Queuing and automatic retry arrangements for communication systems

Claim 2

In a switching system having a plurality of stations, a switching network, and a plurality of communication paths extending from said network, the combination comprising: control means responsive to calling information for establishing connections from said stations through said network to selected ones of said paths; first means for storing calling information on blockage of a call by failure of said network to establish a connection to a communication path; at least one other means for storing said calling information on blockage of a call subsequent to said connection to said communication path; means controlled by said first means for enabling said control means in response to the subsequent availability of said communication path; and means controlled by said other means for reenabling said control means in a predetermined interval of time.

Claim 3

In a communication system having a plurality of calling and called subscribers: switching network means; a plurality of outgoing trunk means, processor means including first and second memory means; control means responsive to call processing information for establishing connections through said network means, said processor means and said control means including; means for placing said call processing information in said first memory means if an outgoing trunk means is not available and means for placing said call processing information in said second memory means if an outgoing trunk means is available but the connection is not completed to the called subscriber; means for detecting the busy-idle condition of said trunk means; clock means; and memory readout means for transferring to said control means said call processing information from said first memory means under control of said busy-idle detection means and from said second memory means under control of said clock means.

Claim 4

In a communication system having a plurality of calling and called subscribers: switching network means; a plurality of outgoing trunk means, processor means including first and second memory means; control means responsive to call processing information for establishing connections through said network means, said processor means and said control means including; means for placing said call processing information in said first memory means if an outgoing trunk means is not available and means for placing said call processing information in said second memory means if an outgoing trunk means is available but the connection is not completed to the called subscriber; means for detecting the busy-idle condition of said trunk means; clock means; and memory readout means for transferring to said control means said call processing information from said first memory means under control of said busy-idle detection means and from said second memory means under control of said clock means.

Claim 5

In a communication system, the combination of claim 2 further comprising means responsive to said transfer of said call processing information for enabling said control means to establish a connection through said switching network in accordance with said call processing information.

Claim 6

In a telephone system: a plurality of lines; a memory; trunk means operable to interconnect calling and called ones of said lines; means operable to interrogate a calling one of said lines and to receive a response therefrom; control means for selecting said trunk means in response to information transmitted from calling ones of said lines; said control means including means jointly operable in response to signals from a calling one of said lines and the unavailability of said said trunk means for enabling said interrogation means; means in a selected one of said trunk means operable in response to an inability to complete a connection from a calling one of said lines to a called one of said lines for enabling said interrogation means; and means jointly responsive to the enabling of said interrogation means and receipt of a response from said one calling line for storing said transmitted information in said memory.

Claim 7

In a telephone system: a plurality of lines; a memory; trunk means operable to interconnect calling and called ones of said lines; means operable to interrogate a calling one of said lines and to receive a response therefrom; control means for selecting said trunk means in response to information transmitted from calling ones of said lines; said control means including means jointly operable in response to signals from a calling one of said lines and the unavailability of said said trunk means for enabling said interrogation means; means in a selected one of said trunk means operable in response to an inability to complete a connection from a calling one of said lines to a called one of said lines for enabling said interrogation means; and means jointly responsive to the enabling of said interrogation means and receipt of a response from said one calling line for storing said transmitted information in said memory.

Claim 8

In a telephone system, the combination of claim 4 further including means jointly responsive to the enabling of said interrogation means and the absence of a response from said one calling line for abandoning said call.

Claim 9

In a telephone system, the combination of claim 4 wherein said memory comprises a plurality of lists and wherein said control means further includes means for directing said storage of said information in one said list whenever a trunk is unavailable and means for directing said storage of said information in another said list when said trunk means is unable to complete a connection to a called one of said lines.

Claim 10

In a telephone system, the combination of claim 6 further comprising means for detecting the availability of said trunk means; clock means for proviDing periodic clock pulses; and readout means responsive to a detected available trunk means for transferring said information stored in said one list to said control means and responsive to certain of said periodic clock pulses for transferring said information stored in said other list to said control means.

Claim 11

In a communication system having a plurality of switching networks and a plurality of lines extending from each of said networks, the combination comprising: a processor including a first memory and a second memory; means for receiving call completion information from any of said lines; means for completing connections from a calling one of said lines to a called one of said lines in accordance with said received call information; means responsive to the inability of a calling network connected with a calling one of said lines to complete a connection to a called network connected to a called one of said lines for storing the associated call completion information in said first memory; means responsive to the inability of a called network connected to a called one of said lines to complete a connection to said called line for storing said call completion information in said second memory; means for removing said stored call completion information from said first memory when said calling network is available to complete the associated connection; means for removing said stored call completion information from said second memory a predetermined timed interval after said storage of said information and means responsive to removal of said information from either of said memories for enabling said connection completion means in accordance with said removed call completion information.

Claim 12

In a communication system having a plurality of switching networks and a plurality of lines extending from each of said networks, the combination comprising: a processor including a first memory and a second memory; means for receiving call completion information from any of said lines; means for completing connections from a calling one of said lines to a called one of said lines in accordance with said received call information; means responsive to the inability of a calling network connected with a calling one of said lines to complete a connection to a called network connected to a called one of said lines for storing the associated call completion information in said first memory; means responsive to the inability of a called network connected to a called one of said lines to complete a connection to said called line for storing said call completion information in said second memory; means for removing said stored call completion information from said first memory when said calling network is available to complete the associated connection; means for removing said stored call completion information from said second memory a predetermined timed interval after said storage of said information and means responsive to removal of said information from either of said memories for enabling said connection completion means in accordance with said removed call completion information.

Claim 13

In a communication system, the combination of claim 8, further comprising: subscribers'' stations connected to said lines, means concurrently operable with said storage means for providing an interrogation tone to a subscriber station connected to said calling line; and means controlled by said connected subscriber station for inhibiting said storage of said call completion information.

Claim 14

In a communication system, the combination of claim 9 further comprising means operative upon the enabling of said completion means in response to said information being read from said memories for inhibiting said interrogation tone.