Abstract: A facsimile (fax) machine is arranged to automatically answer a call and to transmit a fax message if a document or stored message is awaiting transmission, otherwise the fax machine goes into a fax receive mode. In another arrangement, the fax machine is connected to a station port of a customer switching system such that an existing call at a system station set can be transferred to the fax machine when a fax message is to be transmitted or received as part of that call. In one embodiment a station set and fax machine are packaged together in one housing.

Abstract: An information retrieval system includes an interactive operating mode which enables a user at a facsimile machine to receive multiple facsimile messages, each in response to a separate user request, during a single communication connection to the system. In one arrangement, the first facsimile message includes a menu of services provided by the system and subsequent facsimile messages contain information obtained in response to user selections made from that menu. The operation of a predefined button or entry of a predefined feature code at the facsimile machine is used to establish the interactive mode thereat and to signal the system to also establish the interactive mode of operation. The interactive mode is terminated at both the facsimile machine and system by the user 1) hanging up or the system timing out, 2) by the user entering a termination code, or 3) by the system sending a terminate command to the facsimile machine.

Abstract: A dual mode disk controller is disclosed for use between a host processor and its storage medium for controlling data transfer to and from the storage medium. The data is formatted on the medium in two distinct formats, one capable of bulk fast transfers useful in a swapping operation, and the other capable of periodic slower transfers as is acceptable for file retrieval. The disk controller is designed having a small fast buffer memory for accepting information from the storage medium. File transfer data is transferred immediately without host CPU intervention, to a larger cache memory. The host CPU accesses the fast buffer memory periodically to retrieve swap transfer data while only accessing the larger cache memory when it needs to retrieve the file formatted information.

Abstract: There is disclosed an interrupt arrangement for use in a multiprocessing system where it is desired to specifically direct interrupts from one processor to any other processor. The arrangement treats the interrupt signal as a data communication between processors. In this regard, common address space is set aside, on a system basis, for interrupt signals. A sending processor first contends for the system bus and then addresses a message to a specific target processor. The message is received at the target processor over the regular communication channel and stored in a FIFO memory. Interrupt messages filter through the memory in order of arrival and cause interrupts to occur at the target processor. The information at the output of the FIFO memory controls the processing of the interrupt.

Abstract: A dual set of busses is used to provide close coupling between the data and voice services of the CS300 communication system. One of these busses is a time division multiplex bus arranged for communication between port access circuits, and the other bus is a packet-switched data processing bus used for interfacing both with the system peripherals and with the port access circuits. The port access circuits, as well as the faster peripheral circuits, can be connected to either or both busses thereby allowing for the efficient easy interchange of information.