Line hunting circuitry for common control communications switching system

Claim 2

A line circuit for a communication system having common control means, which system includes an ordered sequence of line circuits and means for addressing said line circuits, said line circuit comprising a status gate operable to indicate the busy-idle status of said circuit to said common control means, an address gate responsive to a receipt of address signals from said addressing means for activating said status gate to transmit a busy signal to a subsequent one of said line circuits in said sequence when said circuit is busy, and a hunt gate responsive to a receipt of a busy signal from a preceding one of said line circuits in said sequence for operating said status gate to supply an idle signal to said common control means when said line circuit is idle.

Claim 3

A line circuit in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a hold gate responsive to a receipt of a control signal from said common control means for maintaining said status gate operated following its operation by said hunt gate.

Claim 4

In a telephone system having a plurality of line circuits, a switching network operable for establishing terminating call connections to said circuits, common control means responsive to a receipt of a terminating call for any of said circuits for operating said network to establish call connections to the called one of said circuits and for supplying signals for addressing said circuits, and each one of said circuits comprising a status gate for indicating the busy-idle status of said one circuit, an address gate responsive to a receipt of said addressing signals for activating said status gate to generate a hunting signal when said one circuit is busy, wherein the improvement comprises a hunt gate controlled by said control means and a generated hunting signal from a status gate of another one of said line circuits for operating said status gate of said one of said circuits to supply an idle signal to said control means for said one of said circuits.

Claim 5

In a telephone system having a plurality of line circuits, a switching network operable for establishing terminating call connections to said circuits, common control means responsive to a receipt of a terminating call for any of said circuits for operating said network to establish call connections to the called one of said circuits and for supplying signals for addressing said circuits, and each one of said circuits comprising a status gate for indicating the busy-idle status of said one circuit, an address gate responsive to a receipt of said addressing signals for activating said status gate to generate a hunting signal when said one circuit is busy, wherein the improvement comprises a hunt gate controlled by said control means and a generated hunting signal from a status gate of another one of said line circuits for operating said status gate of said one of said circuits to supply an idle signal to said control means for said one of said circuits.

Claim 6

The invention according to claim 3, wherein the improvement further comprises a hold gate activated by said control means for controlling said status gate of said one of said circuits to lock said status gate operated following its operation by said hunt gate, thereby maintaining said idle signal supplied to said control means and said hunt gate is responsive to a hunting stop signal from said control means for stopping idle line hunting at said one of said circuits.

Claim 7

The invention according to claim 4, wherein said switching network includes means for connecting a hunting signal from a called busy one of said line circuits to a succeeding one of said line circuits.

Claim 8

The invention according to claim 5, wherein said switching network further includes means for connecting busy and idle signals from said line circuits to said common control means, and said common control means cooperates with said busy-idle signals connecting means in response to a receipt of busy signal for said called busy one of said line circuits and a concurrent receipt of an idle signal for said succeeding one of said line circuits for controlling the operation of said switching network to establish terminating call connections to said succeeding one of said line circuits instead of said called busy one of said line circuits.

Claim 9

A communications switching system comprising a plurality of line circuits, said line circuits being arranged in a sequence, a switching network, common control means directable to examine said line circuits to determine the idle or busy status thereof and to control said switching network to establish terminating call connections to said line circuits, conditionable gating means associated with each one of said line circuits responsive to the busy status of a preceding line circuit in said sequence for directing said common control means to examine said one of said line circuits, first means associated with said switching network responsive to a busy status of said one of said line circuits for rendering said common control means directable to examine a succeeding line circuit in said sequence, said first means also being responsive to an idle status of said one of said line circuits to direct said common control means to control said switching network to establish communication connections to said one of said line circuits, and second means associated with said switching network responsive to said busy status of said one of said line circuits for conditioning said gating means of a succeeding one of said line circuits.

Claim 10

A communications switching system comprising a plurality of line circuits, said line circuits being arranged in a sequence, a switching network, common control means directable to examine said line circuits to determine the idle or busy status thereof and to control said switching network to establish terminating call connections to said line circuits, conditionable gating means associated with each one of said line circuits responsive to the busy status of a preceding line circuit in said sequence for directing said common control means to examine said one of said line circuits, first means associated with said switching network responsive to a busy status of said one of said line circuits for rendering said common control means directable to examine a succeeding line circuit in said sequence, said first means also being responsive to an idle status of said one of said line circuits to direct said common control means to control said switching network to establish communication connections to said one of said line circuits, and second means associated with said switching network responsive to said busy status of said one of said line circuits for conditioning said gating means of a succeeding one of said line circuits.

Claim 11

A communications switching system according to claim 7 wherein said second means associated with said switching network includes means for selectively cross connecting said line circuits in a predeterminable sequence.