Communication system network having communication system fallback operation

Claim 1

In a communication system network that comprises a plurality of communication systems and a processing multiplexer, wherein each of the plurality of communication systems are operably coupled to at least one corresponding ambassador board of the processing multiplexer via at least a source interface bus and a destination interface bus, wherein each of the plurality of communication systems comprises at least one processing multiplexer interface module, a plurality of local processing multiplexers, a plurality of signal sources that produce audio signals, and a plurality of signal destinations, a method for the communication system network to operate when a communication system is no longer operably coupled to the processing multiplexer, the method comprises the steps of: a) determining, by the ambassador board operably coupled to the communication system, when the communication system is no longer operably coupled to the processing multiplexer; b) generating, by the ambassador board of step (a), a signal that indicates that the communication system is not actively coupled to the processing multiplexer; c) transmitting, by the ambassador board of step (a), the signal to the other ambassador boards; d) within each of the ambassador boards, generating mute signals; and e) within each of the ambassador boards, storing the mute signals in a signal database in place of signals produced by the communication system of step (a) such that the communication system network operates without the communication system of step (a).