected from the group comprising screws, nut-bolts and sealing screws.
16. The tamper evidencing meter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 15, wherein the front cover and/or the intermediate cover are provided with a unique serial number.
17. A tamper evidencing meter substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

1715-DEL-2006-Abstract-(10-03-2011).pdf

1715-del-2006-abstract.pdf

1715-DEL-2006-Claims-(10-03-2011).pdf

1715-del-2006-claims.pdf

1715-DEL-2006-Correspondence-Others-(01-05-2009).pdf

1715-DEL-2006-Correspondence-Others-(10-03-2011).pdf

1715-DEL-2006-Correspondence-Others-(23-06-2010).pdf

1715-del-2006-correspondence-others.pdf

1715-DEL-2006-Description (Complete)-(10-03-2011).pdf

1715-del-2006-description (complete).pdf

1715-del-2006-drawings.pdf

1715-del-2006-form-1.pdf

1715-DEL-2006-Form-18-(12-09-2006).pdf

1715-del-2006-form-2.pdf

1715-del-2006-form-26.pdf

1715-del-2006-form-3.pdf

1715-del-2006-form-5.pdf


Patent Number 253492
Indian Patent Application Number 1715/DEL/2006
PG Journal Number 30/2012
Publication Date 27-Jul-2012
Grant Date 25-Jul-2012
Date of Filing 26-Jul-2006
Name of Patentee SECURE METERS LIMITED
Applicant Address P.O. BOX 30, PRATAP NAGAR INDUSTRIAL AREA, UDAIPUR-313003, INDIA
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 SANJAYA SINGHAL LAKE HOUSE, PP SINGHAL MARG, UDAIPUR-313001, INDIA
2 KAUSHIK GHOSH 71, TECHNOCRAT SOCIETY, BEDLA ROAD, P.O.: BADGAON, UDAIPUR-313011
PCT International Classification Number H02B1/06
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 NA