TELEPHONING SYSTEM

• US 3,700,813 A
• Filed: 12/04/1969
• Issued: 10/24/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1966
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Colman
• Original Assignee: Robert Colman
• Inventors: Colman, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Blakeslee, Ralph D.
• Application Number:
  US04/879,963
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2DP,2R,2A,5R,5P,9AD,9B,9BD
• US Class Current: 379/355.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/045 using recorded signals, e.g. speech

Abstract

Automatic telephoning systems which include means for generating signals in response to the occurrence of ringback and busy signals following a dialing operation and means for controlling the operation of a message broadcast unit and of a call sequence unit in response to the generated signals.

Claims

1. A telephone system comprising a plurality of dialing means each arranged to dial a different number, sequencing means for successively connecting different ones of said dialing means into a telephone line to dial their respective numbers, monitoring means arranged to be connected to said telephone line and responsive to the occurrence on said line of ringback and busy signal voltages, said monitoring means including counter means for producing an output upon the accumulation of a predetermined number of such signal voltages following each dialing operation, and means for controlling the operation of said sequencing means in response to said output.

2. A telephone system as in claim 1 wherein said sequencing means operates to initiate the dialing of a different nUmber in response to the application thereto of a given potential, and wherein said monitoring means includes means for producing said potential at its output.

3. A telephone system as in claim 1 wherein said monitoring means includes an output relay, a set of output relay operated switch contacts connected respectively to a source of said potential and to said sequencing means, and means for operating said relay upon the accumulation in said monitoring means of said predetermined number of signal voltages.

4. A telephone system as in claim 3 wherein said monitoring means includes an additional relay connected and biased to be energized during the occurence on said telephone line of each of said signal voltages, a pair of additional relay contacts arranged to be closed by the energization of said additional relay, and an accumulator circuit connected to receive energization from an electrical source during the closure of said additional relay contacts, the output of said accumulator circuit being connected to energize said output relay.

5. A telephone system as in claim 4 wherein said accumulator circuit comprises a plurality of series connected resistors interspersed with parallel connected capacitors.

6. A telephone system as in claim 1 wherein said sequencing means comprises a stepping switch having a plurality of position terminals each connected to a different one of said dialing means, said stepping switch further having a wiper arm and a stepping coil, said stepping coil being arranged upon energization to move said wiper arm from one of said terminals to the next.

7. A telephone system as in claim 6 wherein said stepping coil is connected to be energized by outputs from said monitoring means.

8. A telephone system as in claim 1 wherein said dialing means each comprise a dial switch and an associated code disk having groups of protrusions for opening and closing the dial switch during rotation of the code disk, one contact of each of said dial switches being arranged to be connected to one side of a telephone line, the other contact of each of said dial switches being connected to one of said position terminals in said sequencing means.

9. A telephone system as in claim 6 wherein said wiper arm is arranged to be connected via an audio signal generator to the other side of said telephone line.

10. In a telephoning system, a code disk having a plurality of groups of protrusions displaced thereabout and corresponding to the digits of a telephone number to be dialed, a dial switch arranged to be opened and closed by the movement of said protrusions thereby as said disk rotates, said dial switch being connectable into a telephone line, an electrically driven code disk drive motor, an intra-call sequence control unit comprising a plurality of relays and switch contacts controlled thereby, first and second sets of said contacts being controlled respectively by first and second ones of said relays, said first and second sets of contacts being arranged in parallel with each other between said drive motor and an electrical power source to produce operation of said motor when their associated relay is energized, means for energizing said first relay in response to a trigger signal input, means for energizing said second relay in response to the movement of said code disk from its initial position to a given rotational position following energization of said first relay, means for deenergizing said first relay in response to the movement of said code disk beyond said given rotational position, and timer means triggered by energization of said second relay and operative to maintain said second relay energized for a period of time sufficient to return said code disk to its said initial position.

11. A telephone system as in claim 10 wherein said means for deenergizing said first relay comprises means for initiating the application of voice signals to said telephone line.

12. A telephone system as in claim 10 wherein said first relay comprises a relay cOil and a thyristor connected in series across a pair of voltage supply lines, the control electrode of said thyristor being connected to receive said trigger signal input to switch said thyristor to its conductive state.

13. A telephone system as in claim 12 wherein said second relay comprises a relay coil, a thyristor and said timer means connected in series across said voltage supply line.

14. A telephone system as in claim 13 wherein said means for deenergizing said first relay comprises a third relay coil and associated thyristor connected in series across a pair of voltage supply lines, the junction point of said third relay coil and its thyristor being capacitively coupled to the junction point of said first relay coil and its associated thyristor.

15. A telephone system as in claim 14 wherein said first and third relay coils are provided with normally open parallel connected switch contacts arranged to be connected to a telephone line for maintaining an off hook condition during energization of at least one of said first and third relays.

16. In a telephoning system a dialing apparatus capable of automatically dialing a plurality of numbers, a sequence control apparatus connected to said dialing apparatus and operative to cause said dialing apparatus to dial said numbers individually according to a given sequence, a ringback and busy signal monitor arranged to be connected across the telephone lines on which said dialing apparatus operates, said ringback and busy signal monitor being operative in response to a predetermined number of voltage occurrences on said telephone lines caused by ringback and busy signals following operation of said dialing apparatus to trigger said sequence control apparatus in a manner causing it to switch said dialing apparatus to dial the next successive number in said given sequence.

17. A telephoning system as in claim 16 wherein said system includes a message broadcast means operable to trigger said sequence control apparatus upon completion of a message following dialing.

18. A telephoning system as in claim 16 wherein said sequence control apparatus is arranged to respond to said triggering signals to augment said given sequence.

19. A telephoning system as in claim 18 wherein said sequence control apparatus is arranged to augment said given sequence by adding additional calls thereto.

20. A telephoning system as in claim 19 wherein said sequence control apparatus is arranged to effect said augmentation upon the occurrence of triggering from said ringback and busy signal monitor following any one of the calls in said given sequence.

21. A telephoning system as in claim 19 wherein said sequence control apparatus is arranged to effect said augmentation upon the occurrence of triggering from said ringback and busy signal monitor following all of the calls in said given sequence.

22. A telephoning system as in claim 16 wherein said dialing apparatus includes a plurality of dial switch means each programmed to interrupt a circuit in accordance with a particular telephone number to be called, and wherein said sequence control means is arranged to connect individual ones of said switch means successively into said circuit.

23. A telephoning system as in claim 22 wherein said sequence control means comprises a stepping switch arranged to connect said dial switch means individually into said circuit.

24. A telephoning system as in claim 23 wherein said stepping switch is arranged to be stepped by triggering signals from said trigger signal producing means.

25. A telephoning system as in claim 24 wherein there are provided further stepping signal producing means operative in response to the completion of a telephone message to step said stepping switch.

26. A telephoning system as in claim 25 wherein there is provided further switching means operative in response to signals from said trigger signal producing means, said further switching means being connected to change the switching pattern of said stepPing switch.

27. A telephoning system as in claim 22 wherein said system further includes individual manual override switch means each arranged to connect a different one of said dial switch means into said circuit in a manner bypassing said stepping switch.

28. A telephoning system as in claim 16 further including indicator means comprising lights which correspond to each of said plurality of numbers and indicator switch means arranged to turn on each of said lights as its corresponding number is called.

29. A telephoning system as in claim 28 wherein said means arranged to turn on said lights in constructed in a manner such that each light once illuminated, remains illuminated through the remainder of said sequence.

30. A telephoning system as in claim 16 wherein said telephoning system includes initiate means responsive to the occurrence of different initiating conditions to start a different given sequence.