Preference lockout circuit for common control switching system

Claim 2

A preference lockout circuit for according any of a plurality of work circuits access to a common control circuit including a preference relay respective to each work circuit and contacts controlled by each operated preference relay for normally defining the order of operating preference of said relays, the improvement comprising control means in circuit with each said preference relay for temporarily interrupting the operating path thereto, and means for selectively altering the timing of said control means.

Claim 3

A preference lockout circuit according to claim 1 wherein said control means includes contact means operable to interrupt said preference relay operating path and releasable to restore said operating path and wherein said selectively altering means includes means for modifying the release time of said control means.

Claim 4

A preference lockout circuit according to claim 1 wherein said selectively altering means includes counting means energized after one of said preference relays has operated.

Claim 5

A preference lockout circuit according to claim 3 wherein said counting means includes a W-Z relay circuit controlled by said common control means each time one of said work circuits is accorded access to said common control circuit, said control means includes relays, and said altering means further includes means controlled by said W-Z relay circuit for selectively switching in a resistance shunt across the winding of one of said control means relays.

Claim 6

A preference lockout circuit, comprising a plurality of preference relays each having an operate winding adapted to respond to a service request, a plurality of release relays each having a respective contact means for interrupting the operating path of an associated one of said preference relays, means for permitting one of said preference relays to lock, means for operating all of said release relays when any of said preference relays is operated, means for removing the service request for the operated one of said preference relays, means responsive to all of said preference relays in the released condition for interrupting the operating path to all of said release relays, and means for selectively changing the release times of said release relays.

Claim 7

A preference lockout circuit, comprising a plurality of preference relays each having an operate winding adapted to respond to a service request, a plurality of release relays each having a respective contact means for interrupting the operating path of an associated one of said preference relays, means for permitting one of said preference relays to lock, means for operating all of said release relays when any of said preference relays is operated, means for removing the service request for the operated one of said preference relays, means responsive to all of said preference relays in the released condition for interrupting the operating path to all of said release relays, and means for selectively changing the release times of said release relays.

Claim 8

A preference lockout circuit according to claim 5 wherein each said preference relay has associated therewith a respective connector relay, wherein each said preference relay has a pair of transfer contacts, means connecting each said pair of transfer contacts in a chain for completing a connector relay winding operating path to said connector relays in a given order of preference, and wherein said means permitting said one of said preference relays to lock includes a contact of one of said connector relays.

Claim 9

A preference lockout circuit according to claim 6 wherein said means for selectively changing said release times includes means for selectively switching in a resistance shunt across the winding of one of said release relays.

Claim 10

A preference lockout arrangement comprising a plurality of preference relays each adapted to be energized to indicate a request for connection to a common circuit by a respective work circuit, means for temporarily interrupting the operating paths to said relays, and means including the selective release of said temporarily interrupting means for recompleting the operating path to one of said preference relays before an operating path is recompleted to the other of said preference relays.

Claim 11

A preference lockout arrangement comprising a plurality of preference relays each adapted to be energized to indicate a request for connection to a common circuit by a respective work circuit, means for temporarily interrupting the operating paths to said relays, and means including the selective release of said temporarily interrupting means for recompleting the operating path to one of said preference relays before an operating path is recompleted to the other of said preference relays.

Claim 12

A preference lockout arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said temporarily interrupting means includes control relay means individual to each of said preference relays and wherein said recompleting means includes means for selectively applying a circuit to cause one of said control relay means to become a slower release relay means than the other of said control relay means.

Claim 13

A preference lockout arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said temporarily interrupting means includes means operative when said respective work circuit is connected to said common circuit and wherein said recompleting means includes means for applying said slower release circuit means to a different one of said control relay means when said common circuit is disconnected from said respective work circuit.

Claim 14

A preference lockout circuit for according one-at-a-time access between a common control circuit and a plurality of work circuits comprising a plurality of preference relays some of which are capable of being simultaneously energized by their respective work circuits, a connector relay associated with each preference relay, means normally connecting the connector relays to be operated in a given order of preference by the operation of said preference relays, and means operative upon the release of said common circuit by the highest preference one of said connector relays for preventing reoperating of the preference relay associated with said work circuit which has just received access to said common circuit.

Claim 15

A preference lockout circuit for according one-at-a-time access between a common control circuit and a plurality of work circuits comprising a plurality of preference relays some of which are capable of being simultaneously energized by their respective work circuits, a connector relay associated with each preference relay, means normally connecting the connector relays to be operated in a given order of preference by the operation of said preference relays, and means operative upon the release of said common circuit by the highest preference one of said connector relays for preventing reoperating of the preference relay associated with said work circuit which has just received access to said common circuit.

Claim 16

A preference lockout circuit according to claim 11 wherein said operative means includes a plurality of release relay means each having a contact in circuit with a respective one of said preference relays, means for normally operating said release relay means during the time one of said work circuits is accorded access to said control circuit, and means for selectively causing one of said release relays to be released more slowly than the other of said release relays when said one work circuit is released from said common circuit.