Telephonic communications – Special services – Locating using diverse technology
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-11
2001-09-25
Smith, Creighton (Department: 2742)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Locating using diverse technology
C370S522000, C370S524000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295349
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exchange for executing connections among a plurality of terminals via a plurality of communication channels.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of functions carried out by an exchange, there has been available a camp-on function. According to the camp-on function, when a certain terminal (calling terminal) makes a call to another terminal (called terminal) while the called terminal is used or busy, the calling terminal reserves at an exchange a connection, i.e. a camp-on, between itself and the called terminal and, when the called terminal becomes idle, the exchange calls up the called terminal and then the calling terminal so as to execute the reserved connection, i.e. the reserved camp-on. In general, each terminal is allocated one communication channel independently. Thus, when a certain terminal is used, it means that a channel for that terminal is also used. Under these circumstances, the conventional exchange only monitors whether each terminal is used or not, for carrying out the reserved camp-on.
Recently, however, one channel is shared by a plurality of terminals for efficient utilization of the channel, or one terminal uses two or more channels for the speed-up of communication. Therefore, it may take place that although a camp-on-reserved calling or called terminal is idle, a corresponding channel is used by another terminal, or that although a channel is idle, a corresponding camp-on-reserved calling or called terminal is busy.
As described above, since the conventional exchange merely monitors whether each terminal is used or not, there has been a problem that it is difficult to reliably execute the reserved camp-on.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved exchange which can overcome the foregoing problem.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exchange for executing a reserved connection between a first and a second terminal, the first terminal having a first channel for communication, the second terminal being one of a plurality of terminals having a second channel for communication shared by the plurality of terminals, the exchange comprising a first judging circuit for judging whether each of the first and second terminals is busy or idle; a second judging circuit for judging whether the second channel is busy or idle; and an execution circuit for executing the reserved connection when the first judging circuit judges that the first and second terminals are both idle and the second judging circuit judges that the second channel is idle.
It may be arranged that the execution circuit gives priority to starting of communication using the second channel by one of the plurality of terminals other than the second terminal, over execution of the reserved connection.
It may be arranged that the execution circuit gives priority to execution of the reserved connection over starting of communication using the second channel by one of the plurality of terminals other than the second terminal.
It may be arranged that the second channel is an ISDN channel.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a private branch exchange for executing a reserved connection between a first and a second terminal, the first terminal having a first channel for communication, the second terminal being one of a plurality of terminals having a second channel for communication shared by the plurality of terminals, the private branch exchange comprising a first judging circuit for judging whether each of the first and second terminals is busy or idle; a second judging circuit for judging whether the second channel is busy or idle; and an execution circuit for executing the reserved connection when the first judging circuit judges that the first and second terminals are both idle and the second judging circuit judges that the second channel is idle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5521965 (1996-05-01), D'Alessio et al.
patent: 5828744 (1998-10-01), Nemoto
patent: 5943408 (1999-08-01), Chen et al.
patent: 5946319 (1999-08-01), Kobayashi
patent: 6141343 (2000-10-01), Nagayama et al.
patent: 6-070034 (1994-03-01), None
Deane, Jr. William J.
Frank Robert J.
OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Smith Creighton
Venable
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