Key telephone call distributing system

Claim 2

An auxiliary circuit for use in conjunction with a key telephone system wherein connections are selectively completed from any one of a number of telephone lines to a key telephone station in response to the operation of a key at said station associated with a selected one of said lines and wherein visual signal means associated with each calling connection awaiting completion is enabled at said station, said auxiliary circuit comprising means for detecting the busy-idle calling condition status of all said lines, means jointly responsive to an incoming calling connection on one of said lines and a detected idle calling condition status on all other said lines for enabling said visual signal means associated with said one calling connection line at said key telephone station in a first pulsating manner, and means jointly responsive to an incoming calling connection on a second one of said lines and a detected busy calling condition status on any other one of said lines for enabling said visual signal means associated with said second line calling connection at said key telephone station in a second pulsating manner distinct from said first pulsating manner.

Claim 3

The invention set forth in claim 1 further comprising means jointly responsive to an incoming calling connection on a third one of said lines and a detected busy calling condition status on any other one of said lines for enabling said visual signal means associated with said third line calling connection at said key telephone station in said second distinct pulsating manner.

Claim 4

The invention set forth in claim 2 further comprising means responsive to a detected idle calling condition status on any line having associated therewith visual signal means enabled in said first pulsating manner for inhibiting said enabling of any signal means enabled in said second pulsating manner and for enabling in a first pulsating manner any visual indicating means inhibited from said second pulsating manner operation.

Claim 5

In a key telephone system a telephone station, a plurality of telephone lines associated with said telephone station, means for directing communication connections from any of said telephone lines to said telephone station, means at said telephone station for selectively enabling a communication connection between said telephone station and an exclusive one of said telephone lines, means at said telephone station exclusively associated with each said telephone line for providing visual signals representing the status of each said associated telephone line, means for establishing a first timed period, means controlled by said first timed period establishing means and by said connection directing means for enabling in a first manner said visual signals associated with each line having a communication connection directed to said telephone station during said established first timed period, and means controlled by said first timed period establishing means and by said connection directing means for enabling in a second manner said visual signals associated with each line having a communication connection directed to said telephone station subsequent to the conclusion of said first timed period.

Claim 6

In a key telephone system a telephone station, a plurality of telephone lines associated with said telephone station, means for directing communication connections from any of said telephone lines to said telephone station, means at said telephone station for selectively enabling a communication connection between said telephone station and an exclusive one of said telephone lines, means at said telephone station exclusively associated with each said telephone line for providing visual signals representing the status of each said associated telephone line, means for establishing a first timed period, means controlled by said first timed period establishing means and by said connection directing means for enabling in a first manner said visual signals associated with each line having a communication connection directed to said telephone station during said established first timed period, and means controlled by said first timed period establishing means and by said connection directing means for enabling in a second manner said visual signals associated with each line having a communication connection directed to said telephone station subsequent to the conclusion of said first timed period.

Claim 7

The invention set forth in claim 4 further comprising means for detecting when all said lines having communication connections directed to said station during said first timed period have been selectively answered, means operable in response to the enabling of said detecting means for inhibiting said second manner enabling of said visual means associated with each said line having a communication connection directed to said telephone station subsequent tO said conclusion of said first timed period and for enabling in said first manner all said inhibited visual means.

Claim 8

The invention set forth in claim 5 further comprising means controlled by said enabling of said inhibiting means and said connection directing means for enabling in said second manner said visual signals associated with each line having a communication connection directed to said telephone station subsequent to the enabling of said inhibiting means.

Claim 9

The invention set forth in claim 6 further comprising audible announcement means, means controlled by the enabling of said first timed period establishing means for enabling said announcement means so as to return an audible announcement over any line having a communication connection directed to said telephone station, and means responsive to the selective enabling of any said line for inhibiting any said audible announcement associated with said selectively enabled line.