Telecommunication switch with programmable communications services
First Claim
1. A programmable communications switch comprising:
- controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages;
one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data; and
one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A telecommunications switch which may be configured to provide a variety of user-programmable communications or call processing services. Such services may be dynamically provided to any port served by the switch without reducing the number of time slots that would otherwise be available for calls. The switch includes a CPU/matrix card, one or more line cards for terminating analog or digital lines or trunks, and one or more programmable communications services cards, all of which are connected in communicating relationship by a series of buses. Each communications services card is independently programmable and includes a processor for processing messages received from the CPU/matrix card. The communications services card provides a basic platform onto which different types of modules may be mounted to meet the requirements of a particular application. One or more digital signal processing modules for performing tone generation, tone reception and call progress analysis may be mounted on a single communications services card. An ISDN PRI server module provides a centralized packet engine which, when programmed in an appropriate fashion, may be used as an ISDN D channel server or to provide packet switching services. Modules for performing other services such as speech recognition, ADPCM compression or tone generation may also be installed on the basic platform.
53 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A programmable communications switch comprising:
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controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages; one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data; and one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A programmable communications switch comprising:
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controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages; one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data; and one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, one or more of said programmable means including one or more digital signal processing means for providing said communications services to said ports, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A programmable communications switch comprising:
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controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages; one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data; and one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, one or more of said programmable means including a packet engine for providing packet communications services to said ports, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange.
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18. A programmable communications switch comprising:
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controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages; one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data; and one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, one or more of said programmable means including means for storing one or more voice recorded announcements for playback to any of said ports, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A programmable communications switch comprising:
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controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages; one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data; and one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, each of said programmable means having substantially direct access to receive TDM data originating from each of said ports and to transmit TDM data to preselected ones of said ports, whereby said communications services may be dynamically provided on a port-by-port basis. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. Apparatus for providing programmable communications services in a programmable communications switch comprising controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages, and one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data, said apparatus comprising:
one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. Apparatus for providing programmable communications services in a programmable communications switch comprising controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages, and one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data, said apparatus comprising:
one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, one or more of said programmable means including one or more digital signal processing means for providing said communications services to said ports, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange.
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43. Apparatus for providing programmable communications services in a programmable communications switch comprising controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages, and one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data, said apparatus comprising:
one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, one or more of said programmable means including a packet engine for providing packet communications services to said ports, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange.
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44. Apparatus for providing programmable communications services in a programmable communications switch comprising controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages, and one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data, said apparatus comprising:
one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, one or more of said programmable means including means for storing one or more voice recorded announcements for playback to any of said ports, each of said programmable means being operable to receive TDM data via said data bus from said terminating means during all of said time slots and to transmit TDM data via said data bus to said terminating means during preselected ones of said time slots, whereby said communications services are provided without switching the TDM data received or transmitted by the programmable means through said time slot interchange.
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45. Apparatus for providing programmable communications services in a programmable communications switch comprising controllable-switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths between various ones of a plurality of ports in response to messages generated by a host, including a time slot interchange for switching a plurality of time slots corresponding to said ports and means for processing said messages, and one or more means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means for terminating either analog or digital lines or trunks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying time division multiplex TDM data, said apparatus comprising:
one or more programmable means connected in communicating relationship with said switching means and said one or more terminating means for providing programmable communications services to said ports in response to messages generated by said processing means, each of said programmable means having substantially direct access to receive TDM data originating from each of said ports and to transmit TDM data to preselected ones of said ports, whereby said communications services may be dynamically provided on a port-by-port basis.
Specification