Abstract: A plurality of consoles (111-113) share use of a single landline (101) with minimal requirements for internal maintenance data signalling. As two or more consoles both share use of the link, a telephone interface (103) assigns one of the consoles to be responsible for maintenance signalling. If and when the assigned console concludes its communication needs or otherwise becomes unable to continue the maintenance signalling, the telephone interface will assign a new interested console to provide the maintenance signalling. This continues until no consoles remain having an interest in maintaining the communication link. In one embodiment, when the link is used by only a single console, a hold function can be accommodated. When two or more consoles are serviced, however, the hold function is not applied. Also, when the link has been placed on hold, any console can remove the hold condition.

Abstract: A communication system, medium adapter (10) for use therewith, and methods are provided which permit standard ring network transmission media (15) to support both ring and bus communication topologies and protocols, which may be selectively adapted to differing topologies and protocols without physical modification. Means (50) are provided for permitting each medium adapter (10) to maintain a continuous ring communication path in a quiescent state, and to break the ring and establish bus communication both originating and terminating at the transmitting adapter in a transmit state. The medium adapter provided may be used with existing 802.5 token-ring dual twisted pair wiring (19), while supporting existing 802.3 CSMA/CD, 802.4 token bus, or 802.5 token-ring interface hardware, among others.

Abstract: The inter-bus system provides the communication interconnection between communication systems to form a large telegraph packet switching exchange for example. The fast inter-bus system uses an RS-485 interface, however, the specific protocol used has particular speed advantages. The inter-bus system consists of a bus converter for each communication system interconnected by a bus involving 16 data bits, a pair of parity bits, clock, abort, transmit active, address strobe and grant return paths. The bus converters are chained by a grant link arrangement. The grant link is used to carry a grant pulse which is passed on around the chained bus converters to identify the master converter for an inter-bus system transfer. When the grant pulse is received by a bus converter wanting to transmit, that bus converter breaks the chain and performs the transmission required. When the transmission is complete the completing bus converter surrenders its master state by generating the grant pulse.

Abstract: A data transmission facility comprises a central station and a plurality of substations connected thereto via a data bus, the substations outputting a control signal dependent on the transmission or reception condition thereof. A plurality of substations are therefore capable of being connected to a serial point-to-point interface of the central station by way of a coupling device which is reversible with respect to the direction of transmission by optional activation or deactivation of level converters on the basis of control signals transmitted by the central station or by the substations. The data transmission facility is particularly suited for the transmission of operating state signals from intermediate locations of a communications transmission facility to a central evaluation facility.

Abstract: A data transmission system having a number of control devices connected by at least one clock-control transmission loop operated directionally dependent insures that a data signal intended for a group of control devices in the system is actually received by all of the intended control devices. The control device emitting the signal adds an entry preceding the data portion of the signal which identifies all receivers in the group and which also includes a block start identifier, and also adds a last entry to the data portion of the signal which is the address of the sending control device and a block end identifier. Each control device in the group, upon receiving the signal, copies the signal for possible processing, cancels the block end identifier in the last entry of the received signal, and adds a new last entry which is the address of the receiving control device, and acknowledgement of receipt of the signal, and a new block end identifier corresponding to the cancelled block end identifier.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transmitting data signals between two control devices connected to a loop transmission system are disclosed wherein data signals are transmitted in the form of signal blocks. In addition to the data signal, each signal block includes a receiver address having a block start identifier which precedes the data signals, and a sender address with a block end identifier following the data signals. In response to the appearance of the block start identifier and the receiver address, the signal block received by a control device is copied in the control device identified by the receiver address. The copying is undertaken for possible further processing. The signal block is then forwarded to the next control device via the loop, with the block start identifier cancelled. Before forwarding, an acknowledgement signal is attached to the sender address. The acknowledgement signal is recognized by the control device which sent the date signals.

Abstract: A relay circuit comprise first and second relays having respective terminals at which positive cross-talk of a signal of positive polarity is produced when the other terminals to which the positive polarity signal is applied are in the make and break states, respectively, and third and fourth relays having respective terminals at which negative cross-talk of a signal of negative polarity is produced when the other terminals to which the negative polarity signal is applied are in the make and break states, respectively, wherein with regards to the terminals where the cross-talk occurs, the first and fourth relays are connected to each other and said second and third relays are connected to each other, respectively.

Abstract: A loop back system for a loop transmission line allows the whole system to be looped back for addition or removal of a transmission device, without cutting off loops and in exactly the same manner as in ordinary data transfer. A plurality of transmission devices capable of generating loop-back commands are connected to an active loop and a backup loop. First one of the transmission devices transmits loop-back commands, while second and third ones individually receive the loop-back commands to connect their transmitter sides to both the active and backup loops. This sets up a loop-back condition in each of the transmission devices.

Abstract: A system is described for randomly addressing any one of a plurality of remotely located stations connected by means of an electromagnetic wavepath. At the addressing point an addressing signal, comprising a series of m signal bursts, is generated and coupled onto the wavepath (11), where m is an integer and corresponds to the number of stations the addressed station is away from the addressing point. Each remote station includes means (33, 34, 41, 43) for deleting one signal burst and retransmitting the remaining signal bursts. Each station also includes means (34, 38, 42, 43, 44, 50, 51) for recognizing when only a single signal burst is received and for responding in a prescribed manner. By means of such a "count-down" technique, the m.sup.th station from the addressing station is accessed. it is an advantage of such a system that the addressing circuit is the same at all the remote stations.

Abstract: An address verification system is described for use in a communications system comprising a transmission path (14) having sequence of remote stations (1, 2, ... n) distributed therealong. After accessing the desired station, a loop-back (32) is established at the addressed station to a second transmission path (15) having a second sequence of stations (1', 2' ... n'). Verification is obtained by transmitting a series of p+1 signal bursts, where p is the total number of stations in the loop-back path. By designing each station so that it deletes one of the signal bursts, a single burst will be received at a verification detector (23) when and if the proper station is addressed. It is an advantage of the invention that it can be used with all types of communication systems. It is a further advantage that it permits the use of identical repeaters at all the remote stations.

Abstract: In a digital telecommunication network containing bearer channels between switching nodes, the method of building-up a routing address consisting of routing words that are associated with the switching nodes and via which the transmission of information packets is effected in accordance with the routing address contained in each packet, and for their storage in the region of a called subscriber, dispatching a build-up packet from the first calling subscriber which contains the location-independent call number of the called second subscriber, each switching node retransmitting to other switching nodes connected to it at least the first of several successively received build-up packets having the same call number and whose routing address does not exceed a specific length and adding to each build-up packet retransmitted a routing word associated with the bearer channel connected to it and forming a part of the travel path of the build-up packet, the called subscriber designated by the call number or the switchi

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for limiting the number of build-up packets during the process of building-up a routing address for the subsequent transmission of address-coded packets, the addresses of these packets being this said routing address, from a first to a second subscriber of a digital telecommunication network. This network comprises a plurality of switching nodes, a plurality of subscribers, a plurality of bearer channels connecting each switching node with at least one other switching node and with no subscriber, or with one or more of said subscribers, a plurality of routing words individually assigned to the bearer channels and a plurality of call numbers individually assigned to the subscribers.

Abstract: Messages are collected by a central polling station from a plurality of remote terminal stations on a multiparty line. The central polling station is arranged to initially query stations in groups, probing successively smaller size subgroups of each group if a station in the group returns an acknowledgement that it has a message and eventually addressing individual stations to collect the messages. In heavily loaded periods, when a large quantity of messages are available at the terminals, the polling station initially queries a smaller size subgroup (or in the extreme, initially addresses individual stations) while in lightly loaded periods, when few or no messages are available, the polling station initially queries a larger size group (or in the extreme, initially broadcasts a query to all of the terminals). Loading of the system is determined by measuring the duration of time required for polling and collecting all the available messages.

Abstract: A general digital message network for short address-coded telegrams having plural switching stations. In each switching station the outputs of the input stores are each connected to one of the inputs of a multiplexer. The inputs of the output stores are connected to the output of the multiplexer and the output stores are each connected to a comparator circuit with a fixed value store in which the routing word associated with the outgoing line of the output store is stored, in such a way that upon correspondence of the routing word in one of the fixed value stores with the routing word at a specific location of the address of the telegram in the associated output store, this telegram is transmittable onto the output line thereof.