Digital key telephone system
First Claim
1. A telephone system having a central processor and a plurality of ports, each of said ports having connected thereto an apparatus including a processing device for controlling functions of the apparatus and an interface device for exchanging signals in an operating signal format of the port, at least one of said apparatus being a telephone station apparatus and another of said apparatus being a feature host apparatus, said telephone station apparatus having a plurality of functions stored therein and said feature host apparatus having a plurality of feature modules stored therein, each such feature module comprising instructions for controlling an exchange of signalling and supervision messages between said feature host apparatus and said telephone station apparatus so as to invoke a predetermined group of said functions in said telephone station apparatus and provide thereby a selected one of said features in response to a feature request action of a user at said telephone station apparatus.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A key telephone system includes a plurality of ports linked by port associated bidirectional communication channels which are synchronously switched by transferring bit states between ones of the channels to provide communication paths between the ports as directed by a central processor. The ports are also linkable to and via the central processor by port associated message channels. An interface circuit is responsive to the central processor and message channel signals for regulating flow of messages received by the central processor and for effecting single and plural channel distribution of messages from the central processor. The message channels permit telephony operating features and functions to be provided either within the central processor or by appropriate apparatus means being connected at any of the ports. In such a telephone system at least one of said apparatus comprises a telephone station apparatus and another of said apparatus comprises a feature host apparatus. The telephone station apparatus has a plurality of functions stored therein and said feature host apparatus has a plurality of feature modules stored therein. Each such feature module comprises instructions for invoking a corresponding set of functions at said telephone station apparatus by means of an exchange of signalling and supervision messages between said feature host apparatus and said telephone station apparatus. The functions invoked provide the feature selected by a feature request action of a user at said telephone station apparatus.
44 Citations
36 Claims
- 1. A telephone system having a central processor and a plurality of ports, each of said ports having connected thereto an apparatus including a processing device for controlling functions of the apparatus and an interface device for exchanging signals in an operating signal format of the port, at least one of said apparatus being a telephone station apparatus and another of said apparatus being a feature host apparatus, said telephone station apparatus having a plurality of functions stored therein and said feature host apparatus having a plurality of feature modules stored therein, each such feature module comprising instructions for controlling an exchange of signalling and supervision messages between said feature host apparatus and said telephone station apparatus so as to invoke a predetermined group of said functions in said telephone station apparatus and provide thereby a selected one of said features in response to a feature request action of a user at said telephone station apparatus.
- 14. A method of providing user-selectable features in a telephone system having a central processor and a plurality of ports, each of said ports having connected thereto an apparatus including a processing device for controlling functions of the apparatus and an interface device for exchanging signals in an operating signal format of the port, at least one of said apparatus being a telephone station apparatus and another of said apparatus being a feature host apparatus, said telephone station apparatus having a plurality of functions stored therein and said feature host apparatus having a plurality of feature modules stored therein, each feature module corresponding to a different set of said functions, said method including the steps of, in response to a feature request action of a user at said telephone station apparatus, exchanging signalling and supervision messages between said feature host apparatus and said telephone station apparatus so as to invoke a predetermined set of said functions in said telephone station apparatus and provide thereby a selected one of said features to said user.
- 26. Telephone station apparatus for use in a telephone system having a central processor and a plurality of ports, each of said ports having connected thereto an apparatus including a processing device for controlling functions of the apparatus and an interface device for exchanging signals in an operating signal format of the port, at least one of said apparatus being a feature host apparatus having a plurality of feature modules stored therein, each such feature module comprising instructions for controlling an exchange of signalling and supervision messages between said feature host apparatus and said telephone station apparatus so as to invoke a predetermined group of functions in said telephone station apparatus and provide thereby a selected one of said features in response to a feature request action of a user at said telephone station apparatus, said telephone station apparatus comprising storage means for storing a plurality of said functions, and function selector means operable to invoke said stored functions selectively in response to said signals from said feature host.
-
29. Feature host apparatus for use in a telephone system having a central processor and a plurality of ports, each of said ports having connected thereto an apparatus including a processing device for controlling functions of the apparatus and an interface device for exchanging signals in an operating signal format of the port, at least one of said apparatus being a telephone station apparatus having a plurality of functions and function selector means for selectively invoking a predetermined group of said functions thereby to provide a selected one of said features in response to a feature request action of a user at said telephone station apparatus, said feature host apparatus having a plurality of feature modules stored therein, each such feature module comprising instructions for controlling an exchange of signalling and supervision messages between said feature host apparatus.
- 34. A feature module for use in a telephone system having a central processor and a plurality of ports, each of said ports having connected thereto an apparatus including a processing device for controlling functions of the apparatus and an interface device for exchanging signals in an operating signal format of the port, at least one of said apparatus being a telephone station apparatus having a plurality of functions and function selector means for selectively invoking a predetermined group of said functions thereby to provide a selected one of said features in response to a feature request action of a user at said telephone station apparatus, and another of said apparatus being a feature host apparatus having a plurality of feature modules stored therein, each such feature module comprising instructions for controlling an exchange of signalling and supervision messages between said feature host apparatus, and a unique logical address and said feature host apparatus comprises means for detecting such a logical address in an incoming message and routing said message to the corresponding one of said feature modules, said feature module comprising address codes for a unique set of said functions and sequence control means for controlling implementation of said set of functions, by said telephone station apparatus, in such a sequence as to provide the corresponding feature.
Specification