Switching system having remote switching capability

Claim 2

A switching arrangement having remote switching capability, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the switching arrangement comprises: interconnection circuits (421-424) comprising: a plurality of communications channels, a host switching system (900) connected to the interconnection circuits comprising: selection circuits (317, 318) for selecting ones of the communications channels; host interface (321-324) responsive to a first selection by the selection circuits of a first given one of the communications channels for transmitting in a predetermined one of the communications channels, control information defining the first given channel; and host interchange unit (311) responsive to the first selection by the selection circuits for transmitting and receiving control information in the first given channel; and a remote switching module (501) connected to the interconnection circuits comprising: a remote interface unit (582) for receiving in the predetermined one of the communications channels, the control information defining the first given channel; and a remote interface unit (2069) responsive to the control information defining the first given channel for transmitting and receiving control information in the first given channel.

Claim 3

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the host switching system further comprises: a first plurality of peripheral circuits (19,20,21,22); and a central control (30) responsive to control information received on the interconnection circuits for selectively establishing communication paths between the first plurality of peripheral circuits and the interconnection circuits; and the remote switching module further comprises: a second plurality of peripheral circuits (519,520); and remote control unit (517) responsive to control information received on the interconnection circuits for selectively establishing communication paths between the second plurality of peripheral circuits and the interconnection circuits.

Claim 4

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the interconnection circuits comprises: at least one T1 carrier transmission facility; and the predetermined one of the channels comprises a derived data link of the at least one T1 carrier transmission facility (421).

Claim 5

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the host interchange unit (311) is responsive to a second selection by the selection circuits of a second given one of the communications channels for transmitting in the first given channel, control information defining the second given channel and means responsive to the second selection by the selection circuits for transmitting and receiving control information in the second given channel; and the remote interface unit (2069) is responsive to the control information defining the second given channel for transmitting and receiving control information in the second given channel.

Claim 6

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT wherein the host interchange unit (311) is responsive to a second selection by the selection circuits of a second given one of the communications channels for transmitting in the predetermined one of the communications channels, control information defining the second given channel, means responsive to the second selection by the selection circuits for terminating transmission and reception of control information in said first given channel and means responsive to said second selection by said selection means for transmitting and receiving control information in said second given channel and the remote interface unit (2069)is responsive to the control information defining the second given channel for terminating transmission and reception of control information in the first given channel and means responsive to the control information defining the second given channel for transmitting and receiving control information in the second given channel.

Claim 7

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the remote interface unit (582) is responsive to a first selection by the selection means of a first given one of the communications channels for transmitting in a predetermined one of the communications channels, control information defining the first given channel; and the remote interface unit (2069) is responsive to the first selection by the selection circuit for transmitting and receiving control information in the first given channel and host switching system (900) is connected to the interconnection circuits receiving as in the predetermined one of the communications channels, the control information defining the first given channel and host interchange unit (311) is responsive to the control information defining the first given channel for transmitting and receiving control information in the first given channel.

Claim 8

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 6 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the host switching system further comprises: a first plurality of peripheral circuits (19,20,21,22) ; and central control (30) responsive to control information received on the interconnection circuits for selectively establishing communication paths between the first plurality of peripheral circuits and the interconnection circuits and the remote switching module further comprises: a second plurality of peripheral circuits (519,520); and remote control unit (517) responsive to control information received on the interconnection circuits for selectively establishing communication paths between the second plurality of peripheral circuits and the interconnection circuits.

Claim 9

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 6 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the interconnection circuits comprises: at least one T1 carrier transmission facility; and the predetermined one of the channels comprises a derived data link of the at least one T1 carrier transmission facility.

Claim 10

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 6 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the remote interface unit (2069) is responsive to a second selection by the selection circuits of a second given one of the communications channels for transmitting in the first given channel, control information defining the second given channel and means responsive to the second selection by the selection circuits for transmitting and receiving control information in the second given channel; and said host interchange unit (311) is responsive to the control information defining the second given channel for transmitting and receiving control information in the second given channel.

Claim 11

A switching arrangement in accordance with claim 6 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the remote switching module is responsive to a second selection by the selection circuits of a second given one of the communications channels for transmitting in the predetermined one of the communications channels, control information defining the second given channel, means responsive to the second selection by the selection circuits for terminating transmission and reception of control information in the first given channel and means responsive to the second selection by the selection means for transmitting and receiving control information in the second given channel; and the host interchange unit (311) is responsive to the control information defining the second given channel for terminating transmission and reception of control information in the first given channel and means responsive to the control information defining the second given channel for transmitting and receiving control information in the second given channel.

Claim 12

A switching arrangement comprising in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the host switching system (900) connected to the interconnection circuits comprising host selection circuitry (317) for selecting candidate ones of the communications channels, means (321) responsive to a selection by said host selection means of candidate ones of said communications channels for transmitting in a predetermined one of said communications channels, control defining said selected candidate ones of said communications channels and the remote switching module (501) connected to the interconnection circuits comprising remote interface unit (582) for receiving in the predetermined one of said communications channels, the control information defining the selected candidate ones of the communications channels, remote control unit (517) responsive to the control information defining the selected candidate ones of the communications channels for selecting one communications channel of the selected candidate ones of the communications channels, means responsive to the selection by the remote control unit for transmitting in the predetermined one of the communications channels control information defining the one of the communications channels selected by the remote control unit; and remote interface unit responsive to the control information defining said one of the communications channels selected by the remote control unit for transmitting and receiving control information in the one of the communications channels selected by said remote control unit and the host switching system further comprises: host interface unit (321) for receiving in said predetermined one of said communications channels, the control information defining the one of the communications channels selected by the remote control unit; and host interface unit (311) responsive to the control information defining the one of the communications channels selected by the remote control unit for transmitting and receiving control information in the one of the communications channels selected by the remote control unit.

Claim 15

A method of establishing a communication path between one of the first plurality of peripheral circuits and one of the second plurality of peripheral circuits in accordance with claim 9 further comprising the steps of reading, by the host control system, a stored interconnection availability variable, transmitting, by the host control system, to the remote control means, control information defining the interconnection circuits as presently available for conveying information when the read interconnection availability variable defines at least one of the communications channels as presently available, decrementing, by the host control system, the stored interconnection availability variable, reading, by the remote control means, in response to the control information defining the interconnection circuits as presently available, the table of channel availability variables, selecting, by the remote control means, one of the plurality of communications channels that is defined as presently available by the read table of channel availability variables, storing, by the remote control means, a channel availability variable defining the selected communications channel of the interconnection circuits as presently unavailable, controlling, by the remote control means, the establishment by a time-slot interchange unit of a communication path between the one of the second plurality of peripheral circuits and the selected communications channel of the interconnection circuits, transmitting, by the remote control means, to the host control system, control information defining the selected communications channel of the interconnection circuits and controlling, by the host control system, in response to the control information defining the selected communications channel of the interconnection circuits, the establishment by the time-space-time network of a communication path between the selected communications channel of the interconnection circuits and the one of the first plurality of peripheral circuits.