Attendant console sharing system and method in centrex

• US 5,422,944 A
• Filed: 02/15/1994
• Issued: 06/06/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sakai, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/196,542
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 379/232, 379/231, 379/234, 379/225, 379/218, 379/267, 379/265, 379/266, 379/262, 379/313, 379/314, 379/310, 379/260
• US Class Current: 379/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/60 Semi-automatic systems, i.e. in which the numerical selection of the outgoing line is under the control of an operator

Abstract

A centrex with an attendant console sharing system wherein there is no restriction in an extension line numbering plan so that an attendant console can accept a call to any business group and will connect the call only to the extension line station of the business group for which the call is destined. Means for connecting 12 of the centrex links attendant console 2 to business group attendant console data corresponding to the business group for which an incoming call is destined in accordance with pilot number-to-attendant console conversion table 3 when the call arrives at attendant console 2 from a public network subscriber and in accordance with business group number-to-attendant console conversion table 4 when the call arrives from an extension line station of the business group.

Claims

1. An attendant console sharing system in a centrex which comprises switching equipment connected to a plurality of extension line stations which belong to a plurality of business groups other than a plurality of subscriber lines and tie trunks of a public telephone network, said switching equipment including main memory means for storing subscriber data for said extension line stations belonging to each of said business groups and business group data holding connection attributes and numbering plans of each of said business groups, an attendant console connected to said switching equipment and a central controller including controlling means for sharing said attendant console among said business groups to perform a centrex service, said switching equipment comprising:

business group attendant console data including a connection attribute peculiar to each attendant console operation provided within the business group data for each of the business groups;

means for selecting, in response to an incoming call through one of a plurality of pilot numbers to said attendant console, the business group for which the incoming call is destined and for linking the business group attendant console data of the selected business group to said attendant console; and

means for selecting, in response to an access call to said attendant console initiated by dialing an access code from an extension line, the business group in which the extension line station is accommodated and for linking the business group attendant console data of the selected business group to said attendant console.

2. An attendant console sharing system in a centrex which comprises switching equipment connected to a plurality of extension line stations which belong to a plurality of business groups other than a plurality of subscriber lines and tie trunks of a public telephone network, said switching equipment including main memory means for storing subscriber data for said extension line stations belonging to each of the business groups and business group data indicating connection attributes and numbering plans of each of the business groups, an attendant console connected to said switching equipment and a central controller including controlling means for sharing said attendant console among said business groups to perform a centrex service, said main memory means comprising:

business group attendant console data including a connection attribute peculiar to each attendant console operation stored in said main memory within the business group data for each of the business groups;

a pilot number-to-attendant console conversion table in which pilot numbers of the business groups and address pointers to the business group attendant console data are stored in a corresponding relationship; and

a business group number-to-attendant console conversion table in which group numbers applied to the business groups and address pointers to the business group attendant console data are stored in a corresponding relationship,

wherein said controlling means includes means for connecting, when an incoming call to said attendant console is received, said attendant console exclusively to the attendant console data for a business group which corresponds to the incoming call.

3. The attendant console sharing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for connecting further includes:

means for linking, in response to an incoming call to one of the pilot numbers of the business groups from a subscriber of said public telephone network, said attendant console to the attendant console data exclusively corresponding to the business group for which the call is destined in accordance with the content of said pilot number-to-attendant console conversion table; and

means for linking, in response to an incoming call to said attendant console originated by dialing an attendant console access code from one of the extension line stations in the business groups, said attendant console to the attendant console data exclusively corresponding to the business group for which the one extension line station belongs in accordance with the content of said business group number-to-attendant console conversion table.

4. A method of sharing an attendant console in a system including a plurality of extension line stations having associated extension numbers and being divided into a plurality of groups, each of the groups having a corresponding pilot number, the method comprising the steps of:

storing in a memory corresponding group data for each of the groups including connection attributes and number plans, each of the group data exclusively corresponding to one of the groups;

receiving an incoming call by the attendant console;

determining whether the incoming call is a first type of call which arrives from a public telephone network corresponding to one of the pilot numbers or a second type of call initiated by dialing an access code from one of the extension line stations; and

when the incoming call is the first type, identifying a group which corresponds to the pilot number of the incoming call and exclusively linking the attendant console to group data corresponding to the identified group, and

when the incoming call is the second type, exclusively linking the attendant console to group data corresponding to the group to which the extension line station from which the access code is dialed belongs,

wherein the exclusive linking of the attendant console to the corresponding group data isolates the incoming call from group data of other groups and prevents the incoming call from being connected to extension line stations in the other groups.

5. A method of sharing an attendant console in a system including a plurality of extension line stations having associated extension numbers and being divided into a plurality of groups, each of the groups having a corresponding pilot number, the method comprising the steps of:

storing in a memory corresponding group data for each of the groups including connection attributes and number plans, each of the group data exclusively corresponding to one of the groups;

receiving an incoming call by the attendant console;

determining whether the incoming call is a first type of call corresponding ton one of the pilot numbers or a second type of call initiated by dialing an access code from one of the extension line stations; and

when the incoming call is the first type, identifying a group which corresponds to the pilot number of the incoming call and linking the attendant console to group data corresponding to the identified group, and

when the incoming call is the second type, linking the attendant console to group data corresponding to the group to which the extension line station from which the access code is dialed belongs, wherein two or more extension line stations within mutually exclusive groups have a same extension number.