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 call state and command information,
- C. signal transfer means connected to said storage means and said port means for transferring supervisory signals as supervisory information between said port means and said storage means
- 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. a functional means connected to said bus means and to said timing means for processing said supervisory information in response to first commands and call state information from said storage means,
- iv. another functional means connected to said bus means and to said timing means for processing said supervisory information in response to second commands and call state information from said storage means, and
- v. common control means connected to said timing means, each of said functional means and said bus means for generating signals for transfer to said storage means,
- E. call processing means connected to said storage means for altering information in said storage means thereby to control the operation of 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 signals from said call processing means.
- 2. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 1 wherein said storage means includes response storage means and said common control means includes:
- a. command means connected to said storage means and said timing means for generating command signals in response to command information in said storage means,
- b. monitoring means for monitoring conditions in said port means in response to the call status information in said storage means, and
- c. event code means for transferring event information to said response storage means in response to signals from said command means and said monitoring means.
- 3. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 2 wherein said storage means includes call state storage means and wherein said common control means additionally includes state control means connected to said command means and said timing means for establishing a sequence of call states in response to the command information, said event code means transferring event information to said response storage means in response to said state control means.
- 4. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 3 wherein said call state storage means further includes state timer storage means for storing state timer information, said common control means further including state timeout means connected to said state timer storage means, said timing means and said event code means for causing said event code means to transfer a timeout code to said response storage means if said state control means does not complete a sequence of call states within an interval determined by said state timeout means.
- 5. A telephone system as recited in claim 3 wherein said storage means includes release timing storage means for storing release timing information from said call processing means and supervision control storage means for storing supervisory information from said port processing means, one of said functional means being responsive to the supervisory signals for transferring to said supervision control storage means a seizure signal indicating that a corresponding telephone line has been offhook for longer than a predetermined interval, said common control means further including release timing means connected to said supervision control and release timing storage means and said timing means for generating a release signal that alters said supervision control storage means when a line is seized and the supervisory signals indicate an on-hook condition.
- 6. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 3 wherein the command information in said storage means comprises a plurality of commands that designate one of said functional means and said common control means further includes command decoding means connected to each said functional means for selectively enabling one said functional means in response to each command.
- 7. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 6 wherein said storage means includes control signal storage means and one said functional means includes register means for receiving the control information from said storage means, said other functional means including means responsive to the control information and signals from said state control means for selectively enabling said other functional means after the said first functional means has been enabled in response to a command.
- 8. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 6 wherein the command information in said storage means additionally includes command timing information and the port event processing means further includes:
- i. register means connected to said bus means and said timing means for storing the command timing information, and
- ii. timer means connected to said bus means, said timing means and said register means for generating time interval signals in response to the command timing information, said monitoring means being responsive to the time interval signals.
- 9. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 8 wherein said common control means includes logic state means for establishing a sequence of logic states that control the operation of said functional means, said event code means being connected to said logic state means for storing an event code in said storage means in response to predetermined ones of the logic states.
- 10. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 9 wherein said storage means includes means for storing sequence control information from said call processing means and said port event processing means further includes control register means for receiving the sequence control information from said storage means and means connected to said control register means and said logic state means for enabling one of said functional means to operate upon completion of predetermined logic states in said other functional means independently of the receipt of any command information from said call processing means.
- 11. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 8 wherein said port event processing means further includes filter means connected to said storage means and said timing means for generating a filtered supervisory signal in response to supervisory information in said storage means.
- 12. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 8 wherein the command timing information includes first and second timing parameters and wherein:
- vi. said timer means includes:
- a. first timing circuit means for timing a first interval in response to the first timing parameter, and
- b. second timing circuit means for timing a second interval in response to the second timing parameter, and
- v. said port event 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.
- 13. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 12 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 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.
- 14. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 12 wherein said port event processing means further includes function selection means connected to said command means and each said functional means for controlling the operation of said functional means in response to the command timing information.
- 15. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 14 wherein said call processing means transfers to said storage means a command that includes information specifying one of a predetermined group of sense supervisory functions and corresponding timing information and each said port means further includes means for transmitting to said storage means sense supervisory signals in response to supervisory signals on the telephone line and wherein one of said functional means includes sense supervisory signal means connected to said timer means and said command means for processing supervisory signals from corresponding locations in said storage means in response to the command and timing information, said sense supervisory signal means further being connected to said event code means for causing said event code means to transmit to said storage means an event code indicating the receipt of supervisory signals corresponding to the specified sense supervisory function.
- 16. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 15 wherein said sense supervisory signal means further includes excess event means for sensing a maximum interval of time during which the specified sense supervisory function is not satisfied, said excess event means being connected to said event code means for causing said event code means to generate an excess event code for transfer to said storage means.
- 17. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 14 wherein said call processing means transfers to said storage means a command that includes information specifying one of a predetermined group of transmit supervisory functions and corresponding timing information and each said port means further includes means responsive to the receipt of control signals from said storage means for transmitting the corresponding supervisory signal onto the telephone line and wherein one of said functional means includes transmit supervisory signal means connected to said timer means and said command decoding means for transferring control signals to corresponding locations in said storage means in response to the command timing information, said signal transfer means transferring the supervisory signals from said storage means to said port means, said transmit supervisory signal means further being connected to said event code means for causing said event code means to transfer to said storage means an event code indicating the completion of the transmit supervisory function.
- 18. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 17 wherein said transmit supervisory signal means further includes excess event means for sensing a maximum interval of time during which the transmit supervisory function is not satisfied, said excess event means being connected to said event code means for causing said event code means to generate an excess event code for transfer to said storage means.
- 19. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 6 wherein said call processing means transfers to said storage means a command that includes information specifying a ringing function and corresponding timing information and each said port means further includes means responsive to the receipt of control signals from said storage means for transmitting a ringing signal onto the telephone line and wherein one of such functional means is a ringing signal processor means that includes:
- a. ringing means connected to said storage means for transmitting control signals corresponding to a ringing operation to said storage means in response to a ringing command, and
- b. ring trip means connected to said ringing means and to said storage means for enabling said event code means to generate a ring trip event code when the telephone being rung is answered.
- 20. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 19 wherein the ringing command additionally includes emergency rering information and said ringing signal processor means further includes means responsive to the emergency rering information for generating emergency rering signals and for enabling said event code means to generate an emergency rering event code for transfer to said call processing means.
- 21. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 6 wherein said call processing means transfers to said storage means a command that specifies a send digits function wherein specified digits are transferred to a said port means, said port means including means for converting control supervisory signals from said storage means into a sequence of signals that are transmitted onto the line and that correspond to the digits specified by a send digits, function command, said timing means including means for generating timing signals, and said storage means including digits storage means for storing the digits from said call processing means and wherein one of said functional means in said port event processing means is a send digits processing means that generates control supervisory signals in response to the digits and that includes:
- i. send digits transfer means connected to said timing means and said storage means for retrieving from said digits storage means a selected number of digits in response to certain of the timing signals and
- ii. encoding means connected to said send digits transfer means and said timing means for generating the control supervisory signals in response to the digits in said storage means and others of the timing signals.
- 22. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 21 wherein said storage means includes pulse count storage means for storing a dial pulse count for each digit in a telephone number in sequence and digits count storage means for storing a digit count that identifies the position of each digit in sequence and wherein said send digits transfer means includes:
- a. digits register means connected to said pulse count storage means in said storage means and said timing means for receiving digit information from said pulse count storage means in response to the said certain of the timing signals,
- b. digits counting means connected to said storage means, said encoding means and said timing means for altering said digits count storage means each time a digit is transmitted,
- c. pulse counting means connected to said digits register means, said digits counting means and said encoding means for altering a digit value for a selected digit in said digits register means in response to the digit information, and
- d. means connected to said pulse counting means, said digits counting means and said timing means for transferring to a control supervisory signal storage means in said storage means first control supervisory signals that correspond to the signals to be transferred onto the telephone line for each successive digit.
- 23. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 6 wherein said call processing means transfers to said storage means a receive digits command to enable said port event processing means to transfer digits from a said port means to said storage means, said port means converts incoming signals representing digits in a telephone number into sense supervisory signals, said timing means includes means for generating timing signals and said storage means includes sense supervisory signal storage means for storing the sense supervisory signals and digits storage means for storing digits and wherein one of said functional means in said port event processing means includes a receive digits processing means that includes:
- i. decoding means connected to said timing means and to said sense supervisory signal storage means in said storage means for generating digit information signals in response to the sense supervisory signals stored in said sense supervisory signal storage means and certain of the timing signals, and
- ii. digits transfer means connected to said timing means, said storage means and said decoding means for transferring to said digits storage means in said storage means all the digits in the telephone number in response to the digit information signals and others of the timing signals.
- 24. A telephone switching system as recited in claim 23 wherein said storage means includes pulse count storage means for storing a pulse count for each digit in the telephone number in sequence and digits count storage means for storing a digit count that identifies the position of each digit in sequence and wherein said digits transfer means includes:
- a. digits register means connected to said digits storage means in said storage means and timing means for receiving information from said digits storage means in response to the said certain of the timing signals,
- b. digits counting means connected to said storage means, said decoding means and said timing means for altering a digit count from said digits count storage means in response to the digit information signals,
- c. pulse counting means connected to said digits register means, said digits counting means and said decoding means for altering a digit value for a selected digit in said digits register means in response to the digit information signals, and
- d. means connected to said pulse counting means, said digits counting means and said timing means for transferring to said digits storage means in said storage means the number of dial pulses in each successive digit in response to the said certain of the timing signals.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is a continuation of a commonly assigned copending application entitled "Arrangement of Interactive Telephone Switching Processors Providing Functional Capability by Port", Ser. No. 924,768, Filed July 14, 1978 by Barrie Brightman, et al (abandoned), which in turn is a Continuation-In-Part of a commonly assigned copending application entitled "Arrangement of Interactive Processors for Sensing or Transmitting Supervisory Events", Ser. No. 864,401, Filed Dec. 27, 1977, by Barrie Brightman, et al, abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Bell System Technical Journal, Sep., 1977, pp. 1040-1049. |
Continuations (1)
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924768 |
Jul 1978 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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864401 |
Dec 1977 |
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