Answering system for pbxs

Claim 2

A private branch telephone exchange, comprising a plurality of subscriber stations, a plurality of trunks, a plurality of registers, switching means for establishing connections between said subscriber stations and said trunks, marker means responsive to said subscriber stations for connecting said registers to said trunks and responsive to said registers for establishing the connections between said subscriber stations and said trunks, said registers being capable of being idle or in use, control means in said marker means responsive to all of said registers being busy and to the existence of an incoming call on one of said trunks and to a subscriber station being answered by a subscriber for connecting the one of said subscriber stations being answered by a subscribpr to the trunk carrying the incoming call.

Claim 3

A private branch telephone exchange, comprising a plurality of stations, a plurality of intra-office trunks, a plurality of registers, a marker, a switching arraNgement, a plurality of marker connectors, a plurality of register connectors, a plurality of central office trunks, said switching arrangement being connected with said station as well as said central office trunks and said intra-office trunks, said switching arrangement having means responsive to the station for connecting said station with an intra-office trunk or a central office trunk by control of the marker, each of said stations having dial means and at least one of said stations having one key which replies to one trunk in which an arriving call exists, each of said registers being connected with an intra-office trunk through a register connector and connected with a marker through a marker connector, each of said stations having means responsive to said dial means for responding to an incoming call at the central office trunk through the switching arrangement by dialing a subscribed number, said switching arrangement having means for responding to operation of the key at the station with the key to connect an incoming call at a central office trunk to the station with the key, said station with the key having means for seizing a register through the switching arrangement and the intra-office trunk and the register connector by going off-hook, said key producing a DC current when operated, a transmitting line for transmitting key information and seizing the intra-office trunk of the station, the DC current produced by the key operation of the station with the key being transmitted to the intra-office trunk through the transmitting line and to the register seized by the station through a register connector, said seized register containing circuit means for counting and accumulating dial pulses dialed at the station so that the register can respond to a predetermined number, said seized register including circuit means for responding to the key operation as to the dialing of the predetermined number, said marker responding to the dialling of the predetermined number or operation of the key and having means for changing the connection of the station with the key from an intra-office trunk to the central office trunk which has an arriving call.

Claim 4

A private branch telephone exchange, comprising a plurality of stations, a plurality of intra-office trunks, a plurality of registers, a marker, a switching arraNgement, a plurality of marker connectors, a plurality of register connectors, a plurality of central office trunks, said switching arrangement being connected with said station as well as said central office trunks and said intra-office trunks, said switching arrangement having means responsive to the station for connecting said station with an intra-office trunk or a central office trunk by control of the marker, each of said stations having dial means and at least one of said stations having one key which replies to one trunk in which an arriving call exists, each of said registers being connected with an intra-office trunk through a register connector and connected with a marker through a marker connector, each of said stations having means responsive to said dial means for responding to an incoming call at the central office trunk through the switching arrangement by dialing a subscribed number, said switching arrangement having means for responding to operation of the key at the station with the key to connect an incoming call at a central office trunk to the station with the key, said station with the key having means for seizing a register through the switching arrangement and the intra-office trunk and the register connector by going off-hook, said key producing a DC current when operated, a transmitting line for transmitting key information and seizing the intra-office trunk of the station, the DC current produced by the key operation of the station with the key being transmitted to the intra-office trunk through the transmitting line and to the register seized by the station through a register connector, said seized register containing circuit means for counting and accumulating dial pulses dialed at the station so that the register can respond to a predetermined number, said seized register including circuit means for responding to the key operation as to the dialing of the predetermined number, said marker responding to the dialling of the predetermined number or operation of the key and having means for changing the connection of the station with the key from an intra-office trunk to the central office trunk which has an arriving call.

Claim 5

A private branch telephone exchange, comprising a plurality of stations, a plurality of intra-office trunks, a plurality of registers, a marker, a switching arrangement, a plurality of marker connectors, a plurality of register connectors, a plurality of central office trunks, said switching arrangement being connected with said station as well as said central office trunks and said intra-office trunks, said switching arrangement having means responsive to the station for connecting said station with an intra-office trunk or a central office trunk by control of the marker, each of said stations having dial means and at least one of said stations having one key which replies to one trunk in which an arriving call exists, each of said registers being connected with an intra-office trunk through a register connector and connected with a marker through a marker connector, each of said stations having means responsive to said dial means for responding to an incoming call at the central office trunk through the switching arrangement by dialing a subscribed number, said switching arrangement having means for responding to operation of the key at the station with the key to connect an incoming call at a central office trunk to the station with the key, said station with the key having means for seizing a register through the switching arrangement and the intra-office trunk and the register connector by going off-hook, said key producing a DC current when operated, a transmitting line for transmitting key information and seizing the intra-office trunk of the station, the DC current produced by the key operation of the station being transmitted to the intra-office trunk through the transmitting line and to the register seized by the station through a register connector, said seized register containing circuit means for counting and Accumulating dial pulses dialed at the station so that the register can respond to a predetermined number, said seized register including circuit means for responding to the key operation as to the dialing of the predetermined number, said marker responding to the dialing of the predetermined number or operation of the key and having means for changing the connection of the station with the key from an intra-office trunk to the central office trunk which has an arriving call, said marker including means for detecting that all the registers are busy, means for detecting an arriving call at at least one of the trunks, circuit means for selecting a trunk containing an arriving call according to a predetermined order of priority, said circuit means controlling said switching arrangement and connecting the station with said key to said trunk, said circuit means responding to the arriving call when one of the stations containing the key is off-hook while said means for detecting that all of said registers are busy and said means for detecting an arriving call are in operation.

Claim 6

A private branch telephone exchange, comprising a plurality of stations, a plurality of intra-office trunks, a plurality of registers, a marker, a switching arrangement, a plurality of marker connectors, a plurality of register connectors, a plurality of central office trunks, said switching arrangement being connected with said station as well as said central office trunks and said intra-office trunks, said switching arrangement having means responsive to the station for connecting said station with an intra-office trunk or a central office trunk by control of the marker, each of said stations having dial means and at least one of said stations having one key which replies to one trunk in which an arriving call exists, each of said registers being connected with an intra-office trunk through a register connector and connected with a marker through a marker connector, each of said stations having means responsive to said dial means for responding to an incoming call at the central office trunk through the switching arrangement by dialing a subscribed number, said switching arrangement having means for responding to operation of the key at the station with the key to connect an incoming call at a central office trunk to the station with the key, said station with the key having means for seizing a register through the switching arrangement and the intra-office trunk and the register connector by going off-hook, said key producing a DC current when operated, a transmitting line for transmitting key information and seizing the intra-office trunk of the station, the DC current produced by the key operation of the station being transmitted to the intra-office trunk through the transmitting line and to the register seized by the station through a register connector, said seized register containing circuit means for counting and Accumulating dial pulses dialed at the station so that the register can respond to a predetermined number, said seized register including circuit means for responding to the key operation as to the dialing of the predetermined number, said marker responding to the dialing of the predetermined number or operation of the key and having means for changing the connection of the station with the key from an intra-office trunk to the central office trunk which has an arriving call, said marker including means for detecting that all the registers are busy, means for detecting an arriving call at at least one of the trunks, circuit means for selecting a trunk containing an arriving call according to a predetermined order of priority, said circuit means controlling said switching arrangement and connecting the station with said key to said trunk, said circuit means responding to the arriving call when one of the stations containing the key is off-hook while said means for detecting that all of said registers are busy and said means for detecting an arriving call are in operation.

Claim 7

A private branch telephone exchange, comprising a plurality of stations, a plurality of intra-office trunks, a plurality of registers, a marker, a switching arrangement, a plurality of marker connectors, a plurality of register connectors, a plurality of central office trunks, said switching arrangement being connected with said station as well as said central office trunks and said intra-office trunks, said switching arrangement having means responsive to the station for connecting said station with an intra-office trunk or a central office trunk by control of the marker, each of said stations having dial means and at least one of said stations having one key which replies to one trunk in which an arriving call exists, each of said registers being connected with an intra-office trunk through a register connector and connected with a marker through a marker connector, each of said stations having means responsive to said dial means for responding to an incoming call at the central office trunk through the switching arrangement by dialing a subscribed number, said switching arrangement having means for responding to operation of the key at the station with the key to connect an incoming call at a central office trunk to the station with a key, said station with the key having means for seizing a register through the switching arrangement and the intra-office trunk and the register connector by going off-hook, said key producing a DC current when operated, a transmitting line for transmitting key information and seizing the intra-office trunk of the station, the DC current produced by the key operation of the station with the key being transmitted to the intra-office trunk through the transmitting line and to the register seized by the station through a register connector, said seized register containing circuit means for counting and accumulating dial pulses dialed at the station so that the register can respond to a predetermined number, said seized register including circuit means for responding to the key operation as to the dialing of the predetermined number, said marker responding to the dialing of the predetermined number or operation of the key and having means for changing the connection of the station with the key from an intra-office trunk to the central office trunk which has an arriving call, said marker including first detecting means for detecting that all of the registers are busy, second detecting means for detecting that an arriving call exists in at least one of said central office trunks, circuit means for producing an indicating tone to the station with the key for a predetermined time and selecting one of the trunks containing an arriving call according to a prescribed order of priority after the predetermined time, said circuit means controlling said switching arrangement for connecting said station with said trunk and responding to the arriving call when the station with the Key is off-hook while said first detecting means and said second detecting means are in operation.

Claim 8

A private branch telephone exchange, comprising a plurality of stations, a plurality of intra-office trunks, a plurality of registers, a marker, a switching arrangement, a plurality of marker connectors, a plurality of register connectors, a plurality of central office trunks, said switching arrangement being connected with said station as well as said central office trunks and said intra-office trunks, said switching arrangement having means responsive to the station for connecting said station with an intra-office trunk or a central office trunk by control of the marker, each of said stations having dial means and at least one of said stations having one key which replies to one trunk in which an arriving call exists, each of said registers being connected with an intra-office trunk through a register connector and connected with a marker through a marker connector, each of said stations having means responsive to said dial means for responding to an incoming call at the central office trunk through the switching arrangement by dialing a subscribed number, said switching arrangement having means for responding to operation of the key at the station with the key to connect an incoming call at a central office trunk to the station with a key, said station with the key having means for seizing a register through the switching arrangement and the intra-office trunk and the register connector by going off-hook, said key producing a DC current when operated, a transmitting line for transmitting key information and seizing the intra-office trunk of the station, the DC current produced by the key operation of the station with the key being transmitted to the intra-office trunk through the transmitting line and to the register seized by the station through a register connector, said seized register containing circuit means for counting and accumulating dial pulses dialed at the station so that the register can respond to a predetermined number, said seized register including circuit means for responding to the key operation as to the dialing of the predetermined number, said marker responding to the dialing of the predetermined number or operation of the key and having means for changing the connection of the station with the key from an intra-office trunk to the central office trunk which has an arriving call, said marker including first detecting means for detecting that all of the registers are busy, second detecting means for detecting that an arriving call exists in at least one of said central office trunks, circuit means for producing an indicating tone to the station with the key for a predetermined time and selecting one of the trunks containing an arriving call according to a prescribed order of priority after the predetermined time, said circuit means controlling said switching arrangement for connecting said station with said trunk and responding to the arriving call when the station with the Key is off-hook while said first detecting means and said second detecting means are in operation.