Information retrieval apparatus via telephone lines providing simultaneous accessing of same information source

Claim 2

In an information retrieval system, a plurality of repeatable program sources containing information, signalling means operative to transmit signals representative of code digits each associated with one of the program sources, a plurality of calling line circuits, a program switching arrangement connected to the program sources and connectable to the calling line circuits and providing, when suitably actuated, connections between any of the program sources with any or all of the calling line circuits, control means common to all the calling line circuits and operative in accordance with the transmitted signals to terminate any one of the line circuits on the program switching arrangement and to actuate the switching arrangement connecting said one line circuit to the selected program source associated with the code digits signalled and then rendered idle and available to effect subsequent connections upon subsequent actuation of the signalling means, means associated with said one line circuit and operable upon connection to the selected program source to start the program source, means operative upon running of the program source to continue same for a selected period of time until the complete information contained therein is transmitted along said one line circuit and then in response to signals from the program source to release the switching arrangement and disconnect said one line circuit and stop the program source if no other line circuit is accessing the same program source, said common control means being operable upon subsequent transmission of the same signals to terminate another line circuit on the program switching arrangement and to actuate the program switching arrangement connecting said other line circuit to the same selected program source while the latter is being accessed by said one line circuit, and means associated with said other line circuit and operable upon connection to the selected program source to continue the operation of the said program source for a further period of time until the complete information contained therein is also transmitted along said other line circuit and then in response to signals from the program source to disconnect said other line circuit and stop the selected program source unless still another line circuit becomes connected to the same program source.

Claim 3

An information retrieval system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the signalling means are connected to the calling line circuit and are operated by the caller.

Claim 4

An information retrieval system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the signalling means are coupled to the control means and are operated by a call receiving operator.

Claim 5

In an information retrieval system, a plurality of repeatable program sources containing information, signalling means operative to transmit signals representative of code digits each associated with one of the program sources, a plurality of calling line circuits, a switchboard having inputs connected to the line circuits and having outputs, a crossbar switching arrangement connected to the program sources and connectable to the switchboard outputs and providing, when suitably actuated, connections between any of the program sources with any or all of the calling line circuits, marker means connected to the signalling means and operative in accordance with the transmitted signals to terminate any one of the switchboard outputs on the crossbar switching arrangement and to actuate the switching arrangement connecting said one switchboard output to the selected program source associated with the code digits signalled and then rendered idle and available to effect subsequent connections upon subsequent actuation of the signalling means, means associated with said one switchboard output and operable upon connection to the selected program source to start the program source, means operative upon running of the program source to continue same for a selected period of time until the complete information contained therein is transmitted to said one switchboard output and then in response to signals from the program source to release the switching arrangement and disconnect said one switchboard output and stop the program source if no other line circuit is accessing the same program source, said marker means being operable upon subsequent transmission of the same signals to terminate another switchboard output on the crossbar switching arrangement and to actuate the crossbar switching arrangement connecting said other switchboard output to the same selected program source while the latter is being accessed by said one line circuit, means associated with said other switchboard output and operable upon connection to the selected program source to continue the operation of the said program source for a further period of time until the complete information contained therein is also transmitted to said other switchboard output and then in response to signals from the program source to disconnect said other switchboard output and stop the selected program source unless still another switchboard output becomes connected to the same program source, and manual means for interconnecting switchboard outputs and inputs.

Claim 6

In an information retrieval system, a plurality of repeatable program sources containing information, signalling means operative to transmit signals representative of code digits each associated with one of the program sources, a plurality of calling line circuits, a switchboard having inputs connected to the line circuits and having outputs, a crossbar switching arrangement connected to the program sources and connectable to the switchboard outputs and providing, when suitably actuated, connections between any of the program sources with any or all of the calling line circuits, marker means connected to the signalling means and operative in accordance with the transmitted signals to terminate any one of the switchboard outputs on the crossbar switching arrangement and to actuate the switching arrangement connecting said one switchboard output to the selected program source associated with the code digits signalled and then rendered idle and available to effect subsequent connections upon subsequent actuation of the signalling means, means associated with said one switchboard output and operable upon connection to the selected program source to start the program source, means operative upon running of the program source to continue same for a selected period of time until the complete information contained therein is transmitted to said one switchboard output and then in response to signals from the program source to release the switching arrangement and disconnect said one switchboard output and stop the program source if no other line circuit is accessing the same program source, said marker means being operable upon subsequent transmission of the same signals to terminate another switchboard output on the crossbar switching arrangement and to actuate the crossbar switching arrangement connecting said other switchboard output to the same selected program source while the latter is being accessed by said one line circuit, means associated with said other switchboard output and operable upon connection to the selected program source to continue the operation of the said program source for a further period of time until the complete information contained therein is also transmitted to said other switchboard output and then in response to signals from the program source to disconnect said other switchboard output and stop the selected program source unless still another switchboard output becomes connected to the same program source, and manual means for interconnecting switchboard outputs and inputs.

Claim 7

A semiautomatic information retrieval system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the market means includes a crossbar switch having plural horizontal channels and plural vertical units whose intersections form crosspoint sets, each vertical unit comprising plural vertical contact strips each associated with a movable horizontal contact constituting the marker outputs, and further having select magnets for operating each horizontal channel and hold magnets for operating each vertical unit, means responsive to the first signalled digit to operate a select magnet associated with said first digit, means responsive to the second signalled digit to operate a hold magnet associated with said second digit, means responsive to a third signalled digit to mark one of the vertical contact strips associated with the third digit in the selected vertical unit thereby extending the marking to the movable contact output associated with the selected vertical strip, and means including said switching arrangement and responsive only to a particular movable contact output for connecting the program source to the switchboard output.

Claim 8

A semiautomatic information retrieval system as set forth in claim 5 wherein the switching arrangement comprises a crossbar switch having plural horizontal cHannels and plural vertical units whose intersections form crosspoint sets, each vertical unit comprising plural vertical contact strips each associated with a movable horizontal contact, and further having a select magnet for operating each horizontal channel and a hold magnet for operating each vertical unit, means for coupling each switchboard output to a hold magnet for one of the vertical units and to the vertical contact strips of said one vertical unit, means for coupling the marker output to a select magnet for one of the horizontal channels and to one of the vertical contact strips of said one vertical unit, and means for connecting each program source to a different horizontal movable contact.

Claim 9

In an information retrieval system, a plurality of repeatable program sources containing information, a plurality of calling line circuits, signalling means associated with each of the calling line circuits and operative to transmit signals representative of code digits each associated with one of the program sources, a program switching arrangement connected to the program sources and connectable to the calling line circuits and providing, when suitably actuated, connections between any of the program sources with any or all of the calling line circuits, marker means common to all the calling line circuits and operative in accordance with the transmitted signals to terminate any one of the line circuits on the program switching arrangement and to actuate the switching arrangement connecting said one line circuit to the selected program source associated with the code digits signalled and then rendered idle and available to effect subsequent connections upon subsequent actuation of the signalling means, means associated with said one line circuit and operable upon connection to the selected program source to start the program source, means operative upon running of the program source to continue same for a selected period of time until the complete information contained therein is transmitted along said one line circuit and then in response to signals from the program source to release the switching arrangement and disconnect said one line circuit and stop the program source if no other line circuit is accessing the same program source, said common market means being operable upon subsequent transmission of the same signals to terminate another line circuit on the program switching arrangement and to actuate the program switching arrangement connecting said other line circuit to the same selected program source while the latter is being accessed by said one line circuit, means associated with said other line circuit and operable upon connection to the selected program source to continue the operation of the said program source for a further period of time until the complete information contained therein is also transmitted along said other line circuit and then in response to signals from the program source to disconnect said other line circuit and stop the selected program source unless still another line circuit becomes connected to the same program source, and means for automatically connecting any calling line circuit to the marker when idle.

Claim 10

In an information retrieval system, a plurality of repeatable program sources containing information, a plurality of calling line circuits, signalling means associated with each of the calling line circuits and operative to transmit signals representative of code digits each associated with one of the program sources, a program switching arrangement connected to the program sources and connectable to the calling line circuits and providing, when suitably actuated, connections between any of the program sources with any or all of the calling line circuits, marker means common to all the calling line circuits and operative in accordance with the transmitted signals to terminate any one of the line circuits on the program switching arrangement and to actuate the switching arrangement connecting said one line circuit to the selected program source associated with the code digits signalled and then rendered idle and available to effect subsequent connections upon subsequent actuation of the signalling means, means associated with said one line circuit and operable upon connection to the selected program source to start the program source, means operative upon running of the program source to continue same for a selected period of time until the complete information contained therein is transmitted along said one line circuit and then in response to signals from the program source to release the switching arrangement and disconnect said one line circuit and stop the program source if no other line circuit is accessing the same program source, said common market means being operable upon subsequent transmission of the same signals to terminate another line circuit on the program switching arrangement and to actuate the program switching arrangement connecting said other line circuit to the same selected program source while the latter is being accessed by said one line circuit, means associated with said other line circuit and operable upon connection to the selected program source to continue the operation of the said program source for a further period of time until the complete information contained therein is also transmitted along said other line circuit and then in response to signals from the program source to disconnect said other line circuit and stop the selected program source unless still another line circuit becomes connected to the same program source, and means for automatically connecting any calling line circuit to the marker when idle.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 7 wherein the program sources comprise tape recorders having means responsive to operation of the switching arrangement for starting the tape recorder, means for conveying the message on the tape to the calling line circuit via the switching arrangement, and means for maintaining the program source connection to each calling line after being connected for at least one full playback of the program but for not more than two full playbacks.

Claim 12

The invention of claim 8 wherein the recorder includes means on the tape for generating a signal at the end of the recorded message, and means are provided associated with each line circuit and responsive to at least two end-of-message signals for releasing the switching arrangement and disconnecting the calling line.

Claim 13

The invention of claim 7 wherein thE market means includes a crossbar switch having plural horizontal channels and plural vertical units whose intersections form crosspoint sets, each vertical unit comprising plural vertical contact strips each associated with a movable horizontal contact constituting the marker outputs, and further having select magnets for operating each horizontal channel and hold magnets for operating each vertical unit, means responsive to the first signalled digit to operate a select magnet associated with said first digit, means responsive to the second signalled digit to operate a hold magnet associated with said second digit, means responsive to a third signalled digit to mark one of the vertical contact strips associated with the third digit in the selected vertical strip, and means including said switching arrangement and responsive only to a particular movable contact output for connecting the program source to the calling line circuit.

Claim 14

The invention of claim 10 wherein the signal is a single digit code, means are provided responsive to the single digit to operate a select magnet associated with the single digit, to operate a hold magnet associated with the single digit, and to mark one of the vertical contact strips associated with the single digit.

Claim 15

The invention of claim 7 wherein the switching arrangement comprises a crossbar switch having plural horizontal channels and plural vertical units whose intersections form crosspoint sets, each vertical unit comprising plural vertical contact strips each associated with a movable horizontal contact, and further having a select magnet for operating each horizontal channel and a hold magnet for operating each vertical unit, means for coupling each calling line circuit to a hold magnet associated with said calling line circuit and to a vertical contact strip of said one vertical unit associated with the desired program, means for coupling the market output to a select magnet for one of the horizontal channels and to one of the vertical contact strips of said one vertical unit, and means for connecting each program source to a different horizontal movable contact.

Claim 16

The invention as claimed in claim 12 wherein means are provided to automatically acknowledge the call on each calling line and impart dialing instructions to the caller, means are provided for connecting the calling line to the marker when idle after acknowledgment, and means are provided for connecting the calling line to the program crossbar and then releasing the marker.

Claim 17

The invention as claimed in claim 13 and further comprising signal responsive means including a pulse translator for converting the received pulses into DC dial pulses and rejecting noise, said pulse translator including a compressor circuit, a low passband filter, a trigger shaping circuit producing a trigger waveform for each online dialed pulse, and a DC dial pulse generating circuit responsive to and actuated by the trigger waveform to produce one DC dial pulse for each trigger pulse.

Claim 18

The invention of claim 12 wherein corresponding vertical contact strips in all of the vertical units are interconnected to a common program source, and each of the vertical units is associated with one line circuit.

Claim 19

The invention of claim 15 wherein multiple program crossbar switches are provided with corresponding vertical units being connected in common to the same line circuit, and each horizontal channel of each crossbar switch being associated with a different group of program sources.

Claim 20

The invention of claim 15 wherein means are provided for sequentially connecting each line circuit to the same corresponding vertical contact strip in each associated vertical unit and thus to the same program source.

Claim 21

The invention of claim 15 wherein a group of auxiliary relays are provided associated with each vertical unit of the switching arrangement, the number of auxiliary relays in each group being equal to the number of vertical contact strips in each vertical unit, and the meAns for coupling the marker output also includes means for coupling the marker output to one of the relays in the auxiliary group which when operated marks the associated vertical contact strip.

Claim 22

The invention of claim 18 wherein corresponding relays of each auxiliary group are connected in parallel, and means are provided operative upon operation of the marked auxiliary relay to disable the remaining auxiliary relays in its group.