Multiple application switching platform and method

The switch of claim 6 further including:

• data communications means for interfacing external systems to a corresponding group shelf, wherein said management means further includes data assignment means for selectively assigning a portion of said time slots to said data communications means, and said data communications means includes:
• message exchange means for exchanging messages that initiate communications between said communication sources and said external systems via said message bus means of said corresponding group;
• data time slot selection means for selecting one of said time slots assigned to said data communications means for transferring said telephone call information onto said data bus means of said corresponding group in response to said messages;
• and
• data placement means for placing said telephone call information onto said data bus means of said corresponding group during said selected time slot assigned to said data communications means to facilitate transference of said telephone call information between said switching means interfacing said communication sources and said data communications means interfacing said external systems in order to establish a connection and process said telephone calls;
• wherein said administration means of said corresponding group further includes configuration means for distributing said configuration information to said data communications means.

In a configurable multiple application telephone switch for connecting telephone calls between communication sources and communication destinations wherein said switch includes a data bus having at least one data line, an enable line and a plurality of time slots for transferring telephone call information between said communication sources and said communication destinations, and a plurality of call processing means for establishing connections between said communication sources and said communication destinations to process said telephone calls wherein said call processing means are assigned said plurality of time slots to enable transference of telephone call information onto said data bus, an apparatus for enabling transference of telephone call information onto said data bus during assigned time slots comprising:

• a transmit indicator memory for storing information indicating said assigned time slots for transmitting said telephone call information onto each said data line;
• a transmit indicator counter for sequentially addressing said transmit indicator memory during each said time slot;
• a receive memory for storing said telephone call information retrieved from each said data line;
• a receive memory counter for sequentially addressing said receive memory during each said time slot;
• receive means for retrieving said telephone call information from said receive memory for transmission external of said apparatus;
• a transmit memory for storing said telephone call information to be transmitted onto each said data line;
• a transmit memory counter for sequentially addressing said transmit memory during each said assigned time slot indicated for transmission by said transmit indicator memory;
• transmit means for receiving telephone call information for transmission onto each said data line and placing said telephone call information into said transmit memory;
• a transceiver for placing said telephone call information from each said data line into said receive memory when said transceiver is in a receive state, and placing said telephone call information from said transmit memory onto each said data line when said transceiver is in a transmit state, wherein said transceiver is biased to said receive and transmit states in response to said information within said transmit indicator memory;
• and
• toggling means for controlling placement of said telephone call information received from said at least one data line in separate memory areas within said receive memory, and controlling placement of said telephone call information for transmission onto said at least one data line in separate memory areas within said transmit memory.

In a configurable multiple application telephone switch for connecting telephone calls between communication sources and communication destinations wherein said switch includes a message bus having at least one data line, a hold line, an enable line and a sync line for transferring messages that initiate communications between said communication sources and said communication destinations, and a plurality of call processing means for establishing connections between said communication sources and said communication destinations wherein each said call processing means is associated with a unique identifier, an apparatus for enabling said call processing means to transfer messages onto said message bus in sequential order comprising:

• a counter for cycling through said identifiers, wherein said counter is enabled by said hold line and reset by said sync line;
• comparing means for comparing a count from said counter to one of said identifiers;
• storage means for storing a request signal indicating that a message is available for transmission onto each said data line;
• a receiver/transmitter for receiving a message from each said data line in response to said comparing means indicating said count does not equal said one identifier, and transmitting said available message onto each said data line when said comparing means indicates that said count equals said one identifier and said request signal indicates that said available message is loaded within said receiver/transmitter for transmission onto each said data line;
• a data transceiver for retrieving said message from each said data line and placing said message in said receiver/transmitter when said data transceiver is in a receive state, and transmitting said available message from said receiver/transmitter onto each said data line when said data transceiver is in a transmit state wherein said data transceiver is biased to said receive and transmit states in response to said request signal and comparison results of said comparing means;
• a hold transceiver for receiving signals from said hold line to enable said counter when said hold transceiver is in a receive state, and placing a hold signal onto said hold line to disable said counter when said hold transceiver is in a transmit state wherein said hold transceiver is biased to said receive and transmit states in response to said request signal and said comparison results of said comparing means;
• and
• a driver for placing an enable signal onto said enable line when said receiver/transmitter transmits said available message onto each said data line.

In a configurable multiple application telephone switch for connecting telephone calls between communication sources and communication destinations wherein said switch includes at least one group having a plurality of shelves, wherein each said group within said switch includes clock means for generating and distributing clock signals to each said shelf within a group, wherein each said shelf includes a data bus having a plurality of time slots for transferring telephone call information between said communication sources and said communication destinations and a plurality of call processing means for establishing connections between said communication sources and said communication destinations, and wherein said data bus includes at least one data line and an enable line, an apparatus for transferring information between data buses of each said shelf within each said group having a plurality of said shelves via vertical buses comprising:

• a data line transceiver for transferring said telephone call information from said vertical buses to each said data line when said data line transceiver is in a receive state, and transmitting said telephone call information from each said data line to said vertical buses when said data line transceiver is in a transmit state;
• a receiver for receiving enable signals from said enable line enduring for half a cycle of said clock signals;
• and
• enable extending means for receiving said half clock enable signals from said receiver and extending said enable signals to a full clock cycle to bias said data line transceiver to a transmit state for said full clock cycle.

In a configurable multiple application telephone switch for connecting telephone calls between communication sources and communication destinations wherein said switch includes at least one group having a plurality of shelves, wherein each said shelf includes a message bus for transferring messages that initiate communications between said communication sources and said communication destinations and a plurality of call processing means for establishing connections between said communication sources and said communication destinations wherein each said call processing means is associated with a unique identifier and said message bus includes at least one message data line, a message enable line, a hold line and a sync line, and wherein each said group within said switch includes clock means for generating and distributing clock signals to each said shelf within a group, a master counter for cycling through said identifiers wherein said master counter is enabled by said hold line and includes a terminal count output that indicates when said master counter reaches a predetermined final value and a driver for placing said terminal count output onto said sync line to indicate completion of a cycle through said identifiers by said master counter, an apparatus for transferring information between message buses of each said shelf within each said group having a plurality of said shelves via vertical buses comprising:

• a message transceiver for transferring said messages from said vertical buses to each said message data line when said message transceiver is in a receive state, and transferring said messages from each said message data line to said vertical buses when said message transceiver is in a transmit state;
• a message receiver for receiving message enable signals from said message enable line enduring for half a cycle of said clock signals;
• and
• message enable extending means for receiving said half clock message enable signals from said message receiver and extending said message enable signals to a full clock cycle to bias said message transceiver to a transmit state for said full clock cycle.

In a configurable multiple application telephone switch including at least one group having one or more shelves wherein each said shelf includes a backplane having a plurality of backplane slots with each backplane slot associated with a unique identifier, each said group further including data bus means having a plurality of time slots for transferring telephone call information, message bus means for transferring messages and a plurality of switching means for handling telephone calls, a method of connecting said telephone calls between communication sources and communication destinations comprising the steps of:

• (a) interfacing each said communication source and each said communication destination to a corresponding shelf via said plurality of switching means;
• (b) selectively assigning various quantities of said time slots to each said switching means based on a desired ratio of time slots per communication sources and communication destinations interfaced by that switching means to control traffic concentration, and distributing configuration information including said time slot assignments to each said switching means via said message bus means;
• (c) exchanging messages that initiate communications between said communication sources and said communication destinations via said message bus means;
• and
• (d) transferring said telephone call information between said switching means interfacing said communication sources and said switching means interfacing said communication destinations in response to said messages, wherein said switching means interfacing said communication sources and said switching means interfacing said communication destinations each select a time slot from among said quantity of time slots assigned to that switching means such that said plurality of switching means transfers said telephone call information during said selected time slots via said data bus means to establish connections for said telephone calls.

In a configurable multiple application telephone switch including data bus means for transferring telephone call information, message bus means for transferring messages and a plurality of switching means for handling telephone calls, wherein each said switching means is associated with a unique identifier, a method of connecting telephone calls between communication sources and communication destinations comprising the steps of:

• (a) interfacing said communication sources and said communication destinations via said plurality of switching means to handle said telephone calls;
• (b) exchanging messages that initiate communications between said communication sources and said communication destinations via said message bus means, wherein said switch further includes common resources for processing said telephone calls, and step (b) further includes:
• (b.1) processing said telephone calls via said common resources and generating said communication initiating messages in response to said call processing to enable communications between said communication sources and said communication destinations;
• and
• (b.2) exchanging said communication initiating messages among said switching means interfacing said communication sources, said switching means interfacing said communication destinations and said common resources;
• and
• (c) transferring said telephone call information between said switching means interfacing said communication sources and said switching means interfacing said communication destinations via said data bus means, wherein said switching means interfacing said communication sources and said switching means interfacing said communication destinations each select a transmit time from among a various quantity of unique transmit times selectively assigned to that switching means such that said each switching means transfers said telephone call information onto said data bus means during said selected transmit time and receives information during other times in order to establish connections for telephone calls in response to receiving said messages.

In a configurable multiple application telephone switch including data bus means for transferring telephone call information, message bus means for transferring messages and a plurality of switching means for handling telephone calls, wherein each said switching means is associated with a unique identifier, a method of connecting telephone calls between communication sources and communication destinations comprising the steps of:

• (a) interfacing said communication sources and said communication destinations via said plurality of switching means to handle said telephone calls;
• (b) exchanging messages that initiate communications between said communication sources and said communication destinations via said message bus means, wherein step (b) further includes:
• (b.1) exchanging said messages that initiate communications between said communication sources and said communication destinations wherein each said switching means transfers a message onto said message bus means in sequential order based on said associated identifier and receives messages from said message bus means when not transferring said message onto said message bus means;
• and
• (c) transferring said telephone call information between said switching means interfacing said communication sources and said switching means interfacing said communication destinations via said data bus means, wherein said switching means interfacing said communication sources and said switching means interfacing said communication destinations each select a transmit time from among a various quantity of unique transmit times selectively assigned to that switching means such that said each switching means transfers said telephone call information onto said data bus means during said selected transmit time and receives information during other times in order to establish connections for telephone calls in response to receiving said messages.