COMBINED TELEPHONE AND PAGING SYSTEM WHEREIN A CALLING PARTY MAY BE CONNECTED TO A PAGED PARTY AND AN ATTENDANT

• US 3,627,955 A
• Filed: 12/08/1969
• Issued: 12/14/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Richard C. Stone Jr
• Original Assignee: Richard C. Stone Jr
• Inventors: Stone, Richard C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Claffy, Kathleen H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas W.
• Application Number:
  US04/882,860
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 179/18BF,18BC
• US Class Current: 370/263
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/561 by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/04 for time-division multiplexing H04Q11/0001 takes precedence

Abstract

In a combined telephone paging system, a paging call may be answered by the paged party from any station of the system and by an attendant from a call answering console. If the paged party answers after the attendant has answered, a three-way conference connection is established interconnecting the calling party, the attendant, and the paged party.

Claims

1. In combination:

a paging system comprising a paging transmitter; and

a telephone switching system comprising;

a plurality of subscriber stations, a switching means responsive to calling signals received from an originating subscriber station to apply ringing signals to apparatus corresponding to said calling signals, first circuit means responsive to said ringing signals for activating said paging transmitter, second circuit means responsive to said ringing signals for applying alerting signals to the subscriber station corresponding to said calling signals a predetermined period of time after receipt of said ringing signals, said switching means, comprising means responsive to an answer signal from said corresponding subscriber station to establish a talking connection between said originating station and said corresponding station, and means responsive to the receipt of a paging answer code corresponding to said calling signal from an other subscriber station to establish a conference connection between said originating station, said corresponding station, and said other station.

2. alerting an attendant by transmitting alerting signals to an attendant station a predetermined period of time after the broadcast of the paging code,

3. A combined telephone and paging system comprising:

means for selectively applying ringing current signals to subscriber lines in response to calling signals received from an originating station;

transmitting means connected to a plurality of subscriber lines reserved for paging and responsive to ringing current signals applied to a selected one of said reserved subscriber lines to transmit uniquely coded paging signals corresponding to said selected line;

timing means responsive to said ringing current signals applied to said selected line to apply alerting signals corresponding to said selected line to a call answering station a predetermined period of time after the application of said signals to said selected line; and

a switching arrangement comprising means responsive to an answer signal on said selected line to establish a talking connection between said originating station and said call answering station, and means responsive to a paging answer code corresponding to said calling signals received from an other station for establishing a conference connection among said originating station, said call answering station, and said other station.

4. connecting the paged party to the priorly established connection between the calling party and the attendant if the paged party answers after the attendant has answered.

5. A combined telephone and paging system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means for establishing a conference connection comprises a time division bus and a capacitor, said capacitor, said originating station, and said call answering station being connected to said bus during a first time slot, and said capacitor and said other station being connected to said bus during the next adjacent time slot.

6. A combined telephone and paging system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said system further comprises means for applying an audible tone to said conference connection for a predetermined period of time.

7. The method of answering a paging call in a combined telephone paging system comprising the steps of:

transmitting a paging code in response to and corresponding to calling signals received from an originating station, applying alerting signals to a subscriber station corresponding to said calling signals a predetermined period of time after the transmission of said paging code, and establishing a conference arrangement interconnecting said originating station, said corresponding station, and an other station upon receipt of a paging answering code from said other station.

8. In a combined telephone and paging system:

a paging transmitter, a switching arrangement comprising means responsive to the receipt of calling signals from an originating subscriber station to apply activation signals corresponding to said calling signals to said transmitter;

said transmitter being responsive to said activation signals for transmitting corresponding paging signals;

said switching arrangement comprising means responsive to a paging answer code corresponding to said calling signals received from an other subscriber station to establish a talking connection between said originating station and said other station;

wherein the improvement comprises means responsive to said activation signals for transmitting alerting signals to a corresponding subscriber station a predetermined period of time after application of said activation signals to said transmitter;

means in said switching arrangement operative upon receipt of an answer signal from said corresponding station prior to receipt of said paging answer code to establish a talking connection between said originating station and said corresponding station, and means in said switching arrangement operative upon receipt of said paging answer code from said other subscriber station after receipt of said answer signal to effect a conference connection between said originating station, said corresponding station, and said other station.

9. The method of answering a paging call in a combined telephone paging system comprising the steps of: