Switching system having junctor circuits for holding established network connections

Claim 2

In a communication-switching system, a first and a second switching netWork, a first group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said first network, a second group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said second network, scanner means connected to each of said circuits for monitoring the supervisory state thereof, a plurality of circuit paths interconnecting said first and said second networks, means including said scanner means responsive to the receipt of a call by any circuit in said first group for controlling the establishment of a first network interconnection over any one of said paths between said callreceiving circuit in said first group and a selected circuit in said second group, a junctor circuit in each of said paths, and means in the junctor circuit of said one path for maintaining said network interconnection under control of said scanner means.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 in combination with signal conductors in each of said paths for enabling the transmission of signals between the circuits interconnected by said networks, a control conductor in each of said paths, and control means including said maintaining means in the junctor circuit of said one path for applying a potential to its control conductor to maintain said network connection.

Claim 4

The system of claim 2 in which said control means comprises, a control relay in the junctor circuit of said one path, and contacts on said control relay for applying a holding potential to said control conductor whenever said relay is in an operated state.

Claim 5

The system of claim 3 in combination with, a signal relay in each of said junctor circuits, and contacts on each of said signal relays for disconnecting from each other the signal conductors extending to its junctor circuit from each of said networks whenever said signal relay is in a released state and for interconnecting the corresponding signal conductors extending to its junctor circuit whenever said signal relay is in an operated state.

Claim 6

The system of claim 1 in combination with means additionally responsive to the receipt of said call by said circuit in said first group for maintaining said first network interconnection and for concurrently establishing a second network interconnection between said call receiving circuit in said first group and another circuit in said second group, and means further responsive to the serving of said call for maintaining said first and second network interconnections and for concurrently establishing a third network interconnection between said selected circuit in said second group and another circuit in said first group.

Claim 7

The system of claim 5 in combination with means for releasing any one of said concurrent interconnections independently while maintaining the remainder of said interconnections.

Claim 8

In a communication-switching system, a first and a second switching network, a first group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said first network, a second group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said second network, scanner means connected to each of said circuits for monitoring the supervisory state thereof, a plurality of circuit paths interconnecting said first and said second networks, a junctor circuit in each of said paths, means including said scanner means responsive to the receipt of a call by any circuit of said first group for concurrently controlling the establishment of a plurality of network connections over selected ones of said paths from said circuit receiving said call in said first group to a plurality of selected circuits in said second group, and means in the junctor circuit of each one of said selected paths for maintaining each network connection established thereover independently of the maintenance of the other established connection to the same call receiving circuit.

Claim 9

In a communication-switching system, a first and a second switching network, a first group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said first network, a second group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said second network, scanner means connected to each of said circuits for monitoring the supervisory state thereof, a plurality of circuit paths interconnecting said first and said second networks, a junctor circuit in each of said paths, means including said scanner means responsive to the receipt of a call by any circuit of said first group for concurrently controlling the establishment of a plurality of network connections over selected ones of said paths from said circuit receiving said call in said first group to a plurality of selected circuits in said second group, and means in the junctor circuit of each one of said selected paths for maintaining each network connection established thereover independently of the maintenance of the other established connection to the same call receiving circuit.

Claim 10

The system of claim 7 in combination with a path control conductor in each of said paths, and control means including said maintaining means iN each of said junctor circuits over which a connection is established for applying a potential to its path control conductor to maintain the interconnection established over its path.

Claim 11

The system of claim 8 in which said control means comprises, a control relay in each of said junctor circuits, and contacts on each of said control relays for applying a holding potential to its control conductor whenever said relay is in an operated state.

Claim 12

In a communication switching system, a first and a second matrix type switching network, each of said networks comprising at least one matrix switch having conductors arranged into a plurality of horizontal rows and a plurality of vertical columns, contacts at the intersection of each row and column for selectively interconnecting the conductors common thereto, a first group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual horizontal on said first network, a second group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual horizontal on said second network, a plurality of circuit paths each of which interconnects a switch vertical in said first network with a switch vertical in said second network, means responsive to the serving of a call by said system for establishing a first network interconnection over one of said paths between a selected circuit in each of said first and second groups, means additionally responsive to the serving of a call by said system for maintaining said first network interconnection and for concurrently establishing a second network interconnection between said selected circuit in said first group and another circuit in said second group, and means further responsive to the serving of a call by said system for maintaining said first and second interconnections and for establishing a third network interconnection between said selected circuit in said second group and another circuit in said first group, and means for independently releasing any one of said concurrent connections while maintaining the remainder of said connections.

Claim 13

In a communication switching system, a first and a second matrix type switching network, each of said networks comprising at least one matrix switch having conductors arranged into a plurality of horizontal rows and a plurality of vertical columns, contacts at the intersection of each row and column for selectively interconnecting the conductors common thereto, a first group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual horizontal on said first network, a second group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual horizontal on said second network, a plurality of circuit paths each of which interconnects a switch vertical in said first network with a switch vertical in said second network, means responsive to the serving of a call by said system for establishing a first network interconnection over one of said paths between a selected circuit in each of said first and second groups, means additionally responsive to the serving of a call by said system for maintaining said first network interconnection and for concurrently establishing a second network interconnection between said selected circuit in said first group and another circuit in said second group, and means further responsive to the serving of a call by said system for maintaining said first and second interconnections and for establishing a third network interconnection between said selected circuit in said second group and another circuit in said first group, and means for independently releasing any one of said concurrent connections while maintaining the remainder of said connections.

Claim 14

The invention of claim 10 wherein said maintaining means comprises a junctor circuit in each of said paths for maintaining each network interconnection established thereover.

Claim 15

In a communication switching system, a first and a second switching network, a plurality of circuit paths interconnecting said networks, a plurality of incoming trunk circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said first network, a plurality of receivers each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said second network, means responsive to the reception of a call by one of said incoming trunk circuits for establishing a network connection over a first one of said paths from said calling trunk circuit to one of said receivers, a plurality of outgoing trunk circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said second network, means additionally responsive to the reception of said call for maintaining said connection to said receiver and for establishing over a second one of said paths the network connections required to interconnect said calling trunk circuit with a selected one of said outgoing trunk circuits, a plurality of outpulsers each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said first network, means additionally responsive to the reception of said call for establishing a network connection over a third one of said paths between one of said outpulsers and said selected outgoing trunk circuits, means for subsequently releasing said network connection to said receiver and to said outpulsers, and means subsequently effective for completing said interconnection between said incoming and outgoing trunk circuits.

Claim 16

In a communication switching system, a first and a second switching network, a plurality of circuit paths interconnecting said networks, a plurality of incoming trunk circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said first network, a plurality of receivers each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said second network, means responsive to the reception of a call by one of said incoming trunk circuits for establishing a network connection over a first one of said paths from said calling trunk circuit to one of said receivers, a plurality of outgoing trunk circuits each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said second network, means additionally responsive to the reception of said call for maintaining said connection to said receiver and for establishing over a second one of said paths the network connections required to interconnect said calling trunk circuit with a selected one of said outgoing trunk circuits, a plurality of outpulsers each of which is connected to an individual appearance on said first network, means additionally responsive to the reception of said call for establishing a network connection over a third one of said paths between one of said outpulsers and said selected outgoing trunk circuits, means for subsequently releasing said network connection to said receiver and to said outpulsers, and means subsequently effective for completing said interconnection between said incoming and outgoing trunk circuits.

Claim 17

The system of claim 12 in which each of said paths comprises a junctor circuit, and means in each of said junctor circuits for maintaining each network connection established thereover.

Claim 18

The system of claim 13 wherein each path further comprises a control conductor, and wherein said means in each of sAid junctor circuits for maintaining comprises means in each of said junctor circuits for applying a holding potential to the control conductor of its path subsequent to the establishment of a network connection thereover.

Claim 19

The system of claim 14 wherein each of said paths further includes signal conductors and wherein said junctor circuits include means for interconnecting the signal conductors extending to each of said junctor circuits from each of said networks subsequent to the establishment of a network connection thereover.

Claim 20

In a communication-switching system, a first and second matrix type switching network, each of said networks comprising at least one matrix switch, a plurality of circuit paths interconnecting said networks, conductors on each of said switches arranged into a plurality of horizontal rows and a plurality of vertical columns, contacts at the intersection of each row and column for selectively connecting the conductors thereto, a select magnet individual to each of said rows and a hold magnet individual to each of said columns, a first group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual row of said first network, a second group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual row of said second network, and means responsive to the reception of a call by said system for establishing a plurality of concurrent network connections to a circuit in each of said groups.

Claim 21

In a communication-switching system, a first and second matrix type switching network, each of said networks comprising at least one matrix switch, a plurality of circuit paths interconnecting said networks, conductors on each of said switches arranged into a plurality of horizontal rows and a plurality of vertical columns, contacts at the intersection of each row and column for selectively connecting the conductors thereto, a select magnet individual to each of said rows and a hold magnet individual to each of said columns, a first group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual row of said first network, a second group of circuits each of which is connected to an individual row of said second network, and means responsive to the reception of a call by said system for establishing a plurality of concurrent network connections to a circuit in each of said groups.

Claim 22

The system of claim 16 in which said establishing means comprises a system controller, a marker, and means responsive to the reception of a call for transmitting information from said controller to said marker specifying the select magnets that are to be operated for said interconnections, means in said marker effective upon the operation of the select magnets for each interconnection for selecting the path that is to be used on said interconnection, and means responsive to said selection for operating the hold magnets required to complete said interconnection via said selected path.

Claim 23

The system of claim 17 wherein each of said paths comprises, a junctor circuit, a means responsive to each operation of said hold magnets by said marker for transmitting information to said controller specifying the path and the junctor circuit that has been selected for use on an interconnection, and means in each of said junctor circuits operable under control of said controller for maintaining the hold magnets of its path operated.

Claim 24

The system of claim 18 in which each junctor circuit comprises, a relay operable under control of said controller for interconnecting the path conductors extending to said junctor circuit from each of said networks.

Claim 25

The system of claim 19 in combination with means in each of said junctor circuits controlled by said controller for independently releasing the hold magnets of an interconnection established over said junctor circuit from a circuit in one of said groups while any other concurrent network connections to said circuit are maintained.