Telephone switching systems

Claim 2

In a switching system comprising an originating, a terminating and intermediate crosspoint matrices having crosspoints connected to incoming lines, outgoing lines and intermatrix junction lines, routing markers associated with said crosspoint matrices for selectively actuating the crosspoints thereof and defining routes between a given incoming line and a given outgoing line, a plurality of junctor stages located on both sides of said crosspoint matrices and having junctors inserted in said incoming, outgoing, and junction lines, each junctor having a free and an occupied state and having means for detecting a pulse on the line in which it is inserted, tester means, identification marker means and identifier means respectively associated with the junctors of said junctor stages for respectively testing the states thereof, applying thereto identification pulses and detecting the identification pulse response signal received thereby, a device for detecting matrices having faulty crosspoints and withdrawing the same from the switching system, said device including means for registering the addresses of the matrices inserted in a route between an identification marker means transmitting one identification pulse and an identifier means receiving from said identification marker means more than one identification pulse response signal and means for actuating the tester means associated with the junctors inserted in the junction lines connected to the matrices whose addresses are registered in said registering means, said matrices being withdrawn from the switching system when all the junctors tested by the actuated tester means are in the free state.

Claim 3

In a switching system comprising an originating, a terminating and intermediate crosspoint matrices having crosspoints connected to incoming lines, outgoing lines and intermatrix junction lines, routing markers associated with said crosspoint matrices for selectively actuating the crosspoints thereof and defining routes through said matrices between a given incoming line and a given outgoing line, disconnection marker means for controlling disconnection processes in said matrices, a plurality of junctor stages located on both sides of said crosspoint matrices and having junctors inserted in said incoming, outgoing and junction lines, each junctor having free and an occupied state and having means for detecting a pulse on the line in which it is inserted, tester means, identification marker means and identifier means respectively associated with the junctors of said junctor stages for respectively testing the states thereof, applying thereto identification pulses and detecting the identification pulse response signal received thereby, a device for detecting faulty matrices having faulty crosspoints and withdrawing the same from the switching system, said device including means for registering the addresses of the faulty matrices inserted in a route between an identification marker means transmitting one identification pulse and an identifier means receiving from said identification marker means more than one identification pulse response signal, means for comparing the address of a matrix actually engaged in a disconnection process with the address of the faulty matrices registered in said registering means and means for actuating the tester means associated with the junctors inserted in the junction lines connected to a matrix engaged in a disconnection process whose address coincides with the address registered in said registered means, said matrix being withdrawn from the switching system when all the junctors tested by the actuated tester means are in the free state.

Claim 4

In a switching system comprising an originating, a terminating and intermediate crosspoint matrices having crosspoints connected to incoming lines, outgoing lines and intermatrix junction lines, routing markers associated with said crosspoint matrices for selectively actuating the crosspoints thereof and defining routes through said matrices between a given incoming line and a given outgoing line, disconnection marker means for controlling disconnection processes in said matrices, a plurality of junctor stages located on both sides of said crosspoint matrices and having junctors inserted in said incoming, outgoing and junction lines, each junctor having free and an occupied state and having means for detecting a pulse on the line in which it is inserted, tester means, identification marker means and identifier means respectively associated with the junctors of said junctor stages for respectively testing the states thereof, applying thereto identification pulses and detecting the identification pulse response signal received thereby, a device for detecting faulty matrices having faulty crosspoints and withdrawing the same from the switching system, said device including means for registering the addresses of the faulty matrices inserted in a route between an identification marker means transmitting one identification pulse and an identifier means receiving from said identification marker means more than one identification pulse response signal, means for comparing the address of a matrix actually engaged in a disconnection process with the address of the faulty matrices registered in said registering means and means for actuating the tester means associated with the junctors inserted in the junction lines connected to a matrix engaged in a disconnection process whose address coincides with the address registered in said registered means, said matrix being withdrawn from the switching system when all the junctors tested by the actuated tester means are in the free state.