Telephone line splicing apparatus

• US 3,975,600 A
• Filed: 06/06/1975
• Issued: 08/17/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harvey J. Marston
• Original Assignee: Harvey J. Marston
• Inventors: Marston, Harvey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stewart, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/584,693
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 179/175.3 R, 179/175.3 A, 179/175.3 S, 179/175.25
• US Class Current: 379/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/46 Monitoring; Testing

Abstract

Highly portable apparatus enabling locating cutting and splicing of an active circuit communications pair extending between two locations without circuit interruption is disclosed. The apparatus includes a master unit at one of the locations connected to the pair to be spliced and an alternate pair extending between the locations. A remote unit at the other location is connected to the active pair and the alternate pair. A pair identification and connection verification circuit is included for verifying the interconnection of the master unit and the remote unit to the same active pair. Manually actuated switching circuitry is included in the master unit for connecting the alternate pair to the active pair and for generating a switching signal which is transmitted to the remote unit upon manual actuation of the switch in the master unit. Automatic switching circuitry in the remote unit connects the alternate pair to the active pair in response to the switching signal. A switch inhibit guard circuit is connected to the connection verification circuit to override the manual actuated switching circuit and the automatic switching circuit if the interconnection of the master unit and the remote unit to the same active pair is not verified.

Claims

1. Apparatus enabling locating, cutting and splicing of an active circuit communications pair extending between two locations comprising is combination:

a master unit at one of the locations having external connecting wires to said pair to be spliced and to an alternate pair extending between the locations;

a remote unit at the other of the locations having external connecting wires to said pair to be spliced onto said alternate pair;

connection verification means in said master unit and said remote unit for verifying a correct interconnection of said remote unit to said master unit via said pair to be spliced without interference to said active circuit on said pair to be spliced;

switching means in said master unit for switching said active circuit to said alternate pair at said first location, and for transmitting a switching signal to said remote unit;

automatic switching means in said remote unit for switching said active circuit to said alternate pair at said other location in response to said switching signal;

guard circuit means automatically responsive to said interconnection verification means for overriding said switching means and said automatic switching means if verification of said interconnection between said master unit and said remote unit ceases upon actuation of said switching means.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said external connecting wires from said master unit to said pair to be spliced include two connecting wires to a tip wire of said pair and two connecting wires to a ring wire of said pair, and said switching means in said master unit provides one switchable path between said two wires to said tip wire and another switchable path between said two wires to said ring wire;

said external connecting wires from said remote unit to said pair to be spliced include two connecting wires to said tip wire and two connecting wires to said ring wire, and said automatic switching means in said remote unit provides one switchable path between said two wires to said tip wire and another switchable path between said two wires to said ring wire,

whereby said pair to be spliced may be cut at each location at points between the two wires connected to each of the tip and ring wires without loss of circuit continuity, and whereby after cutting is completed at each location the active circuit may be switched from the severed segment of the active pair to said alternate pair without substantially varying the impedance of said active pair.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said connection verification means includes means for generating a verification signal and means for applying said signal to said tip or ring wire of said pair to be spliced at one of said locations, and means for detecting said signal at the other of said locations including means for indicating the detection thereof.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3 additionally comprising a verification signal return path between said locations connected to said connected verification means in a way that provides a simplexed circuit between said tip or ring wire and said signal return path.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3 comprising two independent connection verification means:

one means for verifying connections to said tip wire and the other means for verifying connections to said ring wire.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 additionally comprising circuit level monitor means at at least one of said locations for indicating the presence of communications signals on said active circuit communications pair.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said switching means and said automatic switching means includes relays having switching speeds generally on the order of a millisecond.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 additionally comprising lockout means connected to said guard circuit means for disablement thereof at a predetermined time after switching upon verification of connections following said switching.

9. Highly portable apparatus providing circuit continuity and testing of an active circuit communications pair extending between two locations which is undergoing splicing in combination with an alternate pair between said location, including in combination:

a master unit at one of the locations having two pairs of connecting wires for connection to said pair to be spliced on each side of the cut to be made therein, a tone oscillator in said master unit for providing a test tone, a balanced modulator in said master unit for applying said tone in a balanced simplex circuit to a tip wire and to a ring wire of said communications pair, a transfer control circuit and a guard circuit in said master unit for switching said circuit from said active pair to said alternate pair and for sending a transfer signal to a remote unit;

a remote unit at the other of the locations having two pairs of connecting wires for connection to said pair to be spliced on each side of the cut to be made therein, two tone detectors in said remote unit, one said detector for detecting test tone on the simplex circuit of said tip wire and the other said detector for detecting test tone on the simplex circuit of said ring wire, each said tone detector providing a visual indication at said remote unit when test tone is detected;

a line transfer control circuit in said remote unit operating in response to said transfer signal to switch said circuit from said active pair to said alternate pair and for transmitting a guard circuit activation signal to said guard circuit in said master unit if test tone on either or both of said tip or ring wires ceases to be detected immediately following switching to said alternate pair,

said guard circuit in said master unit disabling said transfer control circuit from continuation of switching and thereby returning said active circuit to said pair to be spliced upon detection of said guard circuit activation signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 additionally comprising a guard circuit lockout circuit which automatically disables said guard circuit when a predetermined period of time has elapsed subsequent to switching providing test tone continues to be detected thereafter by both said detectors.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 additionally comprising a circuit level monitor in at least one of said master unit remote unit for indicating the presence of communications signals on said active circuit communications pair.