Abstract: A telephone conferencing and inquiry handling apparatus and method provide a plurality of incoming calls with access to one or more ongoing or new communications groupings or pools. Apparatus for monitoring the level of voice energy on the incoming lines allows identification of a caller and allows registration of callers' opinions, i.e. votes. Confirmation signals provide a caller with audible feedback that his vote has been recorded. New subscribers, or limited or restricted subscribers, can access the system on a monitor-only basis, in which they can listen to ongoing conversation pools but are unable themselves to speak with other members of the pool.

Abstract: A telephone conferencing and inquiry handling apparatus and method provide a plurality of incoming calls with access to one or more ongoing or new communications groupings or pools. Apparatus for monitoring the level of voice energy on the incoming lines allows identification of a caller and allows registration of callers' opinions, i.e. votes. Confirmation signals provide a caller with audible feedback that his voice has been recorded. New subscribers, or limited or restricted subscribers, can access the system on a monitor-only basis, in which they can listen to ongoing conversation pools but are unable themselves to speak with other members of the pool.

Abstract: A communication conferencing and inquiry handling apparatus and method provide a plurality of communication channels with access to one or more ongoing or new communications groupings or pools. Conferencing between different communication channels employs an analog transmit signal path and an analog receive signal path for each channel, and selective switching of each such path to a common analog bus.

Abstract: A telephone conferencing and inquiry handling apparatus and method provide a plurality of incoming calls with access to one or more ongoing or new communications groupings or pools. Apparatus for monitoring the level of voice energy on the incoming lines allows identification of a caller and allows registration of callers' opinions, i.e. votes. Confirmation signals provide a caller with audible feedback that his vote has been recorded. New subscribers, or limited or restricted subscribers, can access the system on a monitor-only basis, in which they can listen to ongoing conversation pools but are unable themselves to speak with other members of the pool.

Abstract: A telephone conferencing and inquiry handling apparatus and method provide a plurality of incoming calls with access to one or more ongoing or new communications groupings or pools. Apparatus for monitoring the level of voice energy on the incoming lines allows identification of a caller and allows registration of callers' opinions, i.e. votes. Confirmation signals provide a caller with audible feedback that his vote has been recorded. New subscribers, or limited or restricted subscribers, can access the system on a monitor-only basis, in which they can listen to ongoing conversation pools but are unable themselves to speak with other members of the pool.

Abstract: A communications line under test intercouples programmable local units, one of which transmits an analog waveform to the other in response to digital control signals received from a computer. The receiving programmable local unit transmits a digital signal to the computer representative of the received analog signal to thereby enable the computer to determine transmission characteristics of the communications line intercoupling the programmable local units.