Trunk formatter

Claim 1

A system for providing incoming digital signals to a time division multiplex switch from a trunk time division highway having said incoming digital signals in any one of a plurality of channel groupings and bit rates, said system comprising: digital signal processing means connected between said trunk time division highway and said switch for grouping any one of said plurality of time division multiplexed channel groupings into a standard grouping compatible with said time division switch; and wherein said digital signal processing means further comprises a digital storage means wherein said incoming digital signals are read into said storage means at times derived from the incoming digital signals and read out of said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said switch, said digital storage means comprising a plurality of elastic buffer delay units providing an initial predetermined buffer delay between read-in and read-out of said digital signals through said elastic buffer units and means for selectively resetting said initial predetermined buffer delay; whereby said switch is provided with digital signals at said standard time division channel groupings and at a standard bit rate.

Claim 2

A system for providing incoming digital signals to a time division multiplex switch from a trunk time division highway having said incoming digital signals in any one of a plurality of channel groupings and bit rates, said system comprising: digital signal processing means connected between said trunk time division highway and said switch for grouping any one of said plurality of time division multiplexed channel groupings into a standard grouping compatible with said time division switch; and wherein said digital signal processing means further comprises a digital storage means wherein said incoming digital signals are read into said storage means at times derived from the incoming digital signals and read out of said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said switch, said digital storage means comprising a plurality of elastic buffer delay units providing an initial predetermined buffer delay between read-in and read-out of said digital signals through said elastic buffer units and means for selectively resetting said initial predetermined buffer delay; whereby said switch is provided with digital signals at said standard time division channel groupings and at a standard bit rate.

Claim 5

A system for providing incoming digital signals to a time division multiplex switch from a time division trunk highway having said incoming digital signals in any one of a plurality of channel groupings and a plurality of bit rates, said system comprising: a trunk termination means for shaping and amplifying said incoming digital signals; a converter in circuit with said trunk termination means for converting said incoming digital signals from bipolar form to NRZ form and for extracting bit timing therefrom; a submultiplexer means for arranging any one of said plurality of channel groupings into at least one intermediate channel grouping; digital signal storage means for storing said at least one intermediate channel grouping of incoming digital signals, said at least one intermediate channel grouping of incoming digital signals being read into said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said incoming digital signals, the digital signals in said at least one intermediate channel grouping being read out of said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said switch, said storage means also providing a predetermined initial buffering delay between read in and read out of the digital signals in said at least one intermediate channel grouping; and means for combining at least two sets of digital signals being read out of said storage means and for providing the combined set of signals at a standard channel grouping and a standard bit rate to said switch.

Claim 6

A system for providing incoming digital signals to a time division multiplex switch from a time division trunk highway having said incoming digital signals in any one of a plurality of channel groupings and a plurality of bit rates, said system comprising: a trunk termination means for shaping and amplifying said incoming digital signals; a converter in circuit with said trunk termination means for converting said incoming digital signals from bipolar form to NRZ form and for extracting bit timing therefrom; a submultiplexer means for arranging any one of said plurality of channel groupings into at least one intermediate channel grouping; digital signal storage means for storing said at least one intermediate channel grouping of incoming digital signals, said at least one intermediate channel grouping of incoming digital signals being read into said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said incoming digital signals, the digital signals in said at least one intermediate channel grouping being read out of said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said switch, said storage means also providing a predetermined initial buffering delay between read in and read out of the digital signals in said at least one intermediate channel grouping; and means for combining at least two sets of digital signals being read out of said storage means and for providing the combined set of signals at a standard channel grouping and a standard bit rate to said switch.

Claim 11

A system for providing incoming digital signals to a time division multiplex switch from a time division trunk highway having said incoming digital signals in any one of a plurality of channel groupings and a plurality of bit rates, said system comprising: a time division trunk highway termination means for shaping and amplifying said incoming digital signals provided on said time division trunk highway; means coupled to said time division trunk highway termination means for arranging any one of said plurality of channel groupings into at least one intermediate channel grouping; storage means for storing the digital signals in said at least one intermediate channel grouping; storage control means coupled to said storage means for reading in the digital signals in said at least one intermediate channel grouping to said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said incoming digital signals and for reading out said digital signals In said at least one intermediate channel grouping from said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said switch; said storage means and said storage control means cooperating to provide an initial buffer delay between read in and read out of digital signals through said storage means; means coupled to said storage means for interleaving digital signals read out from said storage means and for providing said read out digital signals in a standard channel grouping and a standard bit rate to said switch; fill bit generator means coupled to said interleaving means for adjusting the byte structure of read out digital signals to a standard byte structure compatible with said switch; first means coupled to said switch for accepting digital signals in said standard channel grouping and standard bit rate and for submultiplexing said standard channel grouping into first and second channel groupings; second means coupled to said switch for accepting digital signals in said standard channel groupings and for combining two standard channel groupings into a third channel grouping; third means coupled to said switch for accepting digital signals in said standard channel grouping; means for selecting said first, second, third or standard channel groupings from said first, second, and third means; a second time division trunk highway termination means for amplifying and shaping the digital signals in said selected channel grouping and for providing said amplified and shaped digital signals to an outgoing time division trunk highway; and fill bit extractor means coupled to said selecting means for adjusting the byte structure of the digital signals in the selected one of said first, second or third channel grouping to a byte structure compatible with said outgoing time division trunk highway.

Claim 12

A system for providing incoming digital signals to a time division multiplex switch from a time division trunk highway having said incoming digital signals in any one of a plurality of channel groupings and a plurality of bit rates, said system comprising: a time division trunk highway termination means for shaping and amplifying said incoming digital signals provided on said time division trunk highway; means coupled to said time division trunk highway termination means for arranging any one of said plurality of channel groupings into at least one intermediate channel grouping; storage means for storing the digital signals in said at least one intermediate channel grouping; storage control means coupled to said storage means for reading in the digital signals in said at least one intermediate channel grouping to said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said incoming digital signals and for reading out said digital signals In said at least one intermediate channel grouping from said storage means at times derived from timing associated with said switch; said storage means and said storage control means cooperating to provide an initial buffer delay between read in and read out of digital signals through said storage means; means coupled to said storage means for interleaving digital signals read out from said storage means and for providing said read out digital signals in a standard channel grouping and a standard bit rate to said switch; fill bit generator means coupled to said interleaving means for adjusting the byte structure of read out digital signals to a standard byte structure compatible with said switch; first means coupled to said switch for accepting digital signals in said standard channel grouping and standard bit rate and for submultiplexing said standard channel grouping into first and second channel groupings; second means coupled to said switch for accepting digital signals in said standard channel groupings and for combining two standard channel groupings into a third channel grouping; third means coupled to said switch for accepting digital signals in said standard channel grouping; means for selecting said first, second, third or standard channel groupings from said first, second, and third means; a second time division trunk highway termination means for amplifying and shaping the digital signals in said selected channel grouping and for providing said amplified and shaped digital signals to an outgoing time division trunk highway; and fill bit extractor means coupled to said selecting means for adjusting the byte structure of the digital signals in the selected one of said first, second or third channel grouping to a byte structure compatible with said outgoing time division trunk highway.