Abstract: The present invention provides a central terminal (10), and method of operation of such a central terminal (10), for managing calls between a telephone exchange (500) connectable to the central terminal (10) and a plurality of subscriber terminals (520), the central terminal being arranged to communicate with the subscriber terminals (520) via wireless links (515). According to the invention, the central terminal (10) comprises a call manager (560) for receiving a call from the telephone exchange (500) or from subscriber terminals (520), and for generating a call instance to represent said call, the call instance having a plurality of attribute fields to store attributes defining the call, at least one attribute being provided by the call.

Abstract: The present invention provides a central terminal (10), and method of operation of such a central terminal (10), for routing calls between a telephone exchange (18) connectable to the central terminal (10) and a plurality of subscriber terminals (20), the central terminal (10) being arranged to communicate with the subscriber terminals (20) via wireless links (515), and each subscriber terminal (20) being arranged to support one or more lines (525) to subscriber telecommunications equipment. According to the invention, the central terminal (10) comprises a storage unit arranged to store a phone number list (535) associating phone numbers for said subscriber telecommunications equipment with corresponding of said lines (525) to subscriber telecommunications equipment.

Abstract: The present invention provides a client station and method for controlling a telecommunications system, the telecommunications system including a central station and a server station. The server station is arranged to maintain an object model thereon representing the central station, and is connectable to the central station to send control signals to the central station in accordance with the object model. The client station comprises a communications manager for establishing a connection with the server station to enable communication between the client station and the server station, thereby enabling the client station to manage the object model maintained on the server. The client station has a memory for storing a portion of the object model, and a retrieval means for retrieving from the server station, as required by the client station, additional objects of the object model for expanding the portion of the object model stored in the memory.

Abstract: A shell and tube heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a shell side fluid and a tube side fluid has a longitudinally extending shell, a longitudinally extending tube bundle and one or more baffles positioned within the shell for directing the shell side fluid to flow across the tube bundle. One or more valves is also provided within the shell of the heat exchanger. Each valve is operable between a first position and a second position and co-operates with a baffle for adjusting the flow of shell side fluid through the shell side of the exchanger. Each of the valves is controlled by an external actuator.

Abstract: The present invention provides a client station and method for controlling a telecommunications system, the telecommunications system including a central station and a server station. The server station is arranged to maintain an object model thereon representing the central station, and is connectable to the central station to send control signals to the central station in accordance with the object model. The client station comprises a communications manager for establishing first and second interfaces with the server station to enable communication between the client station and the server station, thereby to manage the object model maintained on the server. The client station has a memory for storing a portion of the object model, and a processor for processing commands received by the client station via the first interface from a queue maintained on the server station.

Abstract: The present invention provides a client station and method for controlling a telecommunications system, the telecommunications system including a central station and a server station. The server station is arranged to maintain an object model thereon representing the central station, and is connectable to the central station to send control signals to the central station in accordance with the object model. The client station comprises a communications manager for establishing a connection with the server station to enable communication between the client station and the server station, thereby to manage the object model maintained on the server. The client station has a memory for storing a portion of the object model, and a processor for processing commands received by the client station to determine whether status information associated with each object in the portion of the object model should be altered, and for altering the status information based on said commands.

Abstract: A subscriber station of a wireless telecommunications system includes a transmitter/receiver (24) for wireless communication with a central station and for processing signals for transmission and/or received signals. The transmitter/receiver (24) is connected via a link (408) to a supply unit (30) for connection to one or more telephone lines for user telecommunications equipment. The link (408) carries telephone call data for one or more telephone lines and subscriber station control data in accordance with an internal protocol. The internal protocol control data comprises operational status parameters of the subscriber station. The provision of internal protocol control data including operation status parameters on a link between the transmitter/receiver and the supply unit thus provides a point of access for monitoring the operational status of the subscriber station.

Abstract: Software is down-loaded from a central station of a wireless telecommunications system to a remote subscriber station for configuring the remote subscriber station to permit wireless connection of user telecommunications equipment at the remote subscriber station to the central station. A multi-layer down-load protocol includes a number of independent protocol layers, preferably operating a master-slave configuration. Each layer controls respective sequence numbers to ensure system integrity. Control software is arranged with a device independent boot-strap and a set of device specific external service parameters to provide portability.

Abstract: A communications interface is used in a telecommunications network station which including a number of network elements, a controller for controlling the network elements and an internal bus interconnecting the controller and the network elements. The controller operates as a busmaster on the bus and each of the network elements operates as a slave on the bus. The communications interface has a pool of buffers for temporary message storage and a polling function for temporarily storing a message received from the bus in a buffer and/or for taking a message from a buffer for transmission over the bus. A binary sequence number is inverted for a reply if a received message is valid, otherwise it is not changed for the reply. A message is re-sent when the sequence number in a reply has not changed.

Abstract: A protocol converter for a wireless telecommunications system, the protocol converter comprising: an interface for receiving first protocol message packets from at least one control station of the telecommunications system and for transmitting first protocol message packets to the at least one control station; and a server in communication with the interface for maintaining the protocol converter and an object based telecommunications system control system; wherein the protocol converter converts first protocol message packets received from the interface into operations and converts operations into first protocol message packets for subsequent transmission to the at least one control station via the interface, the operations being received from and applied to the object based control system maintained in the server thereby to control the wireless telecommunications system.