Abstract: Information pathways for communications among personnel, among computers, and between personnel and computers, in a local communication system, including remote communications via leased lines or the public network is described. To a public central office, the present invention appears as a private branch exchange (PBX), served by many trunks, WATS, and "Foreign Exchange" lines, and providing all the standard PBX services; to the remote leased facility, it appears as a standard tie line terminator or, if the remote is another ICS, as a logical tie line terminator for which several logical tie lines are combined into each leased T1 line; to the in-house computer, it provides switched connection to other computers or to terminals at up to 19,200 Baud modulated data, at 32K-Baud for native (internal system) data (including 2K-Baud of forward error correction), or up to several gigabits direct binary transmission (such as the transmission scheme used with NDS and ANR displays, etc.

Abstract: A switching network is comprised of a plurality of identical chips and a network (control) processor. Each of the chips is a novel intelligent switch and includes both a cross point array as well as apparatus to control the cross point array in response to a set of multi bit commands or to formulate a response to a query concerning status of the switching array. The number of command lines connecting network (control) processor to each of the array chips may be as few as two. The cross point array includes a cross point device (switch) for each inlet-outlet combination. The total number of cross points in the network is lower than that dictated by a CLOS network.

Abstract: Dictating apparatus is enhanced for normal and conference speech recording by simple circuitry for detecting "long periods of silence" and compressing the record during these periods, as for example by discontinuing the recording process. Starting and stopping the recording transducing apparatus is a basic concept. Conventional recording apparatus is adapted to function under control of circuitry using available digital circuit modules. Analog speech and like waves are converted to incremental digital form by delta modulating circuitry. "Silence periods" are recognized by digital sensing circuitry coupled to triggering logical control circuitry for operating the recording apparatus only in the presence of desired sound. Basically a predetermined series of indications of "silence" serve to trigger a latching flip-flop circuit for disabling substantially conventional dictating apparatus and the like until the desired sound resumes and the latching circuit is reset for continuing the recording of dictation.