Conference arrangement

• US 3,912,874 A
• Filed: 06/04/1974
• Issued: 10/14/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Raymond Guyler, John Joseph Botterell, Robert Lewis Dayton
• Original Assignee: James Raymond Guyler, John Joseph Botterell, Robert Lewis Dayton
• Inventors: Botterell, John Joseph, Dayton, Robert Lewis, Guyler, James Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Cooper, William C.
• Application Number:
  US05/476,417
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 179/18BC
• US Class Current: 379/205.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. Conference server dials participants computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/00 Selecting arrangements H04Q5/00 - H04Q11/00 take precedence

Abstract

A conference arrangement for use with a telephone switching center is disclosed. The conference arrangement comprises a transmission bridge for interconnecting an originator'"'"''"'"'s port circuit with a plurality of conferee port circuits. A dial pulse register and a multifrequency receiver and decoder are associated with the originator'"'"''"'"'s port circuit and each conferee port is equipped with an automatic dialer that can be programmed to summon the conferees via regular and alternate telephone numbers. The originator is connected to the bridge by dialing the telephone number assigned to the bridge including a digit for establishing the precedence level of the conference call and a pattern number which selects the group of conferees to be summoned by the automatic dialers. Once connected to the conference arrangement, the originator can transmit tones to the multifrequency receiver and decoder to selectively control all ports of the bridge and any other similar bridges that are connected to the bridge via a conferee port. Among other things, the originator can transfer himself and a selected conferee to an ad-lib bus for private consultation, place the conference in a broadcast mode and insert different pattern numbers in selected ones of the automatic dialers to summon other conferees. The originator can also select a conferee port mode to directly dial the telephone number of a conferee.

Claims

1. A conference arrangement for use with a switching system comprising a multiport transmission bridge, an originating circuit for coupling a calling customer station to a port of said bridge, a plurality of terminating circuits each for coupling a called customer station to a corresponding port of said bridge, and control means responsive to signals received from said calling station for selecting each individual one of said terminating circuits and thereafter selectively controlling the mode of voice path coupling of said selected terminating circuits in response to additional signals.

2. The conference arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said control means comprises code driver means for placing said terminating circuits in any of the disconnect, broadcast or private conversation modes in response to said additional signals.

3. The conference arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said signals comprise coded signals, whrein said control means comprises decoder means having an input responsive to said coded signals for translating each said coded signal into an M-out-of-N output signal (where M and N are integers), and wherein is also provided code driver means for transmitting said output signals to said originating and terminating circuits.

4. The conference arrangement defined in claim 3 wherein each said called station is identified by an address and wherein each said terminating circuit also comprises apparatus effective when actuated for automatically dialing a preselected one of said addresses to summon a wanted called station for connection to said transmission bridge.

5. The conference arrangement as defined in claim 4 wherein said code driver means comprises a first code driver circuit responsive to a first series of said M integers for controlling said originating circuit, a second code driver circuit responsive to a second series of said M integers for controlling said terminating circuits and a third code driver circuit responsive to a third series of said M integers for controlling said dialing apparatus.

6. The conference arrangeMent defined in claim 5 wherein said coded signals represent a plurality of digits, and wherein said decoder means comprises first register means responsive to the registering of a first one of said digits for generating a first select signal corresponding to a particular one of said first register digits, second register means responsive to the registration of a second one of said digits for generataing a second select signal corresponding to the particular one of said second registered digits, and means for steering each received digit to a corresponding one of said first and second register means.

7. The conference arrangement defined in claim 6 wherein is also provided means coupling said first register means individually with each said code driver circuit to transmit a select signal to a particular one of said code driver circuits in accordance with the digit registered in said first register means and means coupling said second register means with all said code driver circuits to simultaneously transmit said second select signals to all said code driver circuits.

8. The conference arrangement defined in claim 7 wherein each said code driver circuit comprises means jointly responsive to said first select signal and said second select signal to generate a discrete signal to control one of said originating and terminating circuits and said dialers.

9. A conference arrangement for use with a telephone switching system comprising a multiport transmission bridge, an originating port circuit for coupling a calling station to a port of said bridge, a plurality of terminating port circuits each for coupling a called customer station to a corresponding port of said bridge, automatic dialer apparatus individually associated with each terminating port circuit and effective when actuated for dialing the addresses of preselected ones of said called customer stations, register means associated with said originating port circuit and responsive to first coded signals from said switching center for actuating said dialers, and receiver means coupled to said originating port circuit and responsive to second coded signals from said calling station for disabling said dialers.

10. The conference arrangement defined in claim 9 wherein each said dialer comprises a memory for storing a plurality of predetermined telephone numbers assigned to said called station, and control circuitry responsive to a dialing pattern number for reading out of said memory a particular one of said stored telephone numbers in accordance with said dialing pattern number.

11. The conference arrangement defined in claim 10 wherein said first coded signals comprise first dialing pattern number signals received from said switching system, wherein second coded signals comprise second dialing pattern number signals received from said calling station, and wherein is also provided code driver means responsive to said first and second dialing pattern number signals to actuate said dialers.

12. A conference arrangement for use with a telephone switching center which serves a plurality of customer stations comprising a multiport transmission bridge, an originating port circuit for interconnecting a trunk circuit at said switching center with a port of said bridge, a plurality of terminating port circuits each for interconnecting a line circuit at said switching center with a port of said bridge, a plurality of automatic dialers each individually associated with a corresponding one of said terminating port and line circuits and each responsive to the receipt of patterned number signals for initiating a request for service by said switching center over its corresponding line circuit, means effective upon the establishment of a connection from a calling one of said stations to said originating port circuit for registering a plurality of digit signals received from said switching center, means effective after said calling station is connected to said bridge for receiving coded signals from said calling station, and means responsive to said digits and said coded signals for generating said pattern number signals to actuate said dialers.

13. The conference arrangement defined in claim 12 wherein each said dialer comprises a memory including a plurality of regular telephone numbers associated with a first group of called customer stations and a plurality of alternate directory numbers associated with a second group of called customer stations and means effective upon the receipt of a particular patterned number signal for alternately reading out of said memory one of said regular telephone numbers and one of said alternate telephone numbers.

14. The conference arrangement defined in claim 13 wherein each said dialer comprises means effective when a service request is initiated by said dialer for detecting dial tone transmitted from said switching center, means responsive to said detecting means for transmitting a particular one of said regular telephone numbers to said switching center, means actuated by said transmitting means for timing an interval and means effective at the end of said interval and in the absence of an answer signal from the called station identified by said particular telephone number for causing said transmitting means to transmit a designated one of said alternate telephone numbers.

15. A conference arrangement for use with a switching center serving a plurality of customer stations comprising a multiport transmission bridge, an originating port circuit for coupling a calling one of said stations to a port of said bridge, a plurality of terminating port circuits connected to said bridge, a communication bus common to said port circuits, dialer means responsive to signals received from said switching center for causing each of said terminating port circuits to establish a communication path from said bridge to an individual called one of said stations, and means responsive to coded signals received from said calling station for selective controlling said port circuits.

16. The conference arrangement defined in claim 15 wherein said decoder means comprises means responsive to a particular one of said coded signals for selectively transferring said calling station and one of said called stations from said bridge to said bus.

17. The conference arrangement defined in claim 15 wherein said decoder means comprises circuit means responsive to a particular one of said coded signals for causing a selected one of said terminating port circuits to disconnect the corresponding communication path between a called station and said bridge.

18. The conference arrangement defined in claim 17 wherein said circuit means comprises means for causing said selected terminating port circuit to initiate a request for service by said switching center and wherein means are provided for interconnecting the originating port circuit with the selected port circuit over said bus to permit said calling station to transmit call-directing signals to said switching center via the selected port circuit.