Abstract: A telephone switching system for telephone trunk and subscriber lines that carry voice and associated supervisory information signals. The voice signals are received through one of a plurality of ports under the control of a port event processor, and are transferred through a switching arrangement under the control of a call processor for transmission through a second port. The supervisory information is received with the associated voice signals, and is sampled and stored in a port data store memory. The call processor can retrieve or modify the supervisory information stored in the port data memory store, and can store control information in the port data store. The port event processor enables the transfer of certain supervisory information from the port data store for transmission with the associated voice signals to the respective port. The port event processor also performs certain operations specified by the commands and supervisory information stored in the port data store memory.

Abstract: A common control for a community office (C.O.) switching system includes two interactive processors. One of these interactive processors is a call control processor which comprises the uppermost element in the control hierarchy. It is a stored program processor and its functions include: (i) control of call progression, (ii) marking paths through the matrix switch network, and translations. The other of these interactive processors is a port event processor. It is a construction of electronic logic circuitry known as "combinatorial logic". The port event processor operates on the principle of the combinatorial logic being sequentially coupled to every one of the port equipment positions over a 4 millisecond scan cycle. A pair of functional units of the port event processor provide the common control capability to sense or transmit supervisory events.

Abstract: A telephone switching system for telephone lines in a telephone network that carry voice and associated supervisory information signals. The voice signals are received through one of a plurality of ports under the control of a port event processor and are transferred through a switching arrangement, under the control of a call processor, and transmitted through a port again under the control of the port event processor. The received supervisory information is stored in a port data store memory, which also stores call state and command information. The port event processor retrieves the stored supervisory information and commands from the port data store memory, and processes the supervisory information in response to the commands in at least two functional units, and returns processed information for storage in the port data store memory.

Abstract: A telephony switching system for interconnecting a plurality of telephone lines. A port storage circuit dedicates an area to each telephone line for storing status information including supervisory information and dial digit information for the corresponding telephone.A port event processor monitors incoming supervisory information from each port means connected to each telephone line to update the corresponding information in each area of the port storage circuit. Upon the occurrence of predetermined events, such as the receipt of all the digits in a telephone number, the port event processor produces an event code that is also stored in the port storage area. A call processor scans all the port storage areas to establish, for each port means, a progression of call states in response to the event information and other information in the port storage circuit and to update control information in the corresponding area.

Abstract: A common control for a community office (C.O.) switching system includes two interactive processors. A call control processor comprises the uppermost element in the control hierarchy and is a stored program processor that controls call progression, marks paths through a matrix switch network, and performs other functions. A port event processor constructed of "combinatorial logic" is sequentially coupled to every port equipment position connected thereto over a four millisecond scan cycle. Interaction between the call control processor and the port event processor is effected through a port data store, which provides an individual port data file per port equipment position. The port event processor also includes timers that respond to call timing information that can be stored in a port data field for controlling the processing of certain signals from the corresponding port equipment position.

Abstract: A ring trip circuit adapted for use in a community office switching system that includes a call control processor and a port event processor. The call control processor and port event processor interact through a port storage unit that contains information corresponding to each telephone line connected to the switching system. The switching system also includes a ringing generator for transmitting ringing signals onto a telephone line to a called party. Windings for a common bridge relay connect in circuit with each telephone line and diodes shunt the windings so the relay responds only to signals of one polarity. The contacts of the common bridge relay, therefore, reflect the duty cycle of the signal through the common bridge relay and this duty cycle varies when the called party goes off-hook during a ringing burst. The common bridge relay produces a supervisory signal that is sampled and transferred, for each telephone line, to a corresponding port storage area.

Abstract: A central office telephone switching system including two interactive processors, including a call control processor that controls calls by establishing sequences of call progression states, and a port event processor that controls the ports and transmits and receives supervisory information to and from the ports. The port event processor and call control processor communicate through a port data store. The port event processor transfers the received supervisory information to the port data store, for use by the call control processor. The port event processor includes a digital filter that periodically time-samples the received supervisory information and determines the proper state of the received supervisory signal based on the states of the majority of the received sample signals.

Abstract: A community office switching system includes a three-level hierarchy of distributed processors operating in parallel with one another to control the operation of a central office matrix switch network interconnecting 1,920 ports. At the highest level, a stored-program call control processor controls call progression, establishing paths through the matrix switch network. At the second level, a series of special-purpose, stored-program, port control processors each service 960 ports, sensing and transmitting supervisory signals and communicating the occurrence of significant port events to the call control processor. Each port event control processor dedicates approximately 32 microseconds out of every 32 milliseconds to each of the 960 ports in time-multiplexed fashion, and hence no port can ever be locked out at the port-control-processor level. One from a series of stored programs is executed to service each port precisely one every 32 milliseconds.