Key telephone system and maintenance method therefor

Details Key telephone system and maintenance method therefor Key telephone system and maintenance method therefor

1999-03-26

2001-10-09

Tieu, Binh (Department: 2643)

Telephonic communications

Multi-line or key substation system with selective switching...

C379S001010, C379S009010, C379S012000, C379S022020, C379S157000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06301345

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a key telephone system (hereinafter often referred to simply as “KTS”), a maintenance method therefor, and a medium on which is recorded a program for executing the maintenance method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a key telephone system which immediately and flexibly performs, at low cost and through remote control, a change in the main program of the key telephone system, recovery from failures, and maintenance operations such as diagnosis; to a maintenance method for the key telephone system; and to a medium for recording a program for executing the maintenance method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Like a private branch exchange (PBX), various key telephone systems have already been proposed as a system for providing business users with telephone exchange service. The PBX originated as an exchange for connecting private telephone lines, and during the course of its development a function of connecting the private telephone lines to a telephone network has been added to the PBX. In contrast, the key telephone system originated from the idea of making convenient connection to the telephone network through use of a plurality of telephone sets; for example, through switching of branch telephones. The function of inter-communication between extensions was later added to the key telephone system. In recent years, there has been no definite distinction between the PBX and the KTS, and a choice between the PBX and the KTS is a mere matter of the user's preference.
FIG. 8
shows the configuration of a telephone network system using such key telephone systems. A conventional key telephone system
101
has two built-in CPU cards
111
,
112
, in that the CPU card
111
is used as a main CPU card and the CPU card
112
is used as a standby CPU card. The KTS
101
further comprises a built-in analog/digital extension card
113
to be used as an extension interface card and a built-in analog/digital outside line card
114
to be used as an outside line interface card. These four cards
111
to
114
are connected together by way of a system bus and a system PCM highway
115
.
The KTS
101
is connected to an analog/digital network
103
by way of the analog/digital outside line card
114
and is further connected to a maintenance site
102
by way of the analog/digital network
103
. The maintenance site
102
is made up of a MODEM/TA (modem or a terminal adapter)
51
and a PC (personal computer)
52
and performs maintenance remotely.
The maintenance of such a conventional KTS
101
will now be described. The main program of the KTS
101
is changed on-site through operations such as exchange of memory, or a CPU card, of the KTS
101
. Recovery of the KTS
101
from failures is performed by remotely switching the CPU card
111
to the standby CPU card
112
. Further, the KTS
101
is diagnosed by means of operations performed through a digital telephone set or personal computer disposed at the client's location. To remotely diagnose the KTS
101
, a diagnostic program incorporated into the KTS
101
beforehand is activated, and the result of such diagnosis is remotely transmitted to equipment installed at a remote site.
As mentioned above, with regard to the conventional key telephone system and the maintenance method therefor, and the medium for recording the program for executing the maintenance program, remotely changing the main program of the key telephone system requires two CPU cards, i.e., the main CPU card and the standby CPU card, thereby increasing the cost of the key telephone system. Further, providing two CPU cards to a key telephone system which usually operates through use of a single CPU card is wasteful even in terms of system configuration.
To remotely diagnose the key telephone system, one type of diagnostic program previously incorporated into the key telephone system is activated irrespective of system configuration. Accordingly, flexible and immediate activation of a relevant diagnostic program corresponding to the installation conditions of the key telephone system or to the nature of failure has been impossible. Further, if maintenance personal desires to change the built-in diagnostic program of the key telephone system, the CPU cards of the key telephone systems disposed at the client's location must be exchanged, thereby requiring an enormous amount of time and money.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved in view of the foregoing circumstances of the conventional key telephone system, and the object of the present invention is to provide a key telephone system, a maintenance method for the key telephone system, and a medium for recording a program for executing the maintenance method. They enable rewriting of a main program of the key telephone system, recovery from failures, and maintenance operations such as diagnosis, in an immediate, flexible, and inexpensive manner by remote control.
To solve the foregoing problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key telephone system comprising: first storage means which stores a program of the key telephone system; operation control means which operates and controls the key telephone system through execution of the program stored in the first storage means; second storage means which stores a program; downloading means which downloads an alternative program to be rewritten from an external device to the second storage means; and control means which saves the program stored in the first storage means into the second storage means and which transmits and rewrites the alternative program stored in the second storage means to the first storage means.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key telephone system comprising: first storage means which stores a program of the key telephone system; operation control means which operates and controls the key telephone system through execution of the program stored in the first storage means; second storage means which stores a program; downloading means which downloads an alternative program to be rewitten from an external device to the second storage means; control means which saves the program stored in the first storage means into the second storage means and which transmits and rewrite the alternative program stored in the second storage means to the first storage means; failure information recording means which records information regarding at least failures that occur during the downloading of the alternative program by the downloading means and failures that occur during the saving, transmitting and writing of the alternative program over the program stored in the first storage means by the control means; and recovery means which recovers the key telephone system by reference to the failure information recorded in the failure information recording means in case of occurrence of failure.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key telephone system comprising: first storage means which stores a program of the key telephone system; operation control means which operates and controls the key telephone system through execution of the program stored in the first storage means; second storage means which stores a diagnostic program; downloading means which downloads an alternative diagnostic program from an external device to the second storage means; control means which saves a diagnostic program having been stored in a first area in the second storage means into a second area in the second storage means and which transmits and rewrites the alternative diagnostic program stored in the second area of the second storage means to the first area; diagnostic means which diagnoses the state of a line connected to the key telephone system according to a diagnostic program stored in the first area of the second storage means, through transmission and receipt of a signal.
Preferably, the second storage means, the downloading

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