Connecting and communication system and means for a telephone station with peripheral apparatus

Claim 1

A peripheral telephone system comprising a telephone station for connection to a subscriber line loop, at least one peripheral apparatus, and means connecting said telephone station and said peripheral apparatus for transmitting signals respectively corresponding to respective functional operating conditions of the system, said connecting means being in the form of a bus comprising a plurality of conductors respectively corresponding to respective functional operating conditions of the system and each of such functional operating conditions being signified by signals transmitted only over the particular one of said condutors corresponding thereto; characterized in that: said telephone station comprises a device for connecting said telephone station to the telephone line loop, a call detector for generating a call detection signal when a call comes in from said telephone line loop, a two-state energizing arrangement, having an active state and an inactive state, a two-state internal control device for controlling said energizing arrangement, said control device having an off-hook state for causing said energizing device to assume its active state and an on-hook state for causing said energizing device to assume its inactive state, a current regulating arrangement for regulating the current circulating in said telephone line loop when the energizing arrangement is in the active state. and a 2-wire/4-wire converter which, when the input thereof is activated by a microprocessor, sends an audio signal over said telephone line loop, and the output of which energizes an earphone or loudspeaker in response to an audio signal received from said telephone line loop; and said bus comprises at least six conductors a first conductor for transmitting a reference signal which is common to all peripheral apparatuses connected to said bus, a second condutor for transmitting from the telephone station a signal indicating the state, either off-hook or on-hook, of said two-state internal control device, a third conductor for transmitting from the telephone station to said peripheral apparatus an audio signal coming from said telephone line loop, a fourth conductor for transmitting said call detection signal from the telepone station to said peripheral apparatus, a fifth conductor for transmitting to said telephone station an external line seizure control signal received from said peripheral apparatus and a sixth conductor for transmitting to said telephone station an analog input signal received from said peripheral apparatus.