US 4,292,465 AGranted

Distributed processing telex exchange

AssigneeFrederick Electronics Corporation

InventorsJohn F. Wilson, Edward D. Hoover, Philip K. Hammond, William A. Moshier, Jack L. Woodell, John W. Spaniol, John J. Bowerman, Larry C. Bieber, Marvin Perlman

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Abstract

A distributed processing telex switch having different levels of processor control to handle the calls between terminations connected to the exchange is disclosed. A common control processor occupies the highest level of processor control and function as the system-wide manager. Next below common control is a plurality of master control processors which function to switch the command data between common control and the lower levels of processor control, and to handle the conversation data generated by each of the terminations connected to the exchange. Each master control processor controls a predetermined number of termination from among all of the terminations connected to the exchange. Connected to each master control processor is a plurality of group control processors which control the flow of data to and from a second predetermined number of terminations from among the terminations controlled by each master control processor. The group control processors occupy the next lower level of processor control from the master control level. Associated with each group control processor is a line control processor that cooperates with its associated group control processors to produce the signaling sequences in the terminations and to handle the conversation data from and to the terminations. The line control processor occupy the lowest level of processor control.

Claims60

Dependent claims

A distributed processing telecommunications switch having different levels of processor control for handling conversation calls between terminations connected to the switch, the switch comprising:

(a) a common control processor, for system-wide management and control of each termination connected to the switch, said common control occupying the highest level of processor control;
(b) a command data bus, for coupling command data signals between said common control and the processors in the lower levels of processor control;
(c) at least one master controller processor connected by said command bus to said common control, for command bus data switching between said common control and the lower levels of processor control, and for handling the conversation data for a first predetermined number of terminations under its control by storing in each said master controller processor the conversation data generated by each termination connected to the switch, said master controller processor occupying the next lower level of processor control from said common control;
(d) at least one group controller processor connected by said command bus to an associated one of said master controller processors, for supervising the processing of the data signals in each of a second predetermined number of terminations, said group controller processors occupying the next lower level of processor control from said master controller processors;
(e) a conversation data bus, for coupling the conversation data of the terminations to and between said master controller processors;
and
(f) a line controller processor associated with each said group controller processor and responsive thereto, for transmitting to and receiving from the second predetermined number of terminations, data signals indicative of the signaling levels in these terminations, said line controller processor connected by said conversation bus to said master controller processor associated with said group controller processor that said line controller processor is associated with, said associated group controller and line controller processors cooperating together to produce the required signaling sequences between the switch and the terminations to service a call from or to a termination, said line controller processors occupying the lowest level of processor control.

4 more elements

A telex exchange system comprising:

(a) first and second common control processors occupying a first level of system control, for systemwide management and control for each customer termination connected to the exchange, said first and second common control comprising a redundant pair in which one of the pair of processors in the redundant pair is on-line and the other is on standby;
(b) first and second system controllers associated with said first and second common controllers, respectively, for interfacing said common control processors to the lower levels of system control, and to provide the system timing signals;
(c) a command bus, for coupling command data signals between said common control and the processors in the lower levels of processor control;
(d) a plurality of master control processors each connected to said command bus to said common control processors, for forwarding the call conversation data from a calling termination to one of the terminations from a first predetermined number of terminations under control of each master control processor, each processor from said plurality of master control processors having an identical redundant backup processor with one processor on-line and the other on standby, each master control processor adapted to temporarily store the conversation data generated by every termination connected to the exchange, said master control processors occupying the next lower level of system control from said common control;
(e) a plurality of group control processors, each group control processor connected by said command bus to an associated one of said plurality of master control processors, for supervising the processing of the data signals in each of a second predetermined number of terminations, each processor in said plurality of group control processors having an identical redundant backup processor with one processor on-line and the other on standby, said group control processors occupying the next lower level of system control from said master control processors;
(f) a conversation data bus, for coupling the conversation data of the terminations to and between said master control processors;
(g) a line control processor associated with each processor in each redundant pair of said group control processors and responsive thereto, for transmitting to and receiving from the second predetermined number of terminations, data signals indicative of the signaling levels in the terminations, said line control processor connected by said conversation bus to said master control processors associated with said group control processor that said line control processor is associated with, said associated group control and line control processors cooperating together to produce the required signaling sequences between the exchange and each termination to service a call from or to that termination, said line control processors occupying the next lower level of system control;
and
(h) a terminator control means connected between the pair of said line control processors associated with said redundant pair of group control processors and the second predetermined number of terminations, and responsive to said line control processors, for selecting the terminations to input to or to receive signals from said line control processors, said terminator control means occupying the lowest level of system control.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.