Method and apparatus for improving telephone hybrid network

Claim 1

A circuit for improving the singing return loss between the opposed four-wire input and output of a hybrid network for the two-wire to four-wire interface of a telephone line, comprising: a signal generator for connecting a transmit test signal to said input; characterized by: means for determining whether the phase of the return test signal at said output relative to the transmit test signal at said input is within a preselected range for inductively loaded lines; a control circuit responsive to the phase determining means for connecting a first impedance network between the four-wire input and output of the hybrid network when the return test signal is within said range, and for connecting a second impedance network between the four-wire input and output when the return test signal is outside said range.

Claim 3

A method of determining the phase shift of a return test signal from a hybrid network in a two-wire to four-wire interface for a telephone line when the two-wire line is in an off-hook condition comprising the steps of: connecting a test signal to the transmit side of the four-wire line; determining each zero crossing of a receive test signal which is returned on the receive side of the four-wire line; determining whether said zero crossings of the receive test signal fall within first or second portions of the period of the transmit test signal so as to determine whether the two-wire line appears loaded or nonloaded; comparing the time interval between adjacent zero crossings of the receive test signal to determine whether said adjacent zero crossing resulted from the transmit test signal and/or from spurious signals introduced in the two-wire line; and separately totalizing the instances when the zero crossings of the receive test signal fall within said first or second portions of the period only when a comparison indicates that adjacent zero crossings resulted from the transmit test signal.

Claim 4

A method of determining the phase shift of a return test signal from a hybrid network in a two-wire to four-wire interface for a telephone line when the two-wire line is in an off-hook condition comprising the steps of: connecting a test signal to the transmit side of the four-wire line; determining each zero crossing of a receive test signal which is returned on the receive side of the four-wire line; determining whether said zero crossings of the receive test signal fall within first or second portions of the period of the transmit test signal so as to determine whether the two-wire line appears loaded or nonloaded; comparing the time interval between adjacent zero crossings of the receive test signal to determine whether said adjacent zero crossing resulted from the transmit test signal and/or from spurious signals introduced in the two-wire line; and separately totalizing the instances when the zero crossings of the receive test signal fall within said first or second portions of the period only when a comparison indicates that adjacent zero crossings resulted from the transmit test signal.