Patent ID: 8065099

Claim:
A power distribution monitoring system comprising: at least one power line mounted monitor including means for acquiring data regarding the delivery of electrical power in the power line, means for wirelessly transmitting and receiving messages, and means for electromagnetically acquiring operating electrical power from electrical current flowing in the power line; and an aggregator including means for wirelessly transmitting and receiving messages, said aggregator operative for wirelessly outputting beacon messages and for receiving monitor initiated messages wirelessly transmitted from each monitor, wherein, upon initially acquiring operating electrical power from electrical current flowing in the power line, each monitor is responsive to at least one of the beacon messages for wirelessly transmitting a first monitor initiated message to the aggregator which responds to the first monitor initiated message by wirelessly transmitting to the monitor a first aggregator initiated message that includes an assignment of the monitor to a unique communication slot of time of a time-based communication protocol that the monitor utilizes thereafter for wirelessly communicating subsequent monitor initiated messages to the aggregator.