Digital switching network

Claim 1

A switching network for selectively interconnecting a plurality of digital terminals by transmission paths through said network comprising: in at least one plane including MN switching means arranged in M rows and N columns orthognally related to each other, where M and N are even integers, each of said MN switching means having a first plurality of ports coupled to a plurality of digital terminals, a second plurality of ports each associated with a different one of said M rows and a third plurality of ports each associated with a different one of said N columns, said first, second and third plurality of ports being interconnected internally of each of said MN switching means; first intermediate switching devices associated with said M rows, wherein a plurality of said intermediate switching devices are associated with each row, each having a fourth plurality of ports such that one of said ports is associated with each of the second plurality of ports of each of said MN switching means in each row; second intermediate switching devices associated with said N columns, wherein a plurality of said intermediate switching devices are associated with each column, each having a fourth plurality of ports such that one of said ports is associated with each of the third plurality of ports of each of said MN switching means in each column; each of said first, second, third, and fourth plurality of ports having two oppositely directed external unidirectional paths coupled thereto, each of said unidirectional paths having a plurality of channels transmitted thereon in a time division format, each of said plurality of channels carrying digital information and digital control information for a different one of said plurality of terminals; said MN, first intermediate and second intermediate switching means, being responsive to said control information originating at one terminal to establish said transmission path through said network.