Digital data communications terminal and modules therefor

Claim 3

A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein insert data is inserted onto the digital communications line for transfer to a remote terminal for setting of operating parameters of channel modules in the remote terminal.

Claim 4

A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein a processor of a channel module is able to insert digital data on a corresponding time slot of the digital signal, and the controller is able to receive the data inserted by the processor of the channel module.

Claim 5

A system as claimed in claim 3 further comprising means in a common unit in the terminal responsive to the controller for inserting data in selected time slots, and the common unit further comprises means for identifying frames of digital data and time slots from digital data received by the common unit.

Claim 6

A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the digital data includes framing bits, the common unit further comprising means for counting errors in framing bits received in the digital signal.

Claim 7

A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the digital data includes framing bits, the common unit further comprising means for detecting errors in framing bits and providing a frame slip alarm where a cluster of errors is detected.

Claim 8

A system as claimed in claim 4, the common unit further comprising a register for storing data from the digital communications line during selected time slots.

Claim 9

A system as claimed in claim 4, the common unit comprising separate transmission and receive registers for respectively storing data transmitted from the channel units and data received from the digital communications line.

Claim 10

A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein insert data received from the controller through a control bus is provided at a rate slower than the rate at which frames of time multiplexed data are transferred on the digital communications line, and other insert data is provided separately from the control bus at the frame rate to provide test tones as insert data.

Claim 11

A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the common unit is a modular unit.

Claim 12

A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the processor of the voice signal channel module is able to signal a transmit module such that the transmit module selects digital signals from the channel unit to be transferred to the common module.

Claim 13

A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the processor is able to control loop back of voice signals in response to signals from the controller.

Claim 14

A common module for incorporation into a modular digital terminal for coupling a time multiplexed digital communications line to a plurality of secondary lines including voice signal lines, the terminal further comprising a plurality of voice signal channel modules for converting signals in individual time slots to voice signals on the voice lines, the common unit module further comprising: means for identifying time slots of frames of digital information received on the digital communications line; and means for inserting digital information in selected time slots on the digital communications link for communicating with voice signal channel modules to set operating parameters of the channel modules.

Claim 15

A common module for incorporation into a modular digital terminal for coupling a time multiplexed digital communications line to a plurality of secondary lines including voice signal lines, the terminal further comprising a plurality of voice signal channel modules for converting signals in individual time slots to voice signals on the voice lines, the common unit module further comprising: means for identifying time slots of frames of digital information received on the digital communications line; and means for inserting digital information in selected time slots on the digital communications link for communicating with voice signal channel modules to set operating parameters of the channel modules.

Claim 16

A common module as claimed in claim 13 wherein the digital information includes framing bits, the common module further comprising means for counting errors in framing bits received in the digital signal.

Claim 17

A common module as claimed in claim 13 wherein the digital information includes framing bits, the common module further comprising means for detecting errors in framing bits and providing an alarm where a cluster of errors is detected.

Claim 18

A common module as claimed in claim 13 further comprising a register for storing data from the digital communications line during selected time slots.

Claim 19

A common module as claimed in claim 13 comprising separate transmission and receive registers for respectively storing data transmitted from the channel units and data received from the digital communications line.

Claim 20

A common module as claimed in claim 13 wherein insert data is received from a controller through a control bus at a rate slower than the rate at which frames of time multiplexed data are transferred on the digital communications line, and other insert data is provided separately from the control bus at the frame rate to provide test tones as insert data.

Claim 21

A channel unit module for incorporation into a modular digital terminal for coupling a time multiplexed digital communications line to a plurality of secondary lines including voice signal lines, the terminal including means for converting between digital signals received on the digital communications line and pulse amplitude modulated signals, the channel module comprising: means for converting between pulse amplitude modulated signals in individual time slots and voice signals on the voice signal lines; and means for receiving the digital signals corresponding to the pulse amplitude modulated signals and for setting analog operating parameters of the channel unit in response to the digital signals.

Claim 22

A channel unit module for incorporation into a modular digital terminal for coupling a time multiplexed digital communications line to a plurality of secondary lines including voice signal lines, the terminal including means for converting between digital signals received on the digital communications line and pulse amplitude modulated signals, the channel module comprising: means for converting between pulse amplitude modulated signals in individual time slots and voice signals on the voice signal lines; and means for receiving the digital signals corresponding to the pulse amplitude modulated signals and for setting analog operating parameters of the channel unit in response to the digital signals.

Claim 23

A channel unit as claimed in claim 19 further comprising means for signaling a transmit unit to select a digital data from the channel unit or select a pulse amplitude modulated signal for conversion to digital data for transmission to the digital communications line.

Claim 24

A channel unit as claimed in claim 19 wherein the means for receiving the digital signals comprises a state machine for responding only to predetermined sequences of data.

Claim 25

A channel unit as claimed in claim 17 further comprising means for initially transmitting a start-up code to a common unit when the channel unit is initially installed in the terminal.

Claim 26

A modular digital terminal for coupling a time multiplexed digital communications line to a plurality of secondary lines including voice signal lines, the terminal including a digital common module, receive and transmit units for defining time slots for received and transmitted pulse code modulated (PCM) information on the digital line and for converting between PCM signals and pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) signals, and a plurality of voice signal channel modules for converting between PAM signals in individual time slots and voice signals on the voice signal lines: the common module comprising means for defining time slots for received and transmitted PCM information on the digital line, a source of PCM insert data to be inserted onto the digital communications line or to be transferred to the channel modules in predetermined time slots, a receive multiplexer for selecting, during each time slot, between PCM data received on the communications line and PCM insert data to be transferred to the receive unit and channel modules, a transmit multiplexer for selecting, during each time slot, between PCM data received from the transmit unit and PCM insert data to be transferred to the digital communications line, a receive data register for storing PCM data received from the digital communications line and a transmit data register for storing PCM data from the transmit unit; each of plural voice signal channel modules comprising a processor for receiving PCM insert data from the common module to set operating parameters of the channel unit and for transmitting PCM data to the common module transmit data register; and the system further comprising a controller for receiving data from the receive data register and transmit data register and for providing insert data to test and set the operating parameters of the voice signal channel modules.

Claim 27

A modular digital terminal for coupling a time multiplexed digital communications line to a plurality of secondary lines including voice signal lines, the terminal including a digital common module, receive and transmit units for defining time slots for received and transmitted pulse code modulated (PCM) information on the digital line and for converting between PCM signals and pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) signals, and a plurality of voice signal channel modules for converting between PAM signals in individual time slots and voice signals on the voice signal lines: the common module comprising means for defining time slots for received and transmitted PCM information on the digital line, a source of PCM insert data to be inserted onto the digital communications line or to be transferred to the channel modules in predetermined time slots, a receive multiplexer for selecting, during each time slot, between PCM data received on the communications line and PCM insert data to be transferred to the receive unit and channel modules, a transmit multiplexer for selecting, during each time slot, between PCM data received from the transmit unit and PCM insert data to be transferred to the digital communications line, a receive data register for storing PCM data received from the digital communications line and a transmit data register for storing PCM data from the transmit unit; each of plural voice signal channel modules comprising a processor for receiving PCM insert data from the common module to set operating parameters of the channel unit and for transmitting PCM data to the common module transmit data register; and the system further comprising a controller for receiving data from the receive data register and transmit data register and for providing insert data to test and set the operating parameters of the voice signal channel modules.

Claim 28

A terminal as claimed in claim 23 further comprising means for selecting an individual time slot from which data is stored in the receive data register or transmit data register.

Claim 29

A terminal as claimed in claim 23 wherein insert data received from the controller through a control bus is provided at a rate slower than the rate at which frames of time multiplexed data and transferred on the digital communications line, and other insert data is provided separately from the control bus at the frame rate to provide test tones as insert data.

Claim 30

A terminal as claimed in claim 23 wherein the processor of the voice signal channel module is able to signal the transmit unit to select PCM signals from the channel unit to be transferred to the common module transmit data register.

Claim 33

A method as claimed in claim 27 wherein the digital insert data is applied to the digital communications line and is transmitted to a remote terminal to set the parameters of a remote channel unit.

Claim 34

A method as claimed in claim 27 wherein digital data corresponding to a tone is inserted onto the digital communication line.

Claim 35

A method as claimed in claim 29 further comprising applying the inserted digital data corresponding to a tone to a network customer terminating equipment unit and setting the parameters of the channel unit based on the signal returned from the network customer terminating equipment unit.

Claim 36

A method as claimed in claim 29 wherein insert data received from a controller through a control bus is provided at a rate slower than the rate at which frames of time multiplexed data are transferred on the digital communications line, and other insert data is provided separately from the control bus at the frame rate to provide test tones as insert data.