Line lockout in a cross point switching system

Claim 1

IN A COMMUNICATION SWITCHING SYSTEM HAVING A PLURALITY OF LINES WITH LINE CIRCUITS INDIVIDUAL THERETO, HAVING A SWITCHING NETWORK FOR SELECTIVELY ESTABLISHING ORIGINATING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CALLING ONES OF SAID LINES AND CALLED ONES OF SAID LINES; AND HAVING A MARKER COMPRISING LINE IDENTIFICATION APPARATUS WITH A PLURALITY OF IDENTIFICATION DEVICES, AN ORIGINATING SELECTOR, A ROUTE SELECTOR, A TERMINATING SELECTOR, A SUPERVISOR''S CONTROL MEANS AND A REGISTER-TRANSLATOR; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A SERVICE REQUEST AT A CALLING ONE OF SAID LINES TO CAUSE SAID MARKER TO ENTER AN ORIGINATING CALL CYCLE, MEANS ALSO RESPONSIVE TO SAID SERVICE REQUEST TO SET A PLURALITY OF SAID DEVICES OF THE LINE IDENTIFIER APPARATUS TO THEREBY RECORD THE IDENTITY OF THE CALLING LINE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID RECORDING OF THE CALLING LINE IDENTITY TO CAUSE THE ROUTE SELECTOR TO SELECT AN IDLE ROUTE, AND MEANS TO CAUSE A CONNECTION TO BE ESTABLISHED THROUGH SAID SWITCHING NETWORK VIA THE SELECTED ROUTE, THE MARKER THEN BEING RETURNED TO AN IDLE STATE; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PLACEMENT OF THE CALLED LINE STATION INTO THE ON-HOOK CONDITION TO RELEASE SAID SWITCHING EQUIPMENT; LOCKOUT RELAY MEANS IN SAID LINE CIRCUITS OPERATED UPON RELEASE OF SAID SWITCHING EQUIPMENT AND THE ASSOCIATED CALLING SUBSCRIBER STATION REMAINING OFF-HOOK TO MARK SAID LINE BUSY TO INCOMING CALLS; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE OPERATION OF THE SUPERVISOR''S CONTROL MEANS UPON A LINE CIRCUIT OPERATION TO THE LOCKOUT STATE TO REMOVE SAID BUSY MARKING OF SAID LINE AND ALSO OPERATE A SECOND MEANS TO PLACE A SECOND POTENTIAL UPON SAID BUSY INDICATING MEANS; MEANS TO ACUATE THE LINE IDENTIFIER IN THE SAME MANNER AS ON ORIGINATING CALLS TO SELECT ONE OF THE LINES HAVING SAID MARK AND TO SET THE IDENTIFIER DEVICES CORRESPONDING THERETO, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE RECORDING OF THE IDENTITY OF A LINE BY THE LINE IDENTIFCATION APPARATUS TO SELECT A ROUTE TO SAID REGISTERTRANSLATOR, AND MEANS TO CAUSE THE LINE IDENTIFIER APPARATUS TO SUPPLY SAID LOCKED OUT LINE''S IDENTITY TO SAID REGISTER FOR RECORDING IN SAID TRANSLATOR, THE MARKER THEN BEING RETURNED TO AN IDLE STATE.