Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTOMATIC NUMBERING ID~ lCATION 8YSTEM
FIBLD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to communication
systems employing remote located communication devices.
In particular, the present invention relates to an
automatic numbering identification system wherein each of
the remote located communications devices can be
identified at a central location during normal operation
of the communication device.
R~rRaRoUND OF THE l~V~..ION:
Rural communication systems have for years used
party line configurations as a cost effective means to
bring modern day communications to less densely populated
areas of the country. As a practical consideration,
where more than one user has the capability of accessing
a communication path (telephone line) the supplier of
such communication services must be able to identify that
user to effectuate proper billing. A popular response to
this problem has been to require the use of an extra
digit, sometimes referred to a llcircle~ digit, to
differentiate the user, or more particularly, the remote
communication device being used, and identify the device
being used at a central billing location. This
requirement extended to party line users as well as to
private line users. Therefore, a user has to dial a
circle digit first and then dial the telephone number
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desired such that the central billing location could
identify the source of the call and bill appropriately if
it is a toll call.
This procedure, regarding the dialing of an extra
digit, is inconvenient for the user, and difficult for a
visitor to such a rural community to understand. It
would be desirable to eliminate the need for the circle
digit allowing llnormalll use of the communication device
while still being able to identify the device in the
event of a call originating therefrom.
It is an object of the present invention to
provide an automatic numbering identification system for
remote located communication devices such that use of
each remote located communication device can be
appropriately tracked for the purposes of billing.
If is a further object of the present invention
to provide an automatic numbering identification system
which does not require the use of an additional digit,
such as with telephone numbers, for the purposes of
identification.
It is still another object of the present invention
to provide an automatic numbering identification device
which couples to a plurality of remote located
communication devices in a manner which allows for
identification of each of such remote located
communication devices.
It is still another object of the present
invention to provide an automatic numbering
identification device which can be mounted in a central
location or be placed in each of the remote located
communication devices.
8UMMARY OF THB l~.v~ ON:
The automatic numbering system of the present
invention includes a plurality of remote located
communication devices (for example, telephones or
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facsimile machines) with each of these devices capable of
transmitting a signal, for example an electrical signal,
to an identification device. The identification device
of the automatic numbering identification system is
coupled to each one of the plurality of remote located
communication devices. The identification device
receives each of the signals transmitted from each of the
remote located communication devices, and depending upon
which of the remote located communication devices
transmitted the signal, the identification device will
output its own signal indicative of the particular remote
located communication device from which it received the
transmitted signal. The output of the identification
device is sent to a central coupler wherein the central
coupler is capable of interpreting the signal from the
identification device as a indication of the particular
remote located communication device which transmitted the
signal.
The identification device further comprises network
circuitry adapted to produce a predetermined impedance in
response to each of the transmitted signals from the
remote located communication devices. This is made
possible by providing for discrete electrical paths in
the network circuitry arranged such that the signal
produced by each of the remote located communication
devices travels along a particular electrical path. Also
included as part of the identification device is a
detector device which is adapted to detect the existence
of any of the predetermined impedances in the network
circuitry. It is then the detector device which produces
a detection signal in response to detecting the existence
of any of the predetermined impedances with the detection
signal produced corresponding to the particular
predetermined impedance which is detected.
The automatic numbering identification system may
further comprise a nodal arrangement of the network
circuitry of the identification device wherein a
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plurality of discrete electrlcal components (for example, a
~ reslstor, an lnductor, and a dlode) are coupled together ln a
serles arrangement such that the respective ends of each of
the dlscrete electrlcal components from a node wlthln the
network clrcultry. Each of the remote located communlcation
devlces may be coupled to the ldentlflcatlon devlce vla, for
example a slgnal llne comprlslng a two conductor cable. By
connectlng each conductor of the two conductor cables to a
partlcular node wlthln the network clrcultry, a dlstlnct
electrlcal characterlstlc ~l.e. voltage drop or current draw)
appears across one or more of the dlscrete electrlcal
components when a slgnal ls sent from a communlcatlon devlce,
due to the exlstence of a unlque lmpedance for the slgnal
path. The magnltude of the electrlcal characterlstlc ls then
detected by the detector devlce whlch puts out a correspondlng
detectlon slgnal. For example, detectlon of a predetermlned
flrst voltage or current level due to the exlstence of a flrst
lmpedance, results ln the detector devlce produclng a flrst
detectlon slgnal, and so on.
The ldentlflcatlon devlce, although ldeally placed
ln a central locatlon to recelve slgnals from a plurallty of
remote located communlcatlon devlces, can also easlly be
placed ln each one of the remote located communlcatlon
devlces.
In accordance wlth one aspect of the present
lnventlon there ls provlded an automatlc numberlng
ldentlflcatlon system comprlslng:
a plurallty of remote communlcatlon devlces, each of sald
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plurallty of remote cor~munlcatlon devlces for
~ transmlttlng a remote devlce slgnal;
an ldentlflcatlon devlce, coupled to each one of sald
plurallty of remote communlcatlon devlces, for recelvlng
sald remote devlce slgnal from each of sald plurallty or
remote communlcatlon devlces, sald ldentlflcatlon devlce
further comprlslng:
network clrcultry comprlslng a plurallty of dlscrete
components ln a nodal arrangement for provldlng a
plurallty of electrlcal paths, sald plurallty of
electrlcal paths lncludlng at least a flrst
electrlcal path comprlslng a reslstor ln serles wlth
an lnductor, each sald electrlcal path extendlng
from a partlcular flrst node to a partlcular second
node, sald network clrcultry for
recelvlng each of sald plurallty of remote devlce
slgnals on a correspondlng one of sald electrlcal
paths whereln a correspondlng predetermlned
lmpedance exlsts ln the presence of the respectlve
one of sald plurallty of remote devlce slgnals; and
a detector devlce for detectlng sald correspondlng
predetermlned lmpedance and for provldlng a
correspondlng predetermlned detectlon slgnal ln
response thereto;
sald ldentlflcatlon devlce belng sealed as an lntegral
component ln a weatherproof materlal; and
a central coupler coupled to sald ldentlflcatlon devlce
to recelve each remote devlce slgnal from sald
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identification device and to said detector devlce to
~ recelve the correspondlng predetermlned detectlon slgnal,
whereln sald one of sald plurallty of communlcatlon
devlces is ldentifled by sald correspondlng predetermlned
detectlon slgnal ln response to sald one of sald
plurality of communicatlon devices transmitting a remote
devlce signal.
In accordance with another aspect of the present
lnvention there is provided a method of automatically
identifying a remote located communication device in a
communication system, comprislng the steps of:
coupllng each of a plurallty of remote located
communlcation devices to an ldentiflcatlon devlce having
network clrcuitry arranged in a nodal arrangement, the
network clrcultry lncluding at least a resistor, an
inductor and a dlode;
protecting the ldentiflcatlon devlce by seallng lt as an
l.ntegral component ln weatherproof material;
creating a plurallty of distlnct electrlcal paths havlng
predetermlned electrical characterlstics by coupllng each
of the remote located communlcation devlces to one or
more nodes of the network clrcuitry;
transmltting a predetermined flrst slgnal from one of the
plurality of remote located communication devices to the
ldentlflcatlon devlce;
detecting the presence of the transmitted predetermined
first slgnal on one of the plurallty of dlstlnct
electrlcal paths by monltorlng one or more of lts
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predetermlned electrlcal characterlstlcs; and
transmlttlng a predetermlned second slgnal to a central
coupler ln the presence of the detected transmltted
predetermlned flrst slgnal, whereln the predetermlned
second slgnal corresponds to the predetermlned electrlcal
characterlstlcs of a partlcular dlstlnct electrlcal path.
These and other ob~ects and advantages of the
lnventlon wlll become apparent from the followlng detalled
descrlptlon taken ln con~unctlon wlth the accompanylng
drawlngs whereln.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 dlagrammatlcally lllustrates an automatlc
numberlng ldentlflcatlon system lncludlng remote located
communlcatlon devlce and a central ldentlflcatlon devlce;
FIG. 2 schematlcally lllustrates network clrcultry
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of the identification device of the automatic numbering
identification system including discrete electrical
components and a detector device, and the coupling of the
identification device to the remote located communication
device and a central coupler.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FOR CARRYING OUT THB l~V~ lON:
Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic numbering
identification system includes a plurality of remote
located communication devices at, for example, positions
1, 2, 3 and 4 and an identification device 10. A remote
located communication device may include a telephone or
other such device capable of transmitting a signal when
in use. Each of the remote located communication devices
at positions 1, 2, 3 and 4, is coupled to the
identification device 10.
The identification device 10 is adapted to receive a
plurality of inputs including the transmitted signals
from each of the plurality of remote located
communication devices along signal lines 20, 40, 50 and
60. In addition, the identification device 10 is adapted
to output a signal along signal line 30.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the identification device
10 includes discrete electrical components and
connections. The identification device 10 operates to
identify the particular remote located communication
device in use by monitoring the signal transmitted from
each such remote located communication device at
positions 1, 2, 3 and 4, such monitoring being performed
at one or more of a plurality of nodes A, B and C within
the identification device 10.
The identification device 10 includes network
circuitry 21 comprising a plurality of discrete
electrical components and connections. Since the
identification device 10 operates to monitor signals
along particular signal paths within the network
circuitry 21, it is advisable to describe the
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identification device 10 in terms of its signal paths and
connections.
The identification device 10 receives a signal from
position 1 (communication device) along signal line 20.
Signal line 20 is a two wire cable, a first wire 20a of
which is connected to node A, and a second wire 20b which
is connected to an earth ground. The signal from
position 1 travels along signal line 20, signal line 20a
and signal line 30 (which may also represent a telephone
line, for example) to a central coupler 31. It is
therefore seen that the signal from position 1 proceeds
through the identification device 10 without resulting in
a detection signal being generated for identification
purposes. For the purposes of billing, the absence of a
detection signal to specifically identify a remote
located communication device is itself an indication of
the use of a particular device. In this case, as
illustrated in FIG.2, the communication device in use, is
in position 1.
The signal received from position 2 (communication
device) travels along signal line 40 which is a two wire
cable comprising signal lines 40a and 40b. Signal line
40a carries the signal from position 2, while signal line
40b acts as a ground. The electrical path from position
2 to the central coupler 31 follows signal line 40,
signal line 40a and signal line 30. Although there is a
signal path from position 2 to the central coupler 31
there is also a difference in potential between signal
lines 40a and 40b. This difference in potential is
designated as v1 which, referring to FIG. 2, is
illustrated as the difference in potential between nodes
A and B. The network circuitry 21 of the automatic
numbering identification system provides for discrete
electrical components to be connected in a series
arrangement between nodes A and B. In particular, nodes
A and B are connected via a resistor 42 in series with an
inductor 43. The voltage v1 across nodes A and B
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therefore result, in this instance, with a current flow i
across the resistor 42 and inductor 43.
A detector device 45 is also connected to nodes A
and B and arranged to detect either of the voltage
differential between nodes A and B (vl) or the current
flow between nodes A and B (i1). In response to the
detector device 45 detecting a predetermined voltage v
across nodes A and B, or a predetermined current i1
flowing between nodes A and B, the detector device 45
will produce a detection signal and transmit such
detection signal along a signal line 46 to the central
coupler 31. The detection signal transmitted on signal
line 46 corresponds to the predetermined voltage or
current levels across nodes A and B. As such, the
central coupler 31 can identify which remote located
communication device sent the signal to the
identification device 10. In this case, the remote
located communication device in use, is in position 2.
The timing of the detection signal is not a critical
feature of the present invention, relative to the signal
being transmitted from the communication device to the
central coupler 31. The detection signal may be output
to the central coupler 31 before normal use is permitted,
or perhaps sometime during the transmission of the main
signal. In addition, although
FIG.2 depicts an arrangement whereby the detection signal
uses the same signal path to the central coupler, this
arrangement is not exclusive. For example, signal line
46 may extend all the way from the detector device 46 to
the central coupler 31.
A signal transmitted from position 3 (communication
device) is transmitted along signal line 50, which is a
two wire cable which splits into signal line 50a and
signal line 50b. Signal line 50a carries the transmitted
signal from position 3 to node A whereas signal line 50b
acts as a ground in this instance and is connected to
node C. The total signal path from position 3 to the
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central coupler 31 extends along signal lines 50, 50a and
30. There is, of course, a difference in potential
between signal lines 50a and 50b during the transmission
of a signal from position 3. This difference in
potential is designated as v2 and also represents the
difference of potential across nodes A and C. The
existence of a difference of potential between nodes A
and C (v2) results in a current flow i2 from node A to
node C through resistor 42, inductor 43 and a diode 52.
The detector device 45 is also coupled to node C in
addition to being coupled to nodes A and B.
The detector device 45 is adapted to detect the
existence of either a predetermined voltage differential
(v2) across nodes A and C, or a predetermined current flow
(i2) through the resistor 42, inductor 43 and diode 52
series of components. As a result of detecting either of
the predetermined voltage or current levels between nodes
A and C, the detector device 45 will output a
corresponding detection signal on signal line 46. This
detection signal is transmitted to the central coupler
31, enabling this central coupler 31 to determine that
the remote located communication device from position 3
was the originator of the signal to the identification
device 10.
A signal transmitted from position 4 (communication
device 4) is sent to the identification device 10 along
signal line 60. Signal line 60 is a two wire cable which
splits into signal line 60a and 60b. Signal line 60a
carries the signal from position 4 to node C whereas
signal line 60b acts as a ground and is connected to node
A in this instance. During the transmission of a signal
along signal line 60, a difference in potential exists
between signal lines 60a and 60b, and therefore across
nodes A and C. This difference in potential (also v2)
results in a current flow from nodes C to A (such current
flow also designated as i2, however the current will flow
in the direction opposite to that previously discussed
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for i2). The detector device 45, as in the case of
signals from position 3, is adapted to detect a
predetermined voltage level or current flow from nodes A
to C. As a result of the detector device 45 detecting
such predetermined voltage or current level, the detector
device 45 will output a corresponding detection signal on
signal line 46 to be transmitted to the central coupler
31. The central coupler 31, in response to receiving
this corresponding detection signal, will be able to
ascertain that the source of the signal to the
identification device 10 is the communication device
located at position 4.
In another embodiment, the detector device 45 may
comprise a microprocessor, adapted to accept inputs
indicative of signal level at various points in the
network circuitry 21, and to compare these inputs with
predetermined stored values. In this embodiment, the
successful comparison of the inputted signal levels and
the stored values may result in the output of a detection
signal to its central coupler.
The entirety of the identification device 10,
including network circuitry 21 discrete electrical
components 42, 43, and 52, as well as the detector device
45 may all be designed into an integral device which may
be constructed of a polyvinyl compound to protect it from
dampness, dust and the elements. This arrangement
prevents corrosion and may eliminate the noise or other
problems resulting from such moisture, dust, an exposure
to the elements. In addition, the identification device
10 may be constructed of a suitable size to be installed
in each of the remote located communication devices,
rather than in a centralized location where it is adapted
to receive a plurality of signals from such communication
devices.
The automatic numbering identification system,
although described above in the context of a system
capable of connecting four remote located communication
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devices, can be adapted to handled as few as two
connections or as many connections as needed within the
physical limitations of the system. In addition, the
inductor 43 is a discrete component which must be placed
somewhere in the series connection which is monitored by
the detector device 45 in order to match the iterative
impedance of the circuit. In addition, this inductor 43
may comprise a electromagnet having a soft iron core with
a single wire wound around it.
