US3701864A — Automatic measuring system for a group of telecom…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 279 words

Automatic apparatus for successively measuring the transmission characteristics of each one of a group including a number N of telecommunication circuits interconnecting two stations P and S, comprising a master device at said station P and an auxiliary device at station S and using two transmission channels extending between said stations and a still further telecommunication circuit as service channel, remote control channel and bypass circuit respectively; each of said devices including a plurality of signal transmission measurement sets, a measurement set switching selector and a telecommunication circuit switching selector for selectively interconnecting said measurement sets and telecommunication circuits, both said selectors having control means controlled by programmed control circuits operated from a time base itself controlled by a periodic pulse source; said service channel interconnecting said measurement set selectors, said remote control channel interconnecting said control means of said measurement set selectors and said bypass circuit interconnecting said telecommunication circuit selectors; in which apparatus said master device further comprises supervision means for supervising telecommunication circuit occupation; and in which said programmed control circuits are brought into operation by an electric start signal delivered by said time base and comprise means for continuously carrying out upon receipt of such signal a measurement sequence comprising N consecutive measurement cycles for the respective N telecommunication circuits, such a cycle consisting of a number M of measurements in the direction from P to S and a number M of similar measurements in the direction from S to P on a single circuit, each measurement having a predetermined individual duration and each cycle having a fixed duration, the interval between any such cycle and the next cycle being controlled by said supervision means.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 279 words

Automatic apparatus for successively measuring the transmission characteristics of each one of a group including a number N of telecommunication circuits interconnecting two stations P and S, comprising a master device at said station P and an auxiliary device at station S and using two transmission channels extending between said stations and a still further telecommunication circuit as service channel, remote control channel and bypass circuit respectively; each of said devices including a plurality of signal transmission measurement sets, a measurement set switching selector and a telecommunication circuit switching selector for selectively interconnecting said measurement sets and telecommunication circuits, both said selectors having control means controlled by programmed control circuits operated from a time base itself controlled by a periodic pulse source; said service channel interconnecting said measurement set selectors, said remote control channel interconnecting said control means of said measurement set selectors and said bypass circuit interconnecting said telecommunication circuit selectors; in which apparatus said master device further comprises supervision means for supervising telecommunication circuit occupation; and in which said programmed control circuits are brought into operation by an electric start signal delivered by said time base and comprise means for continuously carrying out upon receipt of such signal a measurement sequence comprising N consecutive measurement cycles for the respective N telecommunication circuits, such a cycle consisting of a number M of measurements in the direction from P to S and a number M of similar measurements in the direction from S to P on a single circuit, each measurement having a predetermined individual duration and each cycle having a fixed duration, the interval between any such cycle and the next cycle being controlled by said supervision means.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 144 words

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said supervision means include detection means for detecting transmission of service signals over whichever telecommunication circuit is to be measured during said next cycle and over said bypass circuit in which operation preventing means controlled by said supervision means are provided to prevent telecommunication circuit selector operation before the start of a measurement cycle when service signal transmission is detected by said detection means; and in which switching of said telecommunication circuits by said circuit selector causes said bypass circuit to be successively substituted for each one of the N telecommunication circuits for the duRation of one measurement cycle, said N circuits being successively connected to each one of said measurement sets during latter said cycle, while whichever telecommunication circuit is to be measured during said next cycle is brought under supervision of said supervision means.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 195 words

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which said programmed control circuits in each of said devices comprise a counter-decoder and a gate-type logic circuit having conditioning inputs; said time base having an input, a first output, a second output and a plurality of other outputs, and said counter-decoder having a stepping-on input, a second input, a first output and a number of other outputs; in which said time base input is fed from said pulse source via said gate circuit whose conditioning inputs are respectively connected to said time base first output, to said counter-decoder first output and to respectively corresponding outputs provided in said detection means; said time base second output is connected to said remote control channel; all other of said time base plurality of outputs are connected to said control means of said measurement set selector; and said time base first output is connected to said second input of said counter-decoder, said time base second output is connected to said stepping-on input of said counter-decoder, and said first output and said outputs of said number of other outputs of said counter-decoder are connected to said control means of said telecommunication-circuit selector.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 153 words

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which said logic circuit includes a first, a second and a third and-gates, an or-gate, a negator and a switch, one input of each and-gate being connected to said first output of said time base, the other inputs of said first and second and-gates being respectively connected to corresponding outputs of said supervision means, the other input of said third and-gate being connected to the first output of said counter-decoder, the outputs of each of said first and second and-gates being connected to an input of said or-gate, the output of said third and-gate being connected to an input of the or-gate via said switch, the output of the or-gate being connected to the inverting input of said negator, the non-inverting input of said negator being connected to said pulse source and the output of said negator being connected to the input of said time base.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 37 words

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the periodic pulses from said pulse sources in both said master and auxiliary devices have a common repetition period much shorter than the basic period of said time base.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1975-10-31	1976-05-01	1976-10-31	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1979-10-31	1980-05-01	1980-10-31	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1983-10-31	1984-05-01	1984-10-31	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Automatic measuring system for a group of telecommunication circuits

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