Patent GB-763828-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to subscriber billing in automatic telecommunication exchange systems and the like
Inventor: HARTLEY GEORGE CLIFFORD
IPC: H04M15/04
Filed: 1953-05-22
Abstract: 763,828. Automatic exchange systems. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES, Ltd. April 26, 1954, [May 22, 1953], No. 14480/53. Class 40(4). Metering information is automatically accumulated during a connection in a store having no relation to the substation liable for the connection and said information is automatically transferred at the end of the connection to a store which has a numerical relation to the substation and is capable of storing information relating to a number of connections. During a call, the calling number, category, basic fee, and time of answering are registered on part of a magnetic drum A allocated to the outgoing junction OGJ handling the call, as shown schematically in Fig. 1. When the call ends, the information on the drum A is transferred to an intermediate storage circuit which co-operates with the charge computor, after which the tens and units digit of the calling number is entered into the appropriate hundreds group section of the drum B together with the-total charge, Fig. 2. Detailed circuits. Registration of calling number and basic fee. The toll register stores dialled digits and the digit distributer F1, Fig. 6, steps at the reception of each digit. The toll register recognises call categories corresponding to combinations of the first three digits. The category and fee are registered in binary code in stores F5, F6. At the end of the third digit, digit distributer F1 energizes F1C which energizes F2A. Assuming that F4A is energized, register scanner F9 operates in a cyclic manner and in the example when F9B energizes, i.e. that section corresponding to register B, gate G1 opens to energize F3A to indicate that the register is found. F3A operates F4B to stop the register scanner and through the outgoing junction energizes F7A, Fig. 5, which operates relay IS. IS marks the P wire to cause the identity of the calling subscriber to be registered on F10-F13, Fig. 7, as described in Specification 763,829, after which F22A energizes. Registration on drum A. F7A and F22A open gate GP, Fig. 5, at the coincidence of pulses TP, TS, SP indicating the beginning of the section of drum A allocated to the outgoing junction associated with the register B which initiated the identification. Gate GP energizes F8A, Fig. 7, to open those gates GA, Ga marked by the identity stores F10-F13 to record the calling number in elements 2-17 of the track section of the drum. Similarly F3A and F8A enter the category and fee records from stores F5, F6 in elements 18-24, Fig. 6. At the end of the track section F8B energizes to prevent further recording and restores F3 which energizes F4A to reactivate the register scanner F9. F8B also steps F7 to condition B, relay IS falling back to remove the marking from the P wire. When the called subscriber answers relay D operates to energize F7C and the time is recorded in elements 25-35 from clock stores F15, F16 (Fig. 8, not shown), the reset pulse at the end of the track section energizing F14B (not shown) to operate F7D. 3-minute warning. If the call lasts for more than 3 minutes a second clock, set three minutes behind the normal clock, catches up with the starting time read from the drum (Fig. 9, not shown) and F21A energizes to supply tone to the calling subscriber for a brief period. Transfer of information to intermediate store. When the calling subscriber hangs up, F7E energizes. The information stored on the A drum is read by a head placed 34 elements ahead of the recording head (Fig. 9, not shown). F7E opens gate GC at the appropriate reading time if F23A is energized, so indicating that the computor is free. Gate GC energizes F22A, Fig. 10. F17 then responds to the reading head to enter the information into the identity, category and fee, and answer time stores, the reset pulse at the end of the section energizing F7F. The duration of the call is determined from the answer and clear time stores and the chargeable fee is determined by the computer, all in known manner. The outputs from the identity store, Fig. 10, are transferred to stores F24-F27, Fig. 12, in binary code and the thousands and hundreds digits are translated to the decimal system in registers F28, F29, which control 100 gates so as to energize one " hundreds group " valve, say 92. This valve indicates the hundreds group including the calling subscriber and opens its associated gate at the coincidence of a track pulse TP92 and a chalk-mark pulse CM indicating that the track section under the recording head is free, as described in Specifications 744,352 and 744,357, [both in Group XIX], to energize F30A, whereupon the tens and units digits of the calling number together with the chargeable fee are recorded on the drum B (Fig. 13, not shown). At the end of the section F30B energizes to stop recording and energize F23A. The prior state of the art is represented by references also to Specifications 746,666; 744,358, and 763,830, [both in Group XIX].