US3684833A — Key telephone system having wideband capability

Claim 1

Independent Claim 175 words

In a key telephone system wherein connections are established between any one of a number of wideband or audio-only lines and any one of a number of stations in response to the enabliNg of a key associated with a selected one of said lines at an enabling one of said stations, the combination comprising at least one wideband unit associated with at least one of said stations and associable with any of said wideband lines, means associated with each said wideband unit operable in response to the enabling of a key associated with any selected one of said wideband lines at a station associated with said wideband unit for enabling a wideband connection between said wideband unit associated with said enabling station and said one selected wideband line, and for concurrently enabling an audio connection to the audio portion of said wideband line, and means for inhibiting simultaneous wideband connections from more than one station to any one selected line while still enabling simultaneous audio connections from any number of stations to said selected line.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 175 words

In a key telephone system wherein connections are established between any one of a number of wideband or audio-only lines and any one of a number of stations in response to the enabliNg of a key associated with a selected one of said lines at an enabling one of said stations, the combination comprising at least one wideband unit associated with at least one of said stations and associable with any of said wideband lines, means associated with each said wideband unit operable in response to the enabling of a key associated with any selected one of said wideband lines at a station associated with said wideband unit for enabling a wideband connection between said wideband unit associated with said enabling station and said one selected wideband line, and for concurrently enabling an audio connection to the audio portion of said wideband line, and means for inhibiting simultaneous wideband connections from more than one station to any one selected line while still enabling simultaneous audio connections from any number of stations to said selected line.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 31 words

The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said inhibiting means comprises means arranged to provide predetermined priority between said stations and any one of said lines on said wideband connections.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 149 words

In a communication system wherein a wideband connection may be established from a switching network over a wideband line to a terminating station only after the wideband line between the switching network and the terminating station has been tested to determine the availability of that station for the termination of wideband connections and an affirmative response to said test returned to the switching network, the combination comprising a plurality of wideband units, each associated with one of said terminating stations, means common to all of said units for detecting the availability of said wideband units and for providing a signal whenever all said wideband units are unavailable, means interposed between said switching network and said wideband units and controlled by said detecting means for affirmatively responding to said switching network test, and means responsive to said signal from said detecting means for inhibiting said switching network test responding means.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 149 words

In a communication system wherein a wideband connection may be established from a switching network over a wideband line to a terminating station only after the wideband line between the switching network and the terminating station has been tested to determine the availability of that station for the termination of wideband connections and an affirmative response to said test returned to the switching network, the combination comprising a plurality of wideband units, each associated with one of said terminating stations, means common to all of said units for detecting the availability of said wideband units and for providing a signal whenever all said wideband units are unavailable, means interposed between said switching network and said wideband units and controlled by said detecting means for affirmatively responding to said switching network test, and means responsive to said signal from said detecting means for inhibiting said switching network test responding means.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 36 words

The invention set forth in claim 3 wherein said interposed means further comprises means for providing constant transmission parameters on said wideband lines without regard to distance variations between each wideband unit and the switching network.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 82 words

The invention set forth in claim 4 further comprising first visual and audible signaling means, means responsive to ringing signals transmitted from said switching network for enabling said first visual and audible signaling means, second visual and audible signaling means, means for detecting wideband signals transmitted over said wideband line from said switching network, and means jointly responsive to the enabling of said wideband signal detecting means and to said ringing signals for exclusively enabling said second visual and audible signaling means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 121 words

In combination a plurality of lines each including a line circuit, a plurality of telephone stations each arranged with line keys individually associated with certain of said lines, a plurality of wideband units individually associated with certain of said stations, a switching network for extending connections over said lines to said stations and to said wideband units, a control circuit coupled to each said line interposed between said switching network and said wideband units, means in each of said line circuits for ascertaining the availability of said wideband units, and means in each of said control circuits enabled by said ascertaining means for controlling said switching network to inhibit connections to said wideband units whenever no such wideband units are available.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 121 words

In combination a plurality of lines each including a line circuit, a plurality of telephone stations each arranged with line keys individually associated with certain of said lines, a plurality of wideband units individually associated with certain of said stations, a switching network for extending connections over said lines to said stations and to said wideband units, a control circuit coupled to each said line interposed between said switching network and said wideband units, means in each of said line circuits for ascertaining the availability of said wideband units, and means in each of said control circuits enabled by said ascertaining means for controlling said switching network to inhibit connections to said wideband units whenever no such wideband units are available.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 133 words

The invention as set forth in claim 6 further comprising means in each of said line circuits responsive to the enabling of a key associated with one of said lines at any one of said connected stations for enabling an audio connection from said One station to said switching network over said one line, means associated with each line for detecting the transmission of a wideband synchronizing signal from said switching network over said associated wideband line, and means jointly responsive to the enabling of said detecting means on one of said lines and to the enabling of said key associated with said one line at one of said stations associated with a wideband unit for enabling a wideband connection from said associated wideband unit to said switching network over said one line.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 58 words

The invention as set forth in claim 7 wherein said wideband connection enabling means comprises a plurality of wideband switches associated with each of said wideband units, each of said wideband switches individually associated with one of said lines, wherein said wideband switches associated with any one line are arranged to inhibit simultaneous connections involving said one line.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 33 words

The invention as set forth in claim 8 further comprising means responsive to the enabling of a hold key at a connection enabling station for individually terminating said enabled audio and wideband connections.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 123 words

In a key telephone system having a plurality of lines and a plurality of stations each station having a plurality of keys individually associated with one of said lines the combination comprising a plurality of video sets individually associated with certain of said stations each set operable for originating and receiving video signals; means for detecting the presence of video signals on any of said lines; means responsive to said detecting means for enabling distinctive signaling on each of said stations associated with said one line; and means jointly responsive to said detected video signal and to the enabling of said key associated with said one line at one of said stations for exclusively enabling the video set associated with said one station.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 123 words

In a key telephone system having a plurality of lines and a plurality of stations each station having a plurality of keys individually associated with one of said lines the combination comprising a plurality of video sets individually associated with certain of said stations each set operable for originating and receiving video signals; means for detecting the presence of video signals on any of said lines; means responsive to said detecting means for enabling distinctive signaling on each of said stations associated with said one line; and means jointly responsive to said detected video signal and to the enabling of said key associated with said one line at one of said stations for exclusively enabling the video set associated with said one station.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 34 words

The invention as set forth in claim 10 further comprising means responsive to the unavailability of at least one of said video units associated with said line for inhibiting video signals on said line.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1975-08-15	1976-02-14	1976-08-15	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1979-08-15	1980-02-14	1980-08-15	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1983-08-15	1984-02-14	1984-08-15	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Key telephone system having wideband capability

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