Expandable telecommunications system

An expandable telecommunications system comprising:

• a plurality of telecommunications switching means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths with respect to various ones of a plurality of ports, each of said telecommunications switching means including means for time switching information to or from said ports, and means for transmitting and receiving information in packetized form, and means connected in communicating relationship with said time switching means for interfacing with one or more public or private networks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying data to and from said ports;
• and
• means for interconnecting said plurality of telecommunications switching means in communicating relationship and operable in conjunction with said transmitting and receiving means to perform up to three levels of switching with respect to information originating from any of said ports, a first level of switching being performed by the time switching means which is physically associated with the one of said ports from which said information originates, a second level of switching being performed by said transmitting and receiving means in conjunction with said interconnecting means, and a third level of switching being performed by the time switching means which is physically associated with the one of said ports for which said information is destined.

An expandable telecommunications system comprising:

• (a) a plurality of nodes for performing telecommunications switching, each of said switching nodes including means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths with respect to various ones of a plurality of ports, means for time switching information to or from said ports, means for transmitting and receiving information in packetized form, and means connected in communicating relationship with said time switching means for interfacing with one or more public or private networks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying data to and from said ports;
• (b) means for interconnecting said switching nodes in communicating relationship and operable in conjunction with said transmitting and receiving means to transfer said packetized information such that information, including circuit switched data, which originates from any port of any of said switching nodes is substantially continuously communicable to any node interfaced with said interconnecting means;
• and
• (c) a plurality of nodes for providing telecommunications services, each of said services nodes interfaced with said interconnecting means and including means for transmitting and receiving information in packetized form, whereby any of said service nodes may dynamically provide telecommunications services with respect to any port of any of said switching nodes.

A telecommunications switch which is operable as a node in a expandable telecommunications system, said switch comprising:

• means for dynamically connecting or disconnecting communication paths with respect to various ones of a plurality of ports;
• means for time switching information to or from said ports, said time switching means having a capacity which corresponds with a maximum number of ports which may be physically associated with said telecommunications switch;
• means connected in communicating relationship with said time switching means for interfacing with one or more public or private networks which represent said ports, said communicating relationship including a bus for carrying data to and from said ports;
• and
• means for transmitting and receiving packetized information over an inter-nodal network, said inter-nodal network for providing communications between said telecommunications switch and other nodes associated with said system, whereby information, including circuit switched data, which originates from any port of said telecommunications switch is substantially continuously communicable to any other port of said switch or any other node of said system.