Patent ID: 6965307

Claim:
A monitoring system for monitoring exterior signage at a site, comprising: a monitoring panel enclosing a printed circuit board containing a processor in communication with memory, an analog-to-digital transducer, and a modem, said modem also being connected to a telephone line; at least one current sensor inductively coupled to an existing lighting circuit of said exterior signage for sensing a current level therein, said current sensor being coupled to the analog-to-digital transducer in said monitoring panel for converting said sensed current level to a digitized current level; a software program resident in said memory for instructing said processor to measure the digitized current level, determine whether said measurement is during a predetermined daytime interval or nighttime interval, if made during said daytime interval to compare said digitized current level to a predetermined minimal current threshold to ensure that said lighting circuit is off during said daytime interval, if said measurement is made during said nightime interval to compare said digitized current level to an upper current threshold and lower current threshold to ensure that said lighting circuit is on and drawing normal current during said nighttime interval, to generate and store an error code in said memory if said comparison fails, said fault code comprising an indication of the site, affected lighting circuit, and nature of the fault, and for activating said modem to dial a central monitoring station and transmit said error code thereto for reporting to appropriate persons responsible for said site.