Telephonic communications – Special services – Conferencing
Patent
1998-03-10
2000-12-12
Smith, Creighton
Telephonic communications
Special services
Conferencing
379203, H04M 342
Patent
active
061608793
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of providing a private circuit in a telecommunications network which has at least two local switches, each local switch having a group of local switch lines and being associated with a group of access lines. The invention is also concerned with such a network which is arranged to provide a private circuit.
Related Art
In the usual method of providing a private circuit between first and second access lines, physical connections are made by engineers at appropriate exchange buildings so as to provide the private circuit. Where a failure occurs in the private circuit in the network, it is a usual requirement to restore the private circuit quickly. There is also sometimes a requirement to provide a private circuit quickly. This invention is concerned with the quick provision or restoration of a private circuit.
A known method of providing quick provision or restoration of a private circuit between a first access line associated with a first local switch and a second access line associated with a second local switch is as follows. At the first local switch, an engineer connects the first access line to a first local switch line. A second engineer then connects the second access line to a second local switch line at the second local switch. The two engineers then instruct network management personnel to provide a permanent switched circuit between the first and second local switch lines through appropriate switches in the network. This known method suffers from the disadvantage that it involves network management personnel so it tends to be laborious and time consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
EP-A-0 400879 describes a dynamic shared facility system for private networks.
According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of providing a private circuit in a telecommunications network, said network having at least two local switches and a switching unit, each local switch having a group of local switch lines and being associated with a group of access lines, said method comprising the steps of: first local switch; a second local switch; second local switch lines; local switch lines with itself so as to form a private circuit between said first and second access lines.
In comparison with the known method of quick provision or restoration of a private circuit, the method of the invention has the advantage that it does not involve network management personnel. Consequently, the private circuit can be provided more quickly.
According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a telecommunications network having at least two local switches and a switching unit, each local switch having a group of local switch lines and being associated with a group of access lines, each access line being connectable to a local switch line, said switching unit comprising: local switch line and a second local switch line to form a private circuit; and second local switch line within itself to form a private circuit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
This invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a telecommunications network embodying this invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a local switch and an associated distribution frame located at an exchange building and forming part of the network of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a switching unit forming part of the network of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4A-4C provide a flow chart of the steps which are used to provide a private circuit in the network of FIG. 1 using the switching unit in one embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the steps which are used in the network of FIG. 1 to disconnect a private circuit which has been formed using the switching unit; and
FIGS. 6A-6C provide a flow chart of the steps which are used to provide a private circuit in the network of FIG. 1 using the switching unit in another embodiment of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
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Ashcroft Peter
Tooze John C
British Telecommunications public limited company
Smith Creighton
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