US3614322A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System for selecting and reproducing perceptible programs
Assignee: CHESTER ELECTRONIC LAB Inc
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Filing: 1969-09-22
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Granted: 1971-10-19
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Expires: 1989-09-22
Abstract
Abstract A system for selecting and reproducing audio, video, or other humanly perceptible programs comprises a program source providing a multiplicity of program signals, a plurality of stations at which individual programs may be reproduced, a switching mechanism for selectively connecting selected program signals to the reproducing means at each station, and manually operable means at each station for controlling the switching mechanism. The switching mechanism includes one or more crossbar switches and a plurality of relay trees so as to provide a hard-wired connection between the reproducing means and the program source for each selected program signal. The manually operable means for controlling the switching mechanism consists of a touch tone pad at each station, and the design of the system is such as to utilize solid-state components to a high degree.
Inventors
- 👤 David L Joslow
- 👤 John J Bosnak
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 20:28
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09B; G09B5/00; G09B5/08; G09B5/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
263 words
A system for providing perceptible programs to a plurality of stations, said system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals, a plurality of pads each located at a respective one of said stations and each including a plurality of buttons and means for generating a coded tone signal in response to the actuation of each button, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations for converting a received one of said program signals to a perceptible program, a plurality of means each associated with a respective one of said stations for producing a program call signal, a single converting means associated with all of said pads for converting said coded cone signals to binary coded signals, a plurality of switching means each Associated with a respective one of said stations, each of said switching means being connected with said program source and with said reproducing means of said associated station and being operable by said binary coded signals to connect a selected one of said program signals to said latter reproducing means, a line finder means connected with all of said program call signal producing means and operable upon the receipt of a program call signal to connect the pad of a calling one of said stations to said signal converting means to the exclusion of all other of said pads, and means for transmitting the binary coded signals produced by said signal converting means to the one of said switching means associated with said one calling station to operate said latter switching means.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
263 words
A system for providing perceptible programs to a plurality of stations, said system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals, a plurality of pads each located at a respective one of said stations and each including a plurality of buttons and means for generating a coded tone signal in response to the actuation of each button, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations for converting a received one of said program signals to a perceptible program, a plurality of means each associated with a respective one of said stations for producing a program call signal, a single converting means associated with all of said pads for converting said coded cone signals to binary coded signals, a plurality of switching means each Associated with a respective one of said stations, each of said switching means being connected with said program source and with said reproducing means of said associated station and being operable by said binary coded signals to connect a selected one of said program signals to said latter reproducing means, a line finder means connected with all of said program call signal producing means and operable upon the receipt of a program call signal to connect the pad of a calling one of said stations to said signal converting means to the exclusion of all other of said pads, and means for transmitting the binary coded signals produced by said signal converting means to the one of said switching means associated with said one calling station to operate said latter switching means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said generating means of each of said pads being such that each coded tone signal produced thereby in response to the actuation of an associated one of said buttons consists of a pair of simultaneous tone signals.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
134 words
A system as defined in claim 1 further characterized by means connected with said plurality of switching means and with said line finder means for maintaining the connection between said pad of said calling one of said stations and said signal converting means and for preventing said line finder means from establishing connection of said signal connecting means with the pad of another calling station until said switching means of said one calling station is operated to complete the connection of one program signal to said reproducing means of said one calling station and responsive to the operation of said switching means of said one calling station to complete such connection to release said line finder means for use in making connection between said signal converting means and the pad of another calling station.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
344 words
A system as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said line finder means comprising an oscillator for producing a train of output pulses, means connecting said oscillator to all of said call signal producing means and for turning said oscillator on when a call signal is received from any one of said call signal producing means, a recycling counter connected with said oscillator for counting said output pulses and having such a numerical capacity as to provide a plurality of mutually distinct counts each of which represents a respective one of said stations, a multiposition comparator connected with said counter and having a plurality of output lines each associated with a respective one of said stations, said comparator being operable to produce on each of said output lines an on-station signal only when the count of said counter is that which is representative of the associated station, a plurality of AND gates each associated with a respective one of said stations, each of said AND gates having an output connected to said signal converting means as an input to said signal converting means, means connecting each of said AND gates to the pad of the associated station so that said AND gate receives as one input thereto the coded tone signals produced by said latter pad, means connected with each of said output lines of said multiposition comparator and with the one of said AND gates associated with the associated station for producing as another input to said latter AND gate a proceed dial signal the existence of which is dependent on an on-station signal being present on said latter output line and which proceed dial signal is operable to open said latter AND gate to prevent the coded tone signals received thereby to pass therethrough to said signal converting means, and means connected to all of said proceed dial signal producing means and with said oscillator for inhibiting operation of said oscillator in response to the receipt of a proceed dial signal from any one of said proceed dial signal producing means.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
364 words
A system for providing perceptible programs at a plurality of stations, sAid system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals divided into a plurality of groups, a plurality of first switching means each associated with a respective one of said stations and connected with said program source and operable in response to the receipt of binary coded signals to select one of said groups of program signals from said program source, a plurality of second switching means each associated with a respective one of said stations and connected with the associated one of said first switching means and operable in response to the receipt of binary coded signals to select one program signal from the group thereof selected by said associated first switching means, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations and connected with the associated one of said second switching means for converting the one program signal selected by said second switching means to a perceptible program, a plurality of pads each located at a respective one of said stations, each of said pads including a plurality of buttons and means for generating a coded tone signal in response to the actuation of each button, a single signal converting means associated with all of said pads for converting said coded tone signals to binary coded signals, a plurality of means each associated with a respective one of said stations and operable by a person at said station for producing a program call signal, a line finder means connected with all of said call signal producing means and operable in response to said call signals to connect the pad of a calling one of said stations to said signal converting means so that the coded tone signals thereof are produced by manipulation of said latter pad are converted to binary coded signals, and means for transmitting the binary coded signals produced by said signal converting means to the first and second switching means of the said one calling station to cause said latter first and second switching means to direct one of said program signals to the reproducing means of said one calling station.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
364 words
A system for providing perceptible programs at a plurality of stations, sAid system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals divided into a plurality of groups, a plurality of first switching means each associated with a respective one of said stations and connected with said program source and operable in response to the receipt of binary coded signals to select one of said groups of program signals from said program source, a plurality of second switching means each associated with a respective one of said stations and connected with the associated one of said first switching means and operable in response to the receipt of binary coded signals to select one program signal from the group thereof selected by said associated first switching means, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations and connected with the associated one of said second switching means for converting the one program signal selected by said second switching means to a perceptible program, a plurality of pads each located at a respective one of said stations, each of said pads including a plurality of buttons and means for generating a coded tone signal in response to the actuation of each button, a single signal converting means associated with all of said pads for converting said coded tone signals to binary coded signals, a plurality of means each associated with a respective one of said stations and operable by a person at said station for producing a program call signal, a line finder means connected with all of said call signal producing means and operable in response to said call signals to connect the pad of a calling one of said stations to said signal converting means so that the coded tone signals thereof are produced by manipulation of said latter pad are converted to binary coded signals, and means for transmitting the binary coded signals produced by said signal converting means to the first and second switching means of the said one calling station to cause said latter first and second switching means to direct one of said program signals to the reproducing means of said one calling station.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
148 words
A system as defined in claim 5 further characterized by means connected with said plurality of first switching means and with said plurality of second switching means and with said line finder means for maintaining the connection between the pad of said calling one of said stations and said signal converting means and for preventing said line finder from establishing connection of said signal converting means with the pad of another calling station until the first and second switching means of said one calling station are operated to complete the connection of one program signal to said reproducing means of said one calling station and responsive to the operation of said first and second switching means of said one calling station to complete such connection to release said line finder for use in making a connection between said signal connecting means and the pad of another calling station.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
74 words
A system as defined in claim 6 further characterized by a time delay means connected with said line finder and operable to release said line finder for use in making a connection between said signal converting means and the pad of another calling station at the end of the running of a predetermined time delay period starting at the time said pad of said one calling station is connected to said signal connecting means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
86 words
A system as defined in claim 5 further characterized by said plurality of first switching means comprising a crossbar switch having a plurality of select levels and a plurality of hold columns, each of said select levels including a plurality of input lines connected in one-to-one relationship to the input signals of a respective one of the groups thereof provided by said program source, and each of said hold columns including a plurality of output lines connected to a respective one of said second switching means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
A system as defined in claim 8 further characterized by each of said Plurality of second switching means comprising a relay tree having a plurality of input lines connected to said output lines of the associated one of said hold columns of said crossbar switch and also having an output line connected to the reproducing means of the associated one of said stations.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system as defined in claim 5 further characterized by each of said program call signal producing means comprising means connected with the associated one of said pads and responsive to the receipt of a tone signal therefrom to produce a program call signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
265 words
A system as defined in claim 5 further characterized by each of said coded tone signals as produced by the actuation of one of said buttons of one of said pads consisting of two tone signals of different frequency and the frequency of each of which is one of a limited number of possible distinct frequencies, said limited number of possible distinct frequencies being smaller than the number of said buttons on one of said pads and each button of each pad being operable upon actuation to produce a pair of tone signals the combination of frequencies of which are different from the combination of frequencies of the two tone signals produced by the actuation of any other button of said pad, and said signal converting means comprising a receiver for receiving said pairs of tone signals and a decoder, said receiver having a number of output lines each corresponding to a respective one of said possible frequencies and including means for producing binary signals on said output lines representative of the presence or absence of the associated frequency in the pair of tone signals received thereby, said decoder being connected with said output lines of said receiver and having a plurality of output lines each corresponding to a respective one of the buttons on each of said pads, said decoder including means for converting said binary signals on said output lines of said receiver into binary signals on said output lines of said decoder representative of the actuation or nonactuation of the associated one of the buttons of the pads of said calling station.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
339 words
A system for providing perceptible programs to a plurality of stations, said system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations for converting a received one of said program signals to a perceptible program, a plurality of means each associated with a respective one of said stations and each including a manually operable mechanism at the associated one of said stations for producing in response to the operation of said manually operable mechanism a call signal and program select signals, a selecting means associated with said program source and with said plurality of reproducing means operable in response to the receipt of program select signals to selectively connect selected ones of said program signals to said reproducing means, and means for exclusively assigning said selecting means to a calling one of said stations in response to the receipt of a call signal so as to permit the manually operable mechanism of the station assigned by said assigning means to said selecting means to be operated to in turn operate said selecting means and thereby make a program signal selection, said assigning means comprising an oscillator for producing a train of output pulses, a recycling counter for counting said output pulses and having such a numerical capacity as to provide a plurality of mutually distinct counts each of which represents a respective one of said stations, a multiposition comparator connected with said counter and having a plurality of output lines each associated with a respective one of said stations, said comparator being operable to produce on each of said output lines an on-station signal only when the count of said counter is that which is representative of the associated station, and gate means responsive to said on-station signals for gating to Said selecting means only those program select signals which are produced by the one of said manually operable mechanisms associated with the station represented by the on-station signal produced by said multiposition comparator.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
339 words
A system for providing perceptible programs to a plurality of stations, said system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations for converting a received one of said program signals to a perceptible program, a plurality of means each associated with a respective one of said stations and each including a manually operable mechanism at the associated one of said stations for producing in response to the operation of said manually operable mechanism a call signal and program select signals, a selecting means associated with said program source and with said plurality of reproducing means operable in response to the receipt of program select signals to selectively connect selected ones of said program signals to said reproducing means, and means for exclusively assigning said selecting means to a calling one of said stations in response to the receipt of a call signal so as to permit the manually operable mechanism of the station assigned by said assigning means to said selecting means to be operated to in turn operate said selecting means and thereby make a program signal selection, said assigning means comprising an oscillator for producing a train of output pulses, a recycling counter for counting said output pulses and having such a numerical capacity as to provide a plurality of mutually distinct counts each of which represents a respective one of said stations, a multiposition comparator connected with said counter and having a plurality of output lines each associated with a respective one of said stations, said comparator being operable to produce on each of said output lines an on-station signal only when the count of said counter is that which is representative of the associated station, and gate means responsive to said on-station signals for gating to Said selecting means only those program select signals which are produced by the one of said manually operable mechanisms associated with the station represented by the on-station signal produced by said multiposition comparator.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system as defined in claim 12 further characterized by said manually operable mechanism at each of said stations comprising a pad including a plurality of buttons and means for generating a coded tone signal in response to the actuation of each button.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
104 words
A system as defined in claim 12 further characterized by said assigning means including a plurality of AND gates each associated with one of said stations and each having as one input thereto the call signal produced by the manually operable mechanism of the associated station which signal opens each gate, each of said AND gates having as another input thereto the associated output line of said multiposition comparator so that when an on-station signal appears on said latter output line an output signal is produced from said AND gate and means responsive to said latter output signal for inhibiting operation of said oscillator.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
63 words
A system as defined in claim 14 further characterized by means associated with each of said stations for maintaining the call signal originating therefrom until the associated manually operable mechanism has been operated to cause a selected program signal to be converted to the associated reproducing means, and means for terminating said call signal in response to the making of said latter connection.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
396 words
A system for provided perceptible programs at a plurality of stations, said system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals divided into a plurality of groups, a crossbar switch having a plurality of select levels each operated by an associated one of a plurality of select coils and having as an input thereto a respective one of said groups of program signals from said program source, said crossbar switch also having a plurality of hold columns each operated by an associated one of a plurality of hold coils, said hold columns being assigned to a respective one of said stations and each having a plurality of output conductors on which appear in one-to-one relationship the input program signals of one of said select levels as selected by operation of the select coils of said one select level and the associated one of said hold coils, a plurality of relay trees each associated with a respective one of said stations and each having a plurality of input terminals connected in one-to-one relationship with the output conductors of the associated hold column of said crossbar switch, each of said relay trees further including an output terminal and a plurality of relays the contacts of which are so interconnected with one another and with said input terminals and said output terminal so that by energizing different combinations thereof different combinations thereof different ones of said input terminals may be selectively connected to said output terminal, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations and connected with said output terminal of the associated relay tree, a plurality of means each associated with a respective one of said stations and each including a manually operable mechanism at the associated one of said stations for producing in response to the operation of said manually operable mechanism a call signal and program select signals, and means associated with all of said stations and operable upon the receipt of a call signal from a calling one of said stations to condition said manually operable mechanism of said calling one of said stations to operate said crossbar switch and the associated one of said relay trees in response to program select signals produced thereby to make a connection between one of the program signals of said program source and said reproducing means of said calling station.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
396 words
A system for provided perceptible programs at a plurality of stations, said system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals divided into a plurality of groups, a crossbar switch having a plurality of select levels each operated by an associated one of a plurality of select coils and having as an input thereto a respective one of said groups of program signals from said program source, said crossbar switch also having a plurality of hold columns each operated by an associated one of a plurality of hold coils, said hold columns being assigned to a respective one of said stations and each having a plurality of output conductors on which appear in one-to-one relationship the input program signals of one of said select levels as selected by operation of the select coils of said one select level and the associated one of said hold coils, a plurality of relay trees each associated with a respective one of said stations and each having a plurality of input terminals connected in one-to-one relationship with the output conductors of the associated hold column of said crossbar switch, each of said relay trees further including an output terminal and a plurality of relays the contacts of which are so interconnected with one another and with said input terminals and said output terminal so that by energizing different combinations thereof different combinations thereof different ones of said input terminals may be selectively connected to said output terminal, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations and connected with said output terminal of the associated relay tree, a plurality of means each associated with a respective one of said stations and each including a manually operable mechanism at the associated one of said stations for producing in response to the operation of said manually operable mechanism a call signal and program select signals, and means associated with all of said stations and operable upon the receipt of a call signal from a calling one of said stations to condition said manually operable mechanism of said calling one of said stations to operate said crossbar switch and the associated one of said relay trees in response to program select signals produced thereby to make a connection between one of the program signals of said program source and said reproducing means of said calling station.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
214 words
A system as defined in claim 16 further characterized by said crossbaR switch having its select levels divided into at least two groups, a plurality of gate circuits each associated with a respective one of said groups of select levels, a plurality of groups of select driver circuits each associated with a respective one of said gate circuits and each including a plurality of select driver circuits for operating a corresponding one of the select level coils of the associated gate circuit, means responsive to a first select signal from said manually operable means of a calling station to select one of said gate circuits, said gate circuit in response to said selection being operable to open the select driver circuits of its associated group of driver circuits, means responsive to the next program select signal for operating one of said select driver circuits of said selected group to operate its associated select level coil, means responsive to said operation of one select level coil for conditioning the associated relay tree of said calling station to receive the next program select signal from said manually operable mechanism, and means responsive to the energization said relay tree of said calling station for operating the hold coil of said crossbar switch assigned to said calling station.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system as defined in claim 17 further characterized by means responsive to the energization of a hold coil of said crossbar switch to release said conditioning means for use with another calling station.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
63 words
A system as defined in claim 18 further characterized by means associated with each of said stations for holding the associated hold coil of said crossbar switch in an energized condition following its energization until said manually operable mechanism of said calling station is again actuated, and means for deenergizing said latter hold coil upon such subsequent actuation of said manually operable mechanism.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
51 words
A system as defined in claim 19 further characterized by said manually operable mechanism comprising a plurality of pads each located at a respective one of said stations and each including a plurality of buttons and means for generating a coded tone signal in response to the actuation of each button.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
76 words
A system as defined in claim 20 further characterized by a single signal converting means associated with all of said pads for converting said coded tone signals to binary coded signals used to operate said crossbar switch and said relay trees, said conditioning means including means for transmitting said coded tone signals of the pad of said calling station to said signal converting means to the exclusion of similar signals from other ones of said pads.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
260 words
A system providing perceptible programs to a plurality of stations, said system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals, a plurality of pads each located at a respective one of said stations and including a plurality of buttons and means for generating a coded tone signal in response to the actuation of each button, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations for converting a received one of said program signals to a perceptible program, a single signal converting means associated with all of said pads for converting said coded tone signals to binary coded signal, a plurality of switching means each associated with a respective one of said stations, conditioning means responsive to a first push of one of the buttons of the pad of a calling one of said stations to connect the pad of said calling station to said signal converting means to the exclusion of all other of said pads, means responsive to the binary coded signals produced from said signal converting means as a result of the coded tone signals transmitted thereto in response to the next following series of pushes of the buttons of the pads of said calling station to operate said switching means of said calling station to connect a selected one of said program signals to the reproducing means of said calling station, and means responsive to thE completion of said latter connection for releasing said conditioning means for use in connecting another one of said pads to said signal converting means.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
260 words
A system providing perceptible programs to a plurality of stations, said system comprising a program source providing a plurality of program signals, a plurality of pads each located at a respective one of said stations and including a plurality of buttons and means for generating a coded tone signal in response to the actuation of each button, a plurality of reproducing means each located at a respective one of said stations for converting a received one of said program signals to a perceptible program, a single signal converting means associated with all of said pads for converting said coded tone signals to binary coded signal, a plurality of switching means each associated with a respective one of said stations, conditioning means responsive to a first push of one of the buttons of the pad of a calling one of said stations to connect the pad of said calling station to said signal converting means to the exclusion of all other of said pads, means responsive to the binary coded signals produced from said signal converting means as a result of the coded tone signals transmitted thereto in response to the next following series of pushes of the buttons of the pads of said calling station to operate said switching means of said calling station to connect a selected one of said program signals to the reproducing means of said calling station, and means responsive to thE completion of said latter connection for releasing said conditioning means for use in connecting another one of said pads to said signal converting means.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system as defined in claim 22 further characterized by said plurality of switching means comprising a crossbar switch having a plurality of hold columns each associated with a respective one of said stations.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system as defined in claim 23 further characterized by said plurality of switching means further including a plurality of relay trees each associated with a respective one of said stations.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
40 words
A system as defined in claim 23 further characterized by means responsive to a final push of the pad of said calling station for breaking the connection between the selected program signal and the reproducing means of said calling station.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-10-18 | 1975-04-19 | 1975-10-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-10-18 | 1979-04-19 | 1979-10-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-10-18 | 1983-04-19 | 1983-10-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |