Telephone line communications control system
First Claim
1. A telecommunications control system for accepting a plurality of multi-purpose stations for use as attendant stations in an attendant service complex to service calls directed to the system from originating stations, the system comprising:
- a first plurality of station connection controllers, each station connection controller in the first plurality for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of multi-purpose stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path, and each such station connection controller having controllable switching means for opening the call connection path and releasing the respective multi-purpose station;
means for providing security against use of any of the multi-purpose stations within the attendant service complex by an unauthorized person, the means for providing security including means for controlling the switching means to open the call connection path and release the multi-purpose station;
a second plurality of station connection controllers, each station connection controller in the second plurality for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of originating stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path;
controllable inter-connection means arranged between the first and second plurality of station connection controllers; and
means for controlling the inter-connection means such that incoming calls from originating stations are extended to multi-purpose stations that have been accepted as attendant stations.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a telecommunications control system for accepting a plurality of multi-purpose stations for use as attendant stations in an attendant service complex to service calls directed to the system from originating stations. This system comprises a first plurality of connection controllers. Each connection controller in this first plurality of connection controllers provides for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of multi-purpose stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path. Each of these connection controllers has controllable switching means for opening the call connection path and releasing the respective multi-purpose station. The system provides for security against use of any of the multi-purpose stations within the attendant service complex by an unauthorized person. This system further includes a second plurality of connection controllers. Each connection controller is this second plurality of connection controllers provides for cooperating with a respective one of a pluraity of originating stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path. This system further includes controllable inter-connection arranged between the first and second plurality of connection controllers, and includes a system for controlling the inter-connection system such that incoming calls from originating stations are extended to multi-purpose stations that have been accepted as attendant stations.
220 Citations
81 Claims
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1. A telecommunications control system for accepting a plurality of multi-purpose stations for use as attendant stations in an attendant service complex to service calls directed to the system from originating stations, the system comprising:
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a first plurality of station connection controllers, each station connection controller in the first plurality for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of multi-purpose stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path, and each such station connection controller having controllable switching means for opening the call connection path and releasing the respective multi-purpose station; means for providing security against use of any of the multi-purpose stations within the attendant service complex by an unauthorized person, the means for providing security including means for controlling the switching means to open the call connection path and release the multi-purpose station; a second plurality of station connection controllers, each station connection controller in the second plurality for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of originating stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path; controllable inter-connection means arranged between the first and second plurality of station connection controllers; and means for controlling the inter-connection means such that incoming calls from originating stations are extended to multi-purpose stations that have been accepted as attendant stations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A telecommunications control system for networking a plurality of multi-purpose telephone stations for use as attendant stations in an attendant service complex to service calls directed to the system from originating stations, the system comprising:
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a first plurality of station connection controllers, each station connection controller in the first plurality for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of multi-purpose stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path; a second plurality of station connection controllers, each station connection controller in the second plurality for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of originating stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path; controllable inter-connection means arranged between the first and second plurality of station connection controllers; and means for controlling the inter-connection means such that incoming calls from originating stations are extended to multi-purpose stations that have been networked for use as attendant stations, and wherein the means for controlling the inter-connection means includes means for causing a plurality of incoming calls to be extended to the same multi-purpose station during an interval throughout which the multi-purpose station remains networked as an attendant station. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A telecommunications control system for selectively networking a plurality of multi-purpose telephone stations for use as attendant stations in an attendant service complex to service calls directed to the system from originating stations, the system comprising:
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first controllable means comprising a plurality of outgoing line connection controllers, each outgoing line connection controller for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of multi-purpose stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path; second controllable means comprising a plurality of incoming line connection controllers, each incoming line station connection controller for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of originating stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path, and each including means for detecting a ringing signal indicating a request to establish a call connection path for an incoming call; third controllable means comprising a plurality of controllable inter-connection means, each arranged between an incoming line station connection controller and an outgoing line station connection controller; fourth controllable means for originating calls from the system to the multi-purpose stations via the outgoing line station connection controllers; and means for controlling the first, second, third, and fourth controllable means in a predetermined sequence of operations initiated by the detection of a ringing signal, in which sequence of operations a call is originated to a multi-purpose station while the ringing signal is present so as to be unnoticeable to a person using the originating station, and after completion of the call to the multi-purpose station, the incoming call is answered and extended to the multi-purpose station by completing the incoming call at the incoming line station connection controller and extending the call to the outgoing line station connection controller via the inter-connection means. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A computer-controlled system connectable between a set of incoming lines and a set of outgoing lines for using the outgoing lines to establish a network of multi-purpose stations for use by service attendants in servicing incoming calls directed to the system from originating stations via the incoming lines, the system comprising:
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controllable call extending means for connection between the incoming lines and the outgoing lines; computer processing means for controlling the controllable call extending means; the computer processing means including means providing digitally coded commands to control the call extending means and the call extending means including means providing status data to the computer processing means so the call extending means provides for extending incoming calls for answer and service by the service attendants; the call extending means comprising in-band signal detection means operative while a service attendant is servicing such a call for detecting the presence and source direction of an in-band signal; and the in-band signal detection means communicating with the means for providing status data to enable the computer processing means to initiate performance of control functions in response to the in-band signal. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. An interactively-supervised, computer-controlled system for allocating tasks in a network for servicing incoming calls, the system comprising:
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computer processing means; call extending means; the computer processing means including means providing digitally coded commands to the call extending means and the call extending means including means providing status data to the computer processing means so the call extending means provides for extending incoming calls for answer and service by a group of service attendants in accord with an allocation of tasks determined by the digitally coded commands; display means and manual input means for use by a supervisor in interactively controlling the computer processing means; the computer processing means being continually responsive to status data provided by the call extending means to generate on the display means a human-readable, continually-updated status report by which the supervisor may be prompted to use the manual input means to enter supervisory commands; and the computer processing means being responsive to such manually entered supervisory commands to provide digitally-coded commands to cause a re-allocation of tasks. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80)
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81. A modular line card for use in a telecommunications control system for networking a plurality of multi-purpose stations for use as attendant stations in an attendant service complex to service calls directed to the system from originating stations, the system being connected to a plurality of lines for incoming calls and to a plurality of lines for outgoing calls and having a system bus, the modular line card comprising:
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means for connecting to the bus; a first station connection controller for connection to one of the incoming lines for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of multi-purpose stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path; a second station connection controller for connection to one of the outgoing lines for cooperating with a respective one of a plurality of originating stations in defining opposite ends of a call connection path; controllable inter-connection means arranged between the first and second station connection controllers; and means for controlling the inter-connection means such that incoming calls from originating stations are extended to multi-purpose stations that have been networked for use as attendant stations, and wherein the means for controlling the inter-connection means includes means for causing a plurality of incoming calls to be extended to the same multi-purpose station during an interval throughout which the multi-purpose station remains networked as an attendant station.
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Specification