Register-sender arrangement

Claim 1

A SENDER CONTROL ARRANGEMENT FOR A COMMUNICATION SWITCHING SYSTEM WHICH COMPRISES SWITCHING UNITS WHICH INCLUDE SWITCHING CONTROL APPARATUS FOR EXTENDING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CALLING AND CALLED LINES, SOME OF SAID LINES BEING OUTGOING TRUNK LINES, REGISTER APPARATUS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF REGISTERS, A PLURALITY OF SENDERS LESS IN NUMBER THAN THE NUMBER OF SAID REGISTERS, DIRECTORY NUMBER TRANSLATING APPARATUS COMMON TO SAID REGISTERS, MEANS ACCESSIBLE OVER SOME OF SAID SWITCHING UNITS AND OPERATED UPON THE RECEIPT OF A CALL REQUEST FOR SEIZING ONE OF SAID REGISTERS AND TRANSMITTING THE CALLED PARTY DIRECTORY NUMBER DIGITS THERETO FOR STORAGE THEREIN, A DATA TRANSMISSION ARRANGEMENT FOR CONNECTING SAID TRANSLATING APPARATUS TO SAID REGISTER APPARATUS TO ENABLE SAID TRANSLATING APPARATUS TO RECEIVE AT LEAST PART OF SAID CALLED LINE DIRECTORY NUMBER DIGITS FROM SAID SEIZED REGISTER AND RETURN ROUTING DIGITS AND CONTROL INFORMATION TO THE REGISTER FOR STORAGE, MEANS TO THEN INDIVIDUALLY ASSIGN ONE OF SAID SENDERS TO THE SEIZED REGISTER AND TO PROVIDE A CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID REGISTER AND SAID SENDER FOR SUPPLYING DIGITS FROM THE REGISTER TO THE SENDER; A TWO-WAY SENDING DATA TRANSMISSION ARRANGEMENT CONNECTING THE SENDER TO FURTHER SWITCHING UNITS FOR SENDING OF ROUTING DIGITS AND THE RETURN OF PROCESSING DIGITS, WHEREIN RESPONSIVE TO ROUTING DIGITS DESIGNATING AN OUTGOING CALL THE SWITCHING UNIT SELECTS AN OUTGOING TRUNK LINE AND EXTENDS A CONNECTION THERETO FROM THE SENDER, THE TRUNK LINE BEING SELECTED FROM A PLURALITY OF SETS INCLUDING A PRIMARY ROUTE SET AND AT LEAST ONE ALTERNATE ROUTE SET; SAID SENDER CONTROL ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING MEANS INCLUDING SENDER CONTROL APPARATUS TO SELECT FROM THE ROUTING DIGITS AND DIRECTORY NUMBER DIGITS STORED IN THE REGISTER SAID DIGITS WHICH ARE SUPPLIED VIA SAID REGISTER-TO-SENDER CONNECTION TO THE SENDER AND ALSO TO SUPPLY CONTROL SIGNALS TO THE SENDER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONTROL INFORMATION STORED IN THE REGISTER, MEANS TO FORWARD CERTAIN OF SAID PROCESSING DIGITS VIA THE REGISTER-TO-SENDER CONNECTION AND TO STORE THEM IN THE REGISTER, ONE OF THE PROCESSING DIGITS BEING AN ALTERNATE ROUTE DIGIT WHEN REQUIRED, AND MEANS IN THE REGISTER APPARATUS RESPONSIVE TO THE STORAGE OF AN ALTERNATE ROUTE DIGIT TO MODIFY SAID CONTROL INFORMATION STORED IN THE REGISTER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE VALUE OF THE ALTERNATE ROUTE DIGIT, SO THAT THE SELECTION OF DIGITS AND THE SUPPLY OF CONTROL SIGNALS FROM THE REGISTER VIA THE SENDER CONTROL APPARATUS TO THE SENDER CORRESPONDS TO THAT REQUIRED FOR THE ROUTE VIA THE SELECTED OUTGOING TRUNK LINE.