Method and system for short term queuing of telephone calls in automatic inter-city telephone call connection system

• US 3,934,095 A
• Filed: 06/24/1974
• Issued: 01/20/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Action Communication Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Action Communication Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Matthews, Gordon H., Epstein, Barry M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas W.
• Application Number:
  US05/483,061
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 179/18 D, 179/18 EA, 179/18 DA, 179/18 B, 179/18 BH, 179/18 BG, 179/18 ES
• US Class Current: 379/88.26
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54591 Supervision, e.g. fault localisation, traffic measurements, avoiding errors, failure recovery, monitoring, statistical analysis

Abstract

The specification discloses a system for automatically controlling the connection of telephone calls between a plurality of input telephone trunk lines at a user'"'"'s dedicated telephone switching facility and a preset number of output telephone trunk lines. Circuitry is provided to receive user authorization code numbers from the user'"'"'s facility and for comparing the user authorization code numbers with stored code numbers or with a specified algorithymic equation. A dial tone allowing further operation of the system is provided only if the user authorization code numbers match ones of the stored code numbers or is determined valid by the equation. The system receives dialing signals from an input telephone trunk line and in response thereto selects an available one of the output telephone trunk lines according to predetermined efficiency criteria. For example, calls are completed on all flat rate trunk lines (WATS, FX, tie lines and the like) prior to completing calls on variable rate lines (DDD or the like). The system then establishes audio connections between the calling input telephone trunk line and the selected available output telephone trunk line to complete the inter-city call. If all flat rate output telephone trunk lines are busy, an audio message is presented to the caller to indicate that the system will attempt to complete the call in a predetermined time period and to request that the caller hold. If a flat rate output telephone trunk line becomes available during the predetermined time period, the call is automatically completed. If the predetermined time period runs out without the call being completed, the system determines the priority of the caller. If the caller has a low priority, an error tone is generated and the caller is disconnected. If the caller has a high priority, the call is automatically completed on a variable rate direct dial line. If the caller has a special priority authorization code number, the predetermined time period is not initiated and the call is immediately connected through a variable rate direct dial line. Prior to the system connecting the caller to a variable rate direct dial line, a warning tone is generated. The caller may then either hang up if he does not wish to use the variable rate line or stay on the line to complete his call.

Claims

1. A system for automatically controlling the connection of telephone calls between a user'"'"'s dedicated telephone switching facility having a plurality of user terminals and a plurality of flat rate output telephone lines extending to a central office comprising:

means for receiving user authorization code numbers from said user terminals,

means for generating a tone signal only if said authorization code numbers meet a predetermined criterion,

means responsive to dialing signals from the authorized user terminals for selecting the most economical available one of said flat rate output telephone lines in accordance with a predetermined ranking of said flat rate telephone lines according to economy of use,

means for connecting, when flat rate output telephone lines are available, the authorized user terminals with the selected flat rate output telephone lines extending to said central office for completion of the dialed telephone calls, and

means for generating an audio message to the caller when no flat rate output telephone lines are available, said audio message requesting the caller to hold for a predetermined time interval during which the call is automatically connected if a flat rate output telephone line becomes available.

2. The system of claim 1 and further comprising:

means responsive to predetermined ones of said user authorization codes for immediately connecting the caller with a variable rate output telephone line if no flat rate output telephone lines are available.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said flat rate telephone lines comprise WATS lines and wherein said variable rate telephone lines comprise direct dial lines.

4. The system of claim 2 and further comprising:

means for connecting the caller with a variable rate output telephone line if said predetermined time interval expires without a flat rate output telephone line becoming available

5. The system of claim 4 and further comprising:

means responsive to ones of said user authorization codes having predetermined codings for terminating the call upon the expiration of said predetermined time interval even if a variable rate telephone line is available.

6. The system of claim 4 and further comprising:

means for generating a warning tone prior to the completion of a call on a variable rate telephone line to enable the caller to terminate the call if desired.

7. A system for automatically controlling the interconnection of inter-city telephone calls between a plurality of input telephone lines and a plurality of output telephone lines extending to a central office comprising:

a switch matrix having a plurality of switches for selectively connecting a plurality of paths between matrix inputs and matrix outputs,

a progress information generator connected to said matrix,

means connected for detecting a service request generated on one of said input telephone lines,

matrix control means responsive to said detecting means for controlling said matrix to connect said progress information generator to said input telephone line requesting service,

a dial tones generator connected to said matrix,

means responsive to dialing signals applied on said input telephone line for selecting one of said output telephone lines,

means for operating said matrix to connect said dial tones generator to an available selected output telephone line such that representations of said dialing signals are transmitted from said dial tones generator to the central office in order to establish connections with the dialed location,

means for operating said matrix when output telephone lines are available to disconnect said progress information generator and said dial tones generator from said telephone lines and to connect said input telephone line to said selected output telephone line for completion of the dialed inter-city telephone call,

means for requesting a caller to hold for a predetermined time interval when no output telephone lines are available, and

means responsive to the availability of an output telephone line during said predetermined time interval for operating said matrix to connect said dial tones generator to the available output telephone line to complete the call.

8. The system of claim 7 and further comprising:

means responsive to a high priority authorization user code input by a caller to override said requesting means and to complete a call via direct dial output telephone lines.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said output telephone lines comprise flat rate WATS lines.

10. The system of claim 7 and further comprising:

means for connecting the caller with a variable rate output telephone line if said predetermined time interval expires without a flat rate output telephone line becoming available.

11. The system of claim 7 and further comprising:

means for generating a warning tone prior to the completion of a call on a variable rate telephone line to enable the caller to terminate the call if desired.

12. A method of controlling the connection of inter-city telephone calls between a plurality of input telephone lines at a user'"'"'s facility and a plurality of leased output telephone lines extending to a central office comprising:

receiving a service request signal from the user'"'"'s facility on one of said input telephone lines,

detecting dialing signals from the input telephone line,

selecting the most economical one of said leased output telephone lines for completing the dialed call in accordance with a predetermined ranking of said telephone lines according to economy of use and establishing a voice connection through said input telephone line through the selected leased output telephone line,

if no leased output telephone lines are available, generating an audio message to the caller via the input telephone lines requesting the caller to hold for a predetermined time interval,

if a leased output telephone line becomes available during the predetermined time interval, transmitting representations of the received dialing signals to the available leased output telephone line to establish connection with the desired called location through the central office, and

operating a switch matrix to connect the calling input telephone line with the available output telephone line.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein direct dial telephone lines and said output telephone lines are connected to the switch matrix and further comprising:

connecting a call to a direct dial telephone line if said predetermined time interval expires without one of said output telephone lines becoming available.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein direct dial telephone lines and said output telephone lines are connected to the switch matrix and further comprising:

responding to the reception of a high priority user authorization code in said dialing signals for immediately connecting the call through a direct dial telephone line if none of said output telephone lines are available at the time of the call.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein variable rate telephone lines and said output telephone lines are connected to the switch matrix and further comprising:

means responsive to first predetermined ones of said user authorization codes for automatically establishing connection with the called location through an available variable rate telephone line upon expiration of said predetermined time interval, and

means responsive to second predetermined ones of said user authorization codes for terminating the dialed call upon the expiration of said predetermined time interval even if a variable rate telephone line is available.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein variable rate telephone lines and said output telephone lines are connected to the switch matrix and further comprising:

means for establishing connection with the called location through an available variable rate telephone line upon expiration of said predetermined time interval, and

means for generating a warning tone prior to the completion of a call on a variable rate telephone line to enable the caller to terminate the call if desired.

17. A system for automatically controlling the connection of inter-city telephone calls at a user'"'"'s branch exchange between a plurality of input telephone lines and a plurality of leased long distance telephone lines extending to various area zones through a central office comprising:

input and output voice connecting arrangements disposed between the user'"'"'s branch exchange and a central office and connected to said telephone lines,

circuitry connected to said input voice connecting arrangements for receiving dialing signals from said user'"'"'s branch exchange,

a switching matrix connected between said voice connecting arrangements,

an automatic digital processing machine connected to said circuitry for receiving said dialing signals and in response thereto selecting the most economical available one of said long distance telephone lines for completing each dialed call in accordance with a predetermined ranking of said long distance telephone lines according to economy of use, said processing machine then operating said switching matrix to establish audio connections through said voice connecting arrangements between the calling input telephone lines and the selected most economical long distance telephone lines, and

means for generating an audio message to the caller when no leased telephone lines are available, said audio message requesting the caller to hold for a predetermined time during which the call is automatically connected if a leased telephone line becomes available.