Claims
- 1. A telephone switching system for telephone lines in a telephone network, said system comprising:
- A. a plurality of port means connected to the lines for monitoring and controlling signals on the lines and for receiving and transmitting voice signals and supervisory signals,
- B. storage means for storing supervisory information and call status information including command information and command timing information,
- C. signal transfer means connected to said storage means and said port means for transferring the supervisory signals between said port means and said storage means over a first time period,
- D. port event processing means connected to said storage means for controlling the operation of each said port means in response to the information in said storage means, said port event processing means including:
- i. bus means connected to said storage means,
- ii. timing means for transferring to said bus means in predetermined sequence stored supervisory information for each line from said storage means,
- iii. register means connected to said bus means and to said timing means for storing the command timing information,
- iv. timer means connected to said bus means, said timing means and said register means for generating successive time interval signals in response to the command timing information, with each pair of successive time interval signals defining a time interval, and
- v. a function processing means connected to said bus means and to said timer means for altering the supervisory information in said storage means in response to the command information and the time interval signals, and
- E. call processing means connected to said storage means for transferring command information and command timing information to said storage means thereby to control said port event processing means, and
- F. switching means connected to said signal transfer means and said call processing means for controlling the transfer of the voice signals among said port means in response to information from said call processing means.
- 2. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 1 wherein the command timing information includes time scale and time multiplier information and said timer means includes:
- a. counter means for generating the time interval signals, and
- b. counter control means connected to said timing means and said counter means for generating a count signal that modifies the time interval generated by said counter means in response to the time scale and time multiplier information thereby to vary the time interval.
- 3. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 1 wherein the command timing information includes first and second timing parameters and wherein:
- iv. said timer means includes:
- a. first timing circuit means for timing a first interval in response to the first timing parameter,
- b. second timing circuit means for timing a second interval in response to the second timing parameter, and
- v. said function processing means includes control means connected to said first and second timing circuit means for processing supervisory information in response to the first and second timing parameters.
- 4. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 3 wherein each of the first and second timing parameters includes time scale and time multiplier information and each of said first and second timing circuit means includes:
- a. counter means for generating the time interval signals, and
- b. counter control means connected to said timing means and said counter means for generating a count signal that modifies said counter means in response to the time scale and time multiplier information of a corresponding one of the first and second timing circuit means.
- 5. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 3 wherein said storage means includes supervision control storage means and release control storage means, said release control storage means receiving release timing information from said call processing means, the supervisory signals from a said port means including an off-hook signal that indicates that a corresponding telephone line is in use, said port event processing means further including:
- vi. seizure detection means connected to said storage means and said timer means for controlling said supervision control storage means in response to the off-hook signal, and
- vii. release timing means connected to said supervision control storage means and said release control storage means for generating a release signal in response to the absence of the off-hook signal for a time interval established by the release timing information.
- 6. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 3 wherein said storage means includes state storage means and said call processing means transfers timeout information to said state storage means, said port event processing means further including:
- vi. sequence means connected to said function processing means for establishing a sequence of control states for said function processing means in response to the command information, and
- vii. timeout means connected to said timing means and said sequence means for establishing, in response to the information in said state storage means, a timeout interval during which said sequence means is to complete a sequence of control states.
- 7. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 6 wherein said state storage means stores a scale value and a step value and said timing means generates plural timing signals at different frequencies, said timeout means comprising:
- a. counter means connected to said state storage means for altering the step value in response to a counting signal, and
- b. selection means connected to said counter means, said storage means and said timing means for selectively coupling one of said plural timing signals to said counter means as a counting signal in response to the scale value in said state storage means.
- 8. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 7 wherein said storage means includes response storage means and said port event processing means further includes event code means connected to said sequence means and said timeout means for transferring to said response storage means one of a plurality of types of event codes, said call processing means controlling said port event processing means in response to the type of event code stored in said response storage means.
- 9. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 3 wherein said storage means includes working storage means for storing first and second timer values and said timing means includes means for generating reading, modifying and writing signals in sequence, each of said first and second timing circuit means being responsive to the first and second timer values respectively and further including (1) means connected to said storage means and to said timing circuit means for transferring to said timing circuit means the corresponding timer values in response to the reading signal, (2) timer circuit means responsive to the modifying signal for altering the corresponding timer value, and (3) means responsive to the writing signal for transferring the timing value from said timer means to said working storage means.
- 10. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 9 wherein said storage means includes digits storage means for storing telephone number digits that are received as digits supervisory signals from said port means by said storage means and said function processing means is a receive digits processing means that responds to a receive digits command which includes command timing information that defines an interdigit timeout interval for receiving the digits supervisory signals and for transferring to said digits storage means the telephone number digits, one of said timing circuit means defining a predetermined interval in response to the interdigit timeout information and said receive digits processing means including means connected to said one timing circuit means for generating a timeout signal that is transferred to said call processing means if it has not received digits supervisory signals defining a digit before the expiration of the interdigit timeout interval.
- 11. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 9 wherein said storage means includes digits storage means for storing telephone number digits that are received as digits supervisory signals from said port means by said storage means and said function processing means is a receive digits processing means that responds to a receive digits command which includes command timing information that defines a critical timeout interval for receiving said digits supervisory signals and for transferring to said digits storage means supervisory signals defining at least one telephone number digit, one of said timing circuit means defining a predetermined interval in response to the critical timeout information and said receive digits processing means including means connected to said one timing circuit means for generating a timeout signal that is transferred to said call processing means if it has not received digits supervisory signals defining a digit before the expiration of the critical timeout interval.
- 12. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 11 wherein the command timing information in the receive digits command additionally defines an interdigit timeout interval for transferring to said digits storage means the telephone number digits, the other of said timing circuit means defining a predetermined interval in response to the interdigit timeout information and said receive digits processing means including means connected to said other timing circuit means for generating a timeout signal that is transferred to said call processing means if it has not received digits supervisory signals defining a digit before the expiration of the interdigit timeout interval.
- 13. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 9 wherein said storage means includes port communication storage means for storing samples of supervisory information from said port means over a given time interval and wherein said function processing means is a sense supervisory signal processing means including:
- a. sense supervisory signal processor means connected to said port communication storage means and said timing means for generating a supervisory input signal in response to the supervisory signals in said port communication storage means, and
- b. control means connected to said first and second timing circuit means and said sense supervisory signal processor means for detecting different line conditions in response to the supervisory input signal and signals from said timing circuit means.
- 14. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 9 wherein said storage means includes port communication storage means for storing samples of supervisory information from said call processing means for transfer to said port means over a preselected time interval and wherein said function processing means is a transmit supervisory signal processing means including:
- a. transmit supervisory signal processor means connected to said port communication storage means and said timing means for generating a supervisory output signal in response to the supervisory signals in said port communication storage means, and
- b. control means connected to said first and second timing circuit means and said transmmit supervisory signal processor means for transferring said supervisory output signal to said port means through said signal transfer means to control the operation of said port means.
- 15. A common control for a telephone switching system that includes a plurality of port means for establishing communications over telephone lines by means of voice signals and supervisory signals, said common control comprising:
- A. a port event processor that connects to each said port means and that includes:
- (i) first selectively adjustable timing means for detecting the presence of a supervisory signal at a said port means for a variable minimum period of time, and
- (ii) second selectively adjustable timing means for detecting the presence of a supervisory signal at a port means for a variable maximum period of time, and
- B. a call control processor connected to said port event processor for independently adjusting said first timing and second timing means thereby to alter respectively the variable minimum and variable maximum periods of time.
- 16. A common control as recited in claim 15 wherein the supervisory signals have first and second predetermined states and said port event processor includes supervisory means connected to said port means operable to sense either one or the other of the two predetermined states of the supervisory signals at said port means, said call control processor being operable to determine the one of the predetermined states to which said supervisory means will respond.
- 17. A common control for a telephone switching system that includes a plurality of
- port means for establishing communications over telephone lines by means of voice signals and supervisory signals, said common control comprising:
- A. a port event processor including:
- (i) supervisory means for responding to a supervisory signal at said switching system port means,
- (ii) a first adjustable timer means for timing a minimum duration of the presence of the supervisory signal, and
- (iii) a second adjustable timer means for timing a maximum duration of the presence of the supervisory signal, and
- B. a call control processor connected to said port event processor for independently adjusting the first and second timer means thereby to adjust the maximum and minimum durations associated with the supervisory signal at said port means.
- 18. A common control as defined in claim 17, wherein said port event processor is operatively connected to the individual ones of said port means on a sequential basis, said call control processor being operatively connected to perform processing for individual ones of said port means on an as needed basis in response to said port event processor.
- 19. A common control as defined in claim 17 additionally comprising a port data store for storing port commands that is accessible to both the port event processor and the call control processor wherein said call control processor stores in said port data store port commands for adjusting said first and second adjustable timer means, and said first and second adjustable timer means time durations of the presence of the supervisory signal in accordance with the port commands stored in said port data store.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 063,601 filed Aug. 2, 1979 (abandoned), which in turn is a continuation of grandparent application Ser. No. 924,882, filed July 14, 1978 (abandoned), which in turn is a continuation-in-part of an application Ser. No. 864,401, filed Dec. 27, 1977 entitled "Arrangement of Interactive Processors for Sensing or Transmitting Supervisory Events," by B. Brightman, J. E. Jones, P. A. Lenk, J. R. Shah, and J. W. Woodward (abandoned).
US Referenced Citations (7)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
"A Preprocessor for SPC Switching Systems", Winch and Myde, International Switching Symposium, Munich, Sep. 1974, pp. 147/1-6. |
"New Digital Electronic PABX Family", R. C. Garavalia, GTE Automatic Electric Journal, May 1977, pp. 303-311. |
Continuations (2)
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63601 |
Aug 1979 |
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Parent |
924882 |
Jul 1978 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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864401 |
Dec 1977 |
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