Concentrator arrangement for wideband switching

Claim 2

A communication system comprising a central office switching network including voice terminals and wideband terminals; a wideband concentrator remotely located from said office and comprising a plurality of first terminals, a plurality of second terminals less in number than said first terminals, and means for interconnecting said first and second terminals; a plurality of communication circuits each coupled to a corresponding one of said voice terminals and one of said first terminals; wideband transmission links interconnecting said second terminals with said wideband terminals; a data link interconnecting said office and said concentrator and control means at said central office comprising means for establishing a voice transmission path over said network to a voice terminal associated with a designated one of said circuits, means for testing the busy-idle condition of said transmission links for selecting an idle one of said transmission links, first transmitting means for identifying said selected transmission link and for transmitting over said data link a first coded signal representing the second terminal of said transmission link, and second transmitting means for determining the first terminal of said designated circuit and for transmitting over said data link a second coded signal representing the first terminal of said designated circuit.

Claim 3

The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said interconnecting means comprises a switching matrix having at least two sets of intersecting coordinates, one set being coupled to said first terminals and the other set being coupled to said second terminals, means responsive to said first coded signal for actuating a coordinate of said first set, and means actuated by said second signal for actuating a coordinate of said second set to interconnect the corresponding first and second terminals.

Claim 4

The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said concentrator further comprises means effective when at least two second set coordinates are simultaneously actuated for blocking actuation of said establishing means.

Claim 5

The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said concentrator also comprises means effective upon the actuation of one of said first set coordinates for transmitting a first verification signal to said central office control means and wherein said second transmitting means comprises means responsive to said first verification signal for transmitting said second coded signal.

Claim 6

The invention defined in claim 4 wherein said concentrator further comprises means effective upon the actuation of one of said second set coordinates for transmitting a second verification signal to said central office control means and wherein said control means also comprises means responsive to said second signal for establishing said voice transmission path.

Claim 7

In combination a central office switching network comprising a plurality of voice terminals, a plurality of wideband terminals, and switching means for establishing communication paths between said central office terminals; a wideband concentrator remotely located from said office and comprising a plurality of terminals, a plurality of links less in number than said terminals for coupling said concentrator to said central office, and switching means for establishing communication paths between said concentrator terminals and said links; a plurality of telephone stations and a plurality of audio trunks each coupled to a different one of said voice terminals; a video transceiver associateD with each of said stations, certain of said transceivers being coupled to first ones of said central office wideband terminals and others of said transceivers being coupled to said concentrator terminals; a plurality of wideband trunks each coupled to second ones of said central office wideband terminals; a plurality of intraconcentrator trunks coupled to said concentrator; means connecting a first group of said audio trunks with said wideband trunks; means connecting a second group of said audio trunks with said intraconcentrator trunks; translator means at said central office responsive to indicia representing the voice terminals of telephone stations designated for interconnection for determining the terminal locations of the video transceivers associated with said designated stations; and means controlled by said translator means for actuating the appropriate one of said switching means in accordance with the terminal locations of said designated transceivers; wherein said actuating means comprises means effective when at least one of said designated transceivers is coupled to said central office wideband terminal for selecting one of said first group trunks and means effective when all said designated transceivers are coupled to said concentrator terminals for selecting one of said second group trunks.

Claim 8

In combination a central office switching network comprising a plurality of voice terminals, a plurality of wideband terminals, and switching means for establishing communication paths between said central office terminals; a wideband concentrator remotely located from said office and comprising a plurality of terminals, a plurality of links less in number than said terminals for coupling said concentrator to said central office, and switching means for establishing communication paths between said concentrator terminals and said links; a plurality of telephone stations and a plurality of audio trunks each coupled to a different one of said voice terminals; a video transceiver associateD with each of said stations, certain of said transceivers being coupled to first ones of said central office wideband terminals and others of said transceivers being coupled to said concentrator terminals; a plurality of wideband trunks each coupled to second ones of said central office wideband terminals; a plurality of intraconcentrator trunks coupled to said concentrator; means connecting a first group of said audio trunks with said wideband trunks; means connecting a second group of said audio trunks with said intraconcentrator trunks; translator means at said central office responsive to indicia representing the voice terminals of telephone stations designated for interconnection for determining the terminal locations of the video transceivers associated with said designated stations; and means controlled by said translator means for actuating the appropriate one of said switching means in accordance with the terminal locations of said designated transceivers; wherein said actuating means comprises means effective when at least one of said designated transceivers is coupled to said central office wideband terminal for selecting one of said first group trunks and means effective when all said designated transceivers are coupled to said concentrator terminals for selecting one of said second group trunks.