Digital time division multiplex telecommunication network

Claim 1

In a digital time division multiplex (TDM) telecommunication network having a plurality of subscriber terminals connected in a predetermined sequence to a common TDM highway, said TDM highway beginning and ending in a central office thereby forming a loop, each TDM time frame containing information for each said subscriber terminal, said information being arranged in said time frame in a time sequence corresponding to the sequence of connection of said subscriber terminals to said TDM highway, the improvement comprising: said TDM highway being arranged in at least one main route section and a plurality of branch routes, said main route section and said branch routes carrying information to and from said central office; a plurality of branching switch means actuated by said central office for sequentially coupling said branch routes to said main route section and thereby to said central office, said main route section and said branch routes having incoming and outgoing portions relative to said branching switch means; at least one said branching switch means including first switches for sequentially connecting the incoming portion of said main route section to the outgoing portion of said main route section and second switches for sequentially connecting the outgoing and incoming portions of at least one of said branch routes, respectively, to the incoming and outgoing portions of said main route section; at least another one of said branching switch means connected to said main route section by one of said branch routes, said another one of said branching switch means including first switches for sequentially connecting the incoming portion of said one branch route to the outgoing portion of said one branch route and second switches for sequentially connecting the outgoing and incoming portions of at least another one of said branch routes, respectively, to the incoming and outgoing portions of said one branch route; and storage means connected in the incoming portions of each of said branch routes for temporarily storing information returning to said central office to thereby prevent overlapping between time frames.