Digital switching system connecting buses with incompatible protocols and telephone answering system and private automatic branch exchange with integrated voice and textual message recording

• US 5,420,852 A
• Filed: 06/11/1992
• Issued: 05/30/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Tel-A-Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: American Tel-A-Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Anderson, Kent D., Henning, Paul N., Jalbert, Raymond M., Morley, Jr., John F., Doornebos, Jacob P.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/897,109
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/89, 379/93, 379/94, 379/96, 379/97, 379/202, 379/213, 379/214, 379/218, 370/58.1, 370/58.2, 370/58.3, 370/60, 370/60.1, 370/61, 370/67, 370/85.9, 370/85.11, 370/85.13
• US Class Current: 370/364
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/005 Interface circuits for subscriber lines current supply H04M19/00 and subgroups; supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements H04M3/22 and subgroups; in key telephone systems H04M9/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0096 Trunk circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0407 using a stored programme control

Abstract

A digital switching system connecting buses with incompatible protocols and a telephone answering system and private automatic branch exchange with integrated voice and textual message recording is disclosed. The digital switching system (10) in accordance with the invention permits a digital switching matrix (12) having an input bus and an output bus to connect information on the input bus selectively to information on the output bus in response to control signals applied to switches of the switching matrix. A plurality of information systems (18, 20 and 22) each having a different bus protocol are electrically connected to the input and output buses of the switching matrix to permit information transmitted on a conductor of any of the information buses to be received by another conductor of any of the information buses through the input bus, the switching matrix and the output bus. A host processor controls the plurality of information systems. Furthermore, the host processor may be used to commonly control textual message and voice message recording systems within a telephone answering system and commonly control telephony functions and textual message and voice recording systems within a PABX.

Claims

1. A private automatic branch exchange having a plurality of telephones which controls telephony functions of the telephones and a telephone answering system for providing textual messages and voice messages produced by the telephone answering system answering telephone calls to the telephones comprising:

a voice message recording system for recording voice messages provided by telephone calls to the telephones and answered by the telephone answering system;

a textual message recording system for recording textual messages provided by an operator who answers telephone calls made to the telephones which are answered by the telephone answering system;

a digital switching matrix having an input bus coupled to the public switched telephone network and an output bus with information on the input bus from the public switched telephone network being selectively connectable to the output bus in response to control signals applied to switches of the switching matrix; and

a control decoding telephone calls to telephones to be answered by an operator to identify a characteristic stored in an answering system memory to be used in answering a telephone call, causing the identified characteristic to be displayed by a display at an operator station at which the operator answers the telephone call to provide the operator answering the telephone call with the characteristic for use in answering the telephone call at the operator station, controlling the recording of messages by the telephone answering system, controlling reproduction of the recorded messages to provide caller access to messages recorded by the voice message recording system and access through an operator to messages recorded by the textual message recording system, controlling operation of the exchange to control the telephony functions of the telephones, and controlling switching of the digital switching matrix to control selective connection of information from the public switched telephone network through the input bus, through the digital switching matrix to the output bus.

2. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the control is under the control of a single control program.

3. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

a local area network connecting a plurality of operator stations to the control for transmitting information between the control and the stations.

4. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 2 further comprising:

a local area network connecting a plurality of operator stations to the control for transmitting information between the control and the stations.

5. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the characteristic is information used for composing a voice sequence by the operator in answering the telephone call at the operator station.

6. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the characteristic is an indication that the telephone call has occurred in response to reproduction of a voice message stored in the answering system memory.

7. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the characteristic is that the telephone call is a check in telephone call when an emergency message has been recorded and any attempt to reach a person whose telephone is being answered by the answering system to deliver the emergency message has been unsuccessful.

8. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the characteristic is that the telephone call is a check in telephone call.

9. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the control provides a voice synthesized message summarizing textual and voice messages stored in the answering system memory.

10. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 9 wherein:

the control provides the synthesized message after a caller requesting a summary has provided a security code which enables the playing of the synthesized message.

11. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 9 wherein:

the control provides a caller with the choice of playing back individual voice messages.

12. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 9 wherein:

the control provides a caller with a choice of requesting an operator to read back individual textual messages.

13. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the decoding of the telephone call to be answered comprises decoding of digits of a number called by the telephone call which digits function as a pointer to a file in the system memory storing the characteristic.

14. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the control is a computer.

15. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 14 wherein:

the computer is a PC.

16. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

the single program is a real time multitasking program supporting multiple operators at multiple operator stations.

17. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

communications between the recording systems and the control are over a digital data bus of a computer.

18. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of information systems with each information system having an information bus for transmitting and receiving information using a protocol which is different from a protocol used by the information bus of each of the other information systems with the information buses of the information systems being electrically connected to the input and the output buses of the matrix to permit information transmitted on a conductor of any of the information buses to be received by another conductor of any of the information buses through the input bus, the switching matrix and the output bus; and

wherein

the control includes a controller, coupled to each of the plurality of the information systems, for controlling the information systems with commands causing at least one of the information systems to transmit and at least one of the information systems to receive information using the information bus of the transmitting and the information bus of the receiving information systems, the switching matrix and the input and output buses, and a control processor, responsive to commands from the controller, for generating the control signals controlling switching of the switches of the digital switching matrix.

19. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 18, wherein:

information transmitted and received on the information buses is encoded in a pulse code modulation format to provide a plurality of channels of information with each channel being time division multiplexed.

20. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

the channels of information contain audio voice information.

21. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

at least one of the information systems is connected to a public switched telephone network and the network provides a timing reference to the switching system used to generate a master clock signal by control circuitry to control a rate of information transmission and reception on the buses by the information systems.

22. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

the controller transmits commands to a plurality of the information systems and to the control processor to cause information to be transmitted from the bus of one of the information systems through the digital switching matrix for receipt by the bus of another one of the information systems.

23. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 18, wherein:

the controller transmits commands to one of the information systems and to the control processor to cause information to be transmitted and received by the bus of the information system receiving the command through the switching matrix.

24. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 18, wherein:

the controller transmits commands to at least one of the information systems and to the control processor to cause a plurality of channels of information to be transmitted from the bus of at least one of the information systems through the switching matrix to the bus of at least another one of the information systems.

25. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 24, wherein:

the controller transmits commands to a plurality of the information systems and to the control processor to cause the plurality of channels of information to be transmitted from the bus of at least one of the information systems through the switching matrix to the bus of at least another one of the information systems.

26. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 18, wherein:

the controller transmits commands to the plurality of information systems and to the control processor to cause full duplex communications between buses of at least two of the information systems through the switching matrix.

27. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 18, further comprising:

control circuitry, responsive to the control processor, for providing a master clock signal to the information systems which controls a rate of information transmission and reception on the buses by the information systems.

28. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 27, wherein:

the commands control the generation of the master clock signal with the controller commanding the information systems to control the transmission and reception of information on the information buses under the control of the master clock signal.

29. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 28, wherein:

the master clock signal is synchronized with another signal provided on one of the information buses of the information systems.

30. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 28, wherein:

the control circuitry also provides synchronization signals to the information systems which synchronize frames of information transmitted and received on the buses by the information systems.

31. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 30, wherein:

the commands control the generation of the synchronization signals with the controller commanding the information systems to synchronize the transmission and reception of frames on the information buses under the control of the synchronization signals.

32. A digital switching system comprising:

a digital switching matrix having an input bus and an output bus with information on the input bus being selectively connectable to information on the output bus in response to control signals applied to switches of the switching matrix;

a plurality of information systems with each information system having an information bus for transmitting and receiving information using a protocol which is different from a protocol used by the information bus of each of the other information systems with conductors of the information buses of the information systems being electrically connected to the input and the output buses of the matrix to permit information transmitted on a conductor of any of the information buses to be received by another conductor of any of the information buses through the input bus, the switching matrix and the output bus;

a voice message recording system for recording voice messages provided by telephone calls to telephones being answered by a telephone answering system;

a textual message recording system for recording textual messages provided by an operator who answers telephone calls made to telephones being answered by the telephone answering system;

a host processor, coupled to each of the plurality of the information systems, decoding telephone calls to be answered by an operator to identify a characteristic stored in an answering system memory to be used in answering a telephone call, causing the identified characteristic to be displayed by a display device at an operator station at which the operator answers the telephone call to provide the operator answering the telephone call with the characteristic for use in answering the telephone call at the operator station, controlling the recording of messages by the telephone answering system and controlling reproduction of the recorded messages to provide caller access to messages recorded by the voice message recording system and access through an operator to messages recorded by the textual message recording system, controlling the information systems with commands causing at least one of the information systems to transmit and at least one of the information systems to receive information using the information bus of the transmitting and the information bus of the receiving information systems, the switching matrix and the input and output buses; and

a control processor, responsive to commands from the host processor, for generating the control signals controlling switching of the switches of the digital switching matrix.

33. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32, wherein:

information transmitted and received on the information buses is encoded in a pulse code modulation format to provide a plurality of channels of information with each channel being time division multiplexed.

34. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32, wherein:

the channels of information contain audio voice information.

35. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32, wherein:

at least one of the information systems is connected to a public switched telephone network and the network provides a timing reference to the switching system used to generate a master clock signal by control circuitry to control a rate of information transmission and reception on the buses by the information systems.

36. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32, wherein:

the host processor transmits commands to a plurality of the information systems and to the control processor to cause information to be transmitted from the bus of one of the information systems through the digital switching matrix for receipt by the bus of another one of the information systems.

37. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32, wherein:

the host processor transmits commands to one of the information systems and to the control processor to cause information to be transmitted and received by the bus of the information system receiving the command through the switching matrix.

38. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32, wherein:

the host processor transmits commands to at least one of the information systems and to the control processor to cause a plurality of channels of information to be transmitted from at least one bus of one of the information systems through the switching matrix to at least one bus of at least one of the information systems.

39. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 38, wherein:

the host processor transmits commands to a plurality of the information systems and to the control processor to cause the plurality of channels of information to be transmitted from at least one information bus of one of the information systems through the switching matrix to at least one information bus of another of the information systems.

40. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32, wherein:

the host processor transmits commands to a plurality of information systems and to the control processor to cause full duplex communications between buses of at least two of the information systems through the switching matrix.

41. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32, further comprising:

control circuitry, responsive to the control processor, for providing a master clock signal to the information systems which controls a rate of information transmission and reception on the buses by the information systems.

42. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 41, wherein:

the commands control the generation of the master clock with the host processor commanding the information systems to control the transmission and reception of information on the information buses under the control of the master clock.

43. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 42, wherein:

the master clock is synchronized to generate the clock signal with another signal provided on one of the information buses of the information systems.

44. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 42, wherein:

the control circuitry also provides synchronization signals to the information systems which synchronize frames of information transmitted and received on the buses by the information systems.

45. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 44, wherein:

the commands control the generation of the synchronization signals with the host processor commanding the information systems to synchronize the transmission and reception of frames on the information buses under the control of the synchronization signals.

46. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32 wherein:

the characteristic is information used for composing a voice sequence by the operator in answering the telephone call at the operator station.

47. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32 wherein:

the characteristic is an indication that the telephone call has occurred in response to reproduction of a voice message stored in the answering system memory.

48. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32 wherein:

the characteristic is that the telephone call is a check in telephone call when an emergency message has been recorded and any attempt to reach a person whose telephone is being answered by the answering system to deliver the emergency message has been unsuccessful.

49. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32 wherein:

the characteristic is that the telephone call is a check in telephone call.

50. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32 wherein:

the host processor provides a voice synthesized message summarizing textual and voice messages stored in the answering system memory.

51. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 50 wherein:

the host processor provides the synthesized message after a caller requesting a summary has provided a security code which enables the playing of the synthesized message.

52. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 50 wherein:

the host processor provides a caller with the choice of playing back individual voice messages.

53. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 50 wherein:

the host processor provides a caller with a choice of requesting an operator to read back individual textual messages.

54. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32 wherein:

the decoding of the telephone call to be answered comprises decoding of digits of a number called by the telephone call which digits function as a pointer to a file in the system memory storing the characteristic.

55. A digital switching system in accordance with claim 32 wherein:

the controller is under the control of a single control program.

56. A private automatic branch exchange having a plurality of telephones which controls telephony functions of the telephones and a telephone answering system for providing textual messages and voice messages produced by the telephone answering system answering telephone calls to the telephones comprising:

a voice message recording system for recording voice messages provided by telephone calls to the telephones and answered by the telephone answering system;

a textual message recording system for recording textual messages provided by an operator who answers telephone calls made to the telephones which are answered by the telephone answering system;

a digital switching matrix having an input bus coupled to the public switched telephone network and an output bus with information on the input bus received from the public switched telephone network being selectively connectable to the output bus in response to control signals applied to switches of the switching matrix;

a control controlling switching of the digital switching matrix to control the selective connection of information from the public switched telephone network through the input bus, through the digital switching matrix to the output bus, controlling answering of telephone calls by the voice message recording system and by the textual message recording system, controlling the recording of messages by the voice message and textual message recording systems and controlling reproduction of the recorded messages to provide caller access to messages recorded by the voice message recording system and access through an operator to messages recorded by the textual message recording system.

57. A private automatic branch exchange and telephone answering system in accordance with claim 56 further comprising:

a plurality of information systems with each information system having an information bus for transmitting and receiving information with the information buses of the information systems being electrically connected to the input and output buses of the matrix to permit information transmitted on a conductor of any of the information buses to be received by another conductor of any of the information buses through the input bus, the switching matrix and the output bus; and

wherein

the control includes a controller, coupled to each of the plurality of the information systems, for controlling the information systems with commands causing at least one of the information systems to transmit and at least one of the information systems to receive information using the information bus of the transmitting and the information bus of the receiving information systems, the switching matrix and the input and output buses, and a control processor, responsive to commands from the controller, for generating the control signals controlling switching of the switches of the digital switching matrix.