Common control switching system

Claim 1

A telecommunications switching system comprising common control equipment and a plurality of connection operation equipment groups, each group consisting of a plurality of connection operation equipment, each connection operation equipment in said groups being capable of carrying out a connection operation specific to each said group, each connection operation equipment of at least two of said groups comprising an initiation signal circuit responsive to a call reaching thereto and requesting a connection to be established through said switching system for producing an initiation signal, the connections to be established through said switching system being classified into a plurality of types, said initiation signal being of a level representative of the type of connection requested by a call responsive, to which said initiation signal is produced, a connection of each of said types being established by making selected connection operation equipment, selected in compliance with said each type of connection, sequentially carry out connection operations specific thereto, said common control equipment comprising a plurality of functional block circuits and control means, connection operation equipment of each of said groups being coupled to at least one of said functional block circuits, said control means being coupled to the initiation signal circuits and to said functional block circuits and responsive to the level of an initiation signal produced by one of said initiation signal circuits for selecting functional block circuits in compliance with the type of connection represented by the said level and for causing the selected functional block circuits to select connection operation equipment, one from each of the groups of connection operation equipment coupled to the selected functional block circuits, thereby causing the selected connection operation equipment to sequentially carry out connection operations specific thereto to establish the connection of the type represented by said initiation signal level, wherein the improvement comprises: a. end signal means in each of said functional block circuits for producing an end signal upon completion of the connection operation of one of connection operation equipment selected by said each functional block circuit, b. start signal means in each of said functional block circuits responsive to a start signal delivered thereto for initiating operation of said functional block circuits, c. a plurality of start signal generating means, each being connected and adapted for applying start signals in sequence and in preselected order to start signal means in said functional block circuits, each said generating means comprising a memory means for storing information indicia representative of said respective preselected order, and d. a control circuit responsive to the level of said initiation signal for selecting in accordance with said level one of said start signal generating means, and further responsive to said initiation signal and each said end signal for stepping said selected start signal generating means to cause said selected start signal generating means to generate the next start signal in its preselected order.