Cutover transition switching apparatus and method for telephone office equipment

Claim 2

In a telephone office the method of effecting disconnection of subscriber lines between a subscriber distribution frame and a switching network of the panel, crossbar or step-by-step type having a plurality of cutoff relays operatively associated therewith connected between said subscriber distribution frame and said switching network with the number of cutoff relays corresponding to the number of telephone subscriber lines, wherein said cutoff relays are in a normally closed position and comprising the steps of connecting switching means in circuit with said cutoff relays without affecting the normal operation thereof, and activating said switching means to operate said cutoff relays to switch the same from their normally closed to their open position to thereby operatively disconnect said subscriber lines from said switching network.

Claim 3

A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a new switching network is connected to said subscriber distribution frame and including the step of operatively connecting said new switching network to said subscriber distribution frame subsequent to the activation of said switching means and the opening of said cutoff relays.

Claim 4

A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said switching means includes a plurality of individual switches and including the steps of independently connecting each of said switches to a predetermined number of said cutoff relays, and sequentially activating said individual switches to sequentially operate said predetermined numbers of cutoff relays.

Claim 5

A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein a new switching network is connected to said subscriber distribution frame and including the step of operatively connecting said new switching network to said subscriber distribution frame subsequent to the activation of said switching means and the opening of said cutoff relays.

Claim 6

A method in accordance with claim 1, including the step of testing the operativeness of said switching means while the same is connected in circuit with said cutoff relays and prior to the activation thereof to operate said cutoff relays.

Claim 7

A method in accordance with claim 1, including the steps of selectively activating said switching means to operate said cutoff relays, and selectively deactivating said switching means after activation thereof to return said cutoff relays to their normally closed positions.

Claim 8

A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein a new switching network is connected to said subscriber distribution frame and including the step of operatively connecting said new switching network to said subscriber distribution frame subsequent to the activation of said switching means and the opening of said cutoff relays.

Claim 9

A method in accordance with claim 2, including the steps of selectively activating said switching means to operate said cutoff relays, subsequently operatively disconnecting said new switching network from said subscriber distribution frame, and selectively deactivating said switching means to restore said cutoff relays to their normally closed position, thereby operatively reconnecting said subscriber lines with said first mentioned switching network.

Claim 10

A method in accordance with claim 3, including the step of testing the operativeness of selected ones of said plurality of individual switches while the switches are connected in circuit with said predetermined number of cutoff relays and prior to the activation thereof to operate the same.

Claim 11

A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the operativeness of said switching means is tested without affecting the operation of said cutoff relays.

Claim 12

In a telephone office having a subscriber distribution frame and a switching network of the panel, crossbar or step-by-step type including a plurality of cutoff relays operatively associated with said switching network and connected between said subscriber distribution frame and said switching network, the number of cutoff relays corresponding to the number of telephone subscriber lines, the improvement comprising switching means connected in circuit with said cutoff relays without affecting the normal operation thereof, and means for selectively activating said switching means to operate selected ones of said cutoff relays to thereby operatively disconnect selected ones of said subscriber lines from said switching network.

Claim 13

In a telephone office having a subscriber distribution frame and a switching network of the panel, crossbar or step-by-step type including a plurality of cutoff relays operatively associated with said switching network and connected between said subscriber distribution frame and said switching network, the number of cutoff relays corresponding to the number of telephone subscriber lines, the improvement comprising switching means connected in circuit with said cutoff relays without affecting the normal operation thereof, and means for selectively activating said switching means to operate selected ones of said cutoff relays to thereby operatively disconnect selected ones of said subscriber lines from said switching network.

Claim 14

The improvement in accordance with claim 11, wherein said cutoff relays are in a normally closed position, and said activating means causes said switching means to switch said cutoff relays from their normally closed to their open position.

Claim 15

The improvement in accordance with claim 11, wherein said switching means comprises a plurality of individual switching members, said switching members being connected to a predetermined number of said cutoff relays.

Claim 16

The improvement in accordance with claim 13, wherein said switching members comprise a plurality of individual switches, a source of potential, means for connecting said individual switches in parallel with said potential source, each of said individual switches having a plurality of contacts, a predetermined number of said contacts being connected in series with a corresponding number of individual cutoff relays, and activating means for each of said switching members for simultaneously activating each of said individual switches thereof to simultaneously operate all of said cutoff relays connected to said individual switches.

Claim 17

The improvement in accordance with claim 14, wherein said activating means is operative to activate all of said switching members simultaneously.

Claim 18

The improvement in accordance with claim 14, wherein said activating means is operative to separately operate each of said switching members.

Claim 19

The improvement in accordance with claim 14, including voltage regulation means connected between said potential source and said switch members for regulating the voltage applied to said contacts of said switches and to said cutoff relays connected thereto.

Claim 20

The improvement in accordance with claim 17, including means connected between said potential source and said voltage regulation means for selecting the polarity of the potential applied to said switch members.

Claim 21

The improvement in accordance with claim 18, wherein each of said individual switches includes a primary winding adapted to close the contacts of said switch upon energization thereof, means for connecting one end of said primary winding to said potential source, and means for connecting the other end of said winding to said activation means.

Claim 22

The improvement in accordance with claim 19, including means operatively connected with said primary winding to indicate the energization thereof.

Claim 23

The improvement in accordance with claim 19, including means operatively connected with said contacts for indicating the operativeness thereof without affecting the normal operation of said contacts and said cutoff relays.

Claim 24

In a telephone office the method of effecting disconnection of subscriber lines between a subscriber distribution frame and a switching network of the panel, crossbar or step-by-step type having a plurality of cutoff relays operatively associated therewith connected between said subscriber distribution frame and said switching network with the number of cutoff relays corresponding to the number of telephone subscriber lines, wherein said cutoff relays are in a normally closed position and comprising the steps of connecting switching means in circuit with a predetermined number of selected ones of said cutoff relays without affecting the normal operation thereof, and activating said switching means to operate said predetermined number of selected cutoff relays to switch the same from their normally closed to their open position to thereby operatively disconnect said subscriber lines associated with said predetermined number of selected cutoff relays from said switching network.

Claim 25

In a telephone office the method of effecting disconnection of subscriber lines between a subscriber distribution frame and a switching network of the panel, crossbar or step-by-step type having a plurality of cutoff relays operatively associated therewith connected between said subscriber distribution frame and said switching network with the number of cutoff relays corresponding to the number of telephone subscriber lines, wherein said cutoff relays are in a normally closed position and comprising the steps of connecting switching means in circuit with a predetermined number of selected ones of said cutoff relays without affecting the normal operation thereof, and activating said switching means to operate said predetermined number of selected cutoff relays to switch the same from their normally closed to their open position to thereby operatively disconnect said subscriber lines associated with said predetermined number of selected cutoff relays from said switching network.

Claim 26

A method in accordance with claim 22, wherein a second switching network is connected to said subscriber distribution frame and including the step of operatively connecting said second switching network to said subscriber distribution frame subsequent to the activation of said switching means and the opening of said predetermined number of selected cutoff relays to operatively connect said predetermined number of selected subscriber lines associated with said corresponding cutoff relays with said second switching network.

Claim 27

A method in accordance with claim 23, wherein said second switching network is of the panel, crossbar or step-by-step type.