Network traffic control system

Claim 2

A network traffic control arrangement for regulating traffic offered to network switching centers comprising means for selectively routing subscriber generated calls to ones of the switching centers; means for ascertaining presence of call signals identifying subscriber generated calls intended for routing to a congested one of the switching centers; and means enabled by said ascertaining means for controlling said routing means to route ones of the subscriber generated calls to the congested switching center by ensuring that a minimum time between consecutive ones of the routed calls is greater than a prescribed time interval.

Claim 3

The network traffic control arrangement set forth in claim 1 wherein said ascertaining means comprises means responsive to overload signals generated by the congested switching center for detecting routing signals identifying the subscriber generated calls routed to the congested switching center.

Claim 4

The network traffic control arrangement set forth in claim 2 wherein said controlling means comprises means enabled by said detecting means for generating a timing pulse signal, and means enabled by said timing pulse signal for directing said routing means to route the subscriber generated calls identified by call signals occurring during an interval defined by said timing pulse to uncongested ones of the switching centers.

Claim 5

A network traffic control arrangement for regulating traffic offered to a congested switching center by interconnections of incoming communication facilities identified by call attempt signals with outgoing communication facilities terminated at the congested switching center comprising means responsive to the call attempt signals for selectively connecting the incoming communication facilities with the outgoing communication facilities, means for detecting connections of ones of the incoming communication facilities with ones of the outgoing communication facilities, and means responsive to said detecting means for limiting the call attempt signals offered to the congested switching center by inhibiting said connecting means from responding to ones of the call attempt signals occurring within a minimum time defined by a prescribed tIme interval following each of the detected connections.

Claim 6

A network traffic control arrangement for regulating traffic offered to a congested switching center by interconnections of incoming communication facilities identified by call attempt signals with outgoing communication facilities terminated at the congested switching center comprising means responsive to the call attempt signals for selectively connecting the incoming communication facilities with the outgoing communication facilities, means for detecting connections of ones of the incoming communication facilities with ones of the outgoing communication facilities, and means responsive to said detecting means for limiting the call attempt signals offered to the congested switching center by inhibiting said connecting means from responding to ones of the call attempt signals occurring within a minimum time defined by a prescribed tIme interval following each of the detected connections.

Claim 7

A network traffic control arrangement for use with a switching center having common control equipment responsive to calling signals and arranged for offering the calling signals to network switching centers by interconnecting incoming communication facilities with outgoing communication facilities terminated at the network switching centers comprising means for receiving overload signals generated by a congested one of the network switching centers, means for detecting the common control equipment initiating interconnections of ones of the incoming communication facilities with ones of the outgoing communication facilities terminated at the congested network switching center, and means responsive to said receiving means and said detecting means for enabling the common control equipment to establish a minimum time between consecutive ones of the interconnections that is always greater than a prescribed time interval, thereby limiting the calling signals offered to the congested network switching center.

Claim 8

A network traffic control arrangement for use with a switching center having common control equipment responsive to calling signals and arranged for offering the calling signals to network switching centers by interconnecting incoming communication facilities with outgoing communication facilities terminated at the network switching centers comprising means for receiving overload signals generated by a congested one of the network switching centers, means for detecting the common control equipment initiating interconnections of ones of the incoming communication facilities with ones of the outgoing communication facilities terminated at the congested network switching center, and means responsive to said receiving means and said detecting means for enabling the common control equipment to establish a minimum time between consecutive ones of the interconnections that is always greater than a prescribed time interval, thereby limiting the calling signals offered to the congested network switching center.

Claim 9

The traffic control arrangement set forth in claim 5 wherein said enabling means comprises logic means responsive to said receiving means and said detecting means for ascertaining occurrence of the interconnections concurrently with occurrences of the overload signals, timing means enabled by said logic means for generating a timing pulse signal, and means responsive to the timing pulse signal for inhibiting the common control equipment from responding to ones of the calling signals generated by the incoming communication facilities.

Claim 10

The traffic control arrangement set forth in claim 6 wherein said inhibiting means includes pulse operated relay apparatus individual to each one of a plurality of markers comprising the switching center common control equipment.

Claim 11

A network traffic control arrangement for use in controlling marker route relays of a local central office to regulate consecutive interconnections of subscriber lines identified by call attempt signals with outgoing trunks terminated in network switching centers comprising a slave relay; a first path for operating one of the marker route relays in response to the call attempt signals and comprising break contacts of said slave relay in bridged combination with first make contacts of said one marker route relay; a second path for receiving overload signals generated by a congested one of the switching centers; a third path for generating connect signals signifying connections of ones of the subscriber lines with ones of the outgoing trunks terminated in the congested switching center and comprising second make contacts of said one marker route relay; logic circuitry connected to said second and said third paths for detecting ones of said connecting signals generated during occurrences of said overload signals; and timing means enabled by said logic circuitry for enabling said slave relay to open said break contacts for a predetermined interval of time.

Claim 12

A network traffic control arrangement for use in controlling marker route relays of a local central office to regulate consecutive interconnections of subscriber lines identified by call attempt signals with outgoing trunks terminated in network switching centers comprising a slave relay; a first path for operating one of the marker route relays in response to the call attempt signals and comprising break contacts of said slave relay in bridged combination with first make contacts of said one marker route relay; a second path for receiving overload signals generated by a congested one of the switching centers; a third path for generating connect signals signifying connections of ones of the subscriber lines with ones of the outgoing trunks terminated in the congested switching center and comprising second make contacts of said one marker route relay; logic circuitry connected to said second and said third paths for detecting ones of said connecting signals generated during occurrences of said overload signals; and timing means enabled by said logic circuitry for enabling said slave relay to open said break contacts for a predetermined interval of time.

Claim 13

The network traffic control arrangement set forth in claim 8 further comprising a fourth path for operating an alternate one of the marker route relays in response to ones of said call attempt signals generated during said time interval and comprising make contacts of said slave relay in series with break contacts of said one marker route relay.

Claim 14

In a switching network, a local central office serving a plurality of subscriber lines and arranged for selectively connecting the subscriber lines with trunks extending to network switching centers, the local central office comprising traffic control means for controlling a rate of interconnecting calling ones of the subscriber lines with ones of the trunks terminated in a congested one of the network switching centers, and means enabled by the congested switching center in combination with connection signals generated by said traffic control meanS for enabling said traffic control means to establish a minimum time between consecutive ones of the interconnections that is always greater than a prescribed time interval.

Claim 15

In a switching network, a local central office serving a plurality of subscriber lines and arranged for selectively connecting the subscriber lines with trunks extending to network switching centers, the local central office comprising traffic control means for controlling a rate of interconnecting calling ones of the subscriber lines with ones of the trunks terminated in a congested one of the network switching centers, and means enabled by the congested switching center in combination with connection signals generated by said traffic control meanS for enabling said traffic control means to establish a minimum time between consecutive ones of the interconnections that is always greater than a prescribed time interval.