Abstract: An arrangement for butt coupling of waveguide electrooptic plates to form a crossbar switch. The arrangement includes a stack of M splitter plates, each of which routes an injected optical signal to one of N outputs, and a stack of N combiner plates, each of which routes the signal of a selected one of M inputs to a common output. The stack of splitter plates is rotated with respect to the stack of combiner plates and the output signal ports of the splitter plates are coupled to the input signal ports of the combiner plates, so that each output of an splitter plate is connected to a different combiner plate. Within each splitter plate there is a fan-out network of waveguide electrooptic couplers and each coupler, under electric control, routes signals from one input to either one of two outputs. With j levels of such interconnected couplers 2.sup.j output are developed. The combiner plates have an identical architecture but with a signal flow in the reverse direction.

Abstract: The power of computer-based services is made available to telephone subscribers by a telephone station set (10) including a telephone handset (17) for audio transduction, a video output display screen (13) and manual input key facilities (16,20,23) coupled for interaction by a data processing facility (43). All of those elements are included in a common station set housing for programmable interaction under control of the station set user. The input key facilities include a full ASCII key set, additional buttons (30-32) for signaling standard computer service functions, and keys (16) for user selection of predetermined different text portions of the display screen. Also shown are various electrical and mechanical features which facilitate the combining of the functional parts into the common housing and illustrative processes (FIGS. 8-12) for demonstrating the programmable facility interaction.