Digital private branch exchange and method of manufacturing same

Claim 2

A digital private branch exchange comprising: a digital trunk adapted to a plurality of channels, said channels establishing a plurality of audio paths and at least one communication path, said at least one communication path being a connection request reject channel; means for detecting a connection request to the connection request reject channel from an extension telephone set; and means for sending a return signal to the extension telephone set indicating that the connection request to the connection request reject channel is rejected

Claim 3

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 1, wherein the connection request reject channel is for transmitting signalling data.

Claim 4

A digital private branch exchange comprising: a digital trunk adapted to a plurality of channels, said channels establishing a plurality of audio paths and at least one communication path, said at least one communication path being a connection request reject channel; means for detecting a connection request to the connection request reject channel from an extension telephone set; and said digital trunk further comprising: means for interrogating the connection request reject channel following a connection request from an extension telephone set to the connection request reject channel; means for generating a return signal to be sent to an extension telephone set indicating the rejection of the connection request to the connection request channel; means for sending the return signal generated by the generating means to an extension telephone set via the connection request reject channel interrogated by the interrogating means.

Claim 5

A digital private branch exchange comprising: a digital trunk adapted to a plurality of channels, said channels establishing a plurality of audio paths and at least one communication path, said at least one communication path being a connection request reject channel; means for detecting a connection request to the connection request reject channel from an extension telephone set; and said digital trunk further comprising: means for interrogating the connection request reject channel following a connection request from an extension telephone set to the connection request reject channel; means for generating a return signal to be sent to an extension telephone set indicating the rejection of the connection request to the connection request channel; means for sending the return signal generated by the generating means to an extension telephone set via the connection request reject channel interrogated by the interrogating means.

Claim 6

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 3, wherein the connection request reject channel is for transmitting signalling data.

Claim 7

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 3, wherein the detecting means comprises: register means for storing a channel number corresponding to the connection request reject channel following a connection request to the connection request reject channel; channel counter means for counting and storing synchronizing clock pulses corresponding to a channel number; and comparator means for comparing the channel number stored in the register means and the clock pulses corresponding to a channel number in the channel counter means, and for generating an output signal indicating the coincidence of the connection request reject channel number in the register means and the clock pulses corresponding to the channel number of the connection request reject channel in the counter means.

Claim 8

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 3, wherein the return signal generating means comprises: memory means for storing data corresponding to a predetermined return signal; address counter means for providing an address output corresponding to a channel number to the memory means; and enabling means for enabling the reading of the data corresponding to the return signal from the memory means when a connection request to the connection request reject channel is detected by the detecting means.

Claim 9

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 6, wherein the enabling means comprises: register means for storing data corresponding to a channel requested by a connection request from an extension telephone set; and logical means for enabling the reading of data from the memory means when data stored in the register means corresponds to the connection request reject channel and the detecting means detects a connection request to the connection request reject channel.

Claim 10

A digital private branch exchange comprising: an extension interface connected to at least one extension telephone set; an analog trunk connected to an analog line; a digital trunk connected to a digital line, and adapted to a plurality of channels, said channels establishing a plurality of audio paths and at least one communication path, said at least one communication path being a connection request reject channel; a data bus for transmitting control data; a PCM bus for transmitting PCM signals comprising data frames, each of said data frames being transmitted at a predetermined rate, and including data corresponding to said plurality of channels; central processing means for controlling transmission and receipt of control data via the data bus between the extension interface, the analog trunk, and the digital trunk, and for detecting a connection request from an extension telephone set to the connection request reject channel; and time switch means responsive to a first synchronizing clock from the digital trunk for generating a second synchronizing clock, said second synchronizing clock being connected to the extension interface, the analog truck and the digital trunk, said digital trunk further comprising: means for interrogating data in a data frame corresponding to the connection request reject channel following a connection request to the connection request reject channel by an extension telephone set; means for generating a return signal to be sent to the extension telephone set indicating the rejection of the connection request to the connection request reject channel; and means for sending the return signal generated by the generating means to the extension telephone set, via the PCM bus in the data corresponding to the connection request reject channel interrogated by the interrogating means.

Claim 11

A digital private branch exchange comprising: an extension interface connected to at least one extension telephone set; an analog trunk connected to an analog line; a digital trunk connected to a digital line, and adapted to a plurality of channels, said channels establishing a plurality of audio paths and at least one communication path, said at least one communication path being a connection request reject channel; a data bus for transmitting control data; a PCM bus for transmitting PCM signals comprising data frames, each of said data frames being transmitted at a predetermined rate, and including data corresponding to said plurality of channels; central processing means for controlling transmission and receipt of control data via the data bus between the extension interface, the analog trunk, and the digital trunk, and for detecting a connection request from an extension telephone set to the connection request reject channel; and time switch means responsive to a first synchronizing clock from the digital trunk for generating a second synchronizing clock, said second synchronizing clock being connected to the extension interface, the analog truck and the digital trunk, said digital trunk further comprising: means for interrogating data in a data frame corresponding to the connection request reject channel following a connection request to the connection request reject channel by an extension telephone set; means for generating a return signal to be sent to the extension telephone set indicating the rejection of the connection request to the connection request reject channel; and means for sending the return signal generated by the generating means to the extension telephone set, via the PCM bus in the data corresponding to the connection request reject channel interrogated by the interrogating means.

Claim 12

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 8, wherein the connection request reject channel is one for transmitting signalling data.

Claim 13

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 8, wherein the second synchronizing clock includes a channel clock synchronous with one of said plurality of channels and a frame clock synchronous with the a data frame transmitted on the PCM bus.

Claim 14

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 10, wherein the interrogating means comprises: register means for storing the channel number corresponding to the connection request reject channel following a connection request to the connection request reject channel; channel counter means for counting and storing channel clock pulses from the time switch corresponding to a channel number; and comparator means for comparing the channel number stored in the register means and the channel clock pulses corresponding to a channel number in the channel counter means, and for generating an output signal indicating the coincidence of the connection request reject channel number in the register means and the channel clock pulses corresponding to the channel number of the connection request reject channel in the counter means.

Claim 15

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 10, wherein the return signal generating means comprises: memory means for storing data corresponding to a predetermined return signal; address counter means for counting frame clock pulses from the time switch and for providing an address output corresponding to a channel number to the memory means; and enabling means for enabling the reading of the data corresponding to the return signal from the memory means when a connection to the connection request reject channel is detected by the interrogating means.

Claim 16

A digital private branch exchange according to claim 12, wherein the enabling means comprises: register means for storing data corresponding to a channel requested by a connection request from an extension telephone set; and logical means for enabling the reading of data from the memory means when data stored in the register means corresponds to the connection request reject channel and the interrogating means detects data corresponding to the connection request reject channel.