BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an exclusion circuit employed in a key telephone system comprising a number of telephone sets, each accommodating a plurality of lines, and the exclusion circuit having functions including the function of originating and answering calls over the telephone lines, the function of selecting and holding a line, and the function of permitting intercommunications between telephone sets.

A key telephone system comprises a number of key telephone sets connected to each other, in a multiple form, by way of line buttons. In such system, speech between two telephone sets can readily be tapped by another telephone set when connected to the associated line. It has therefore been necessary to provide some means capable of preventing speech between two telephone sets from being tapped through the associated line of speech channel.

This privacy-protective function must be workable in such manner that a telephone set which is to initiate a call may be connected to the desired line only when such line is idle, and the line engaged thereby is held thereafter and accessed by another telephone set.

Generally, a semiconductor device with switching and holding characteristics, such as thyristor, is used in the prior art exclusion circuit of a key telephone set. This semiconductor device must be used with a protective circuit and a misoperation preventive circuit, with the result that the circuitry is inevitably complicated. Furthermore, the semiconductor device used is expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a constructionally simple and inexpensive privacy circuit used in the key telephone set.

Briefly, the exclusion circuit of this invention has a relay circuit in combination with a flip-flop circuit comprising semiconductor devices. The relay has two pairs of contacts, one being connected in series to a control line and used to determine the transition of the state of the flip-flop circuit after one state is initiated, according to the value of current flowing in the control wire, and the other being used to control the establishment of termination of a speech network according to the state transition of the flip-flop circuit.

Thus, when a subscriber removes the handset from the switch hook and depresses a line button, thereby causing the state transition of the flip-flop and operating the relay, one pair of its contacts plays a part in determining whether to effect another state transition or to hold the existing state, according to the value of the current flowing in the control line, and the other pair is to establish or disconnect a speech network according to the flip-flop state transition.

The other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of prior art exclusion circuit in a key telephone system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an exclusion circuit of an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram is shown to illustrate a key telephone system with associated prior art exclusion circuit wherein, for simplicity, two key telephone sets (hereinafter briefly, telephone sets) are shown connected to a telephone circuit.

The telephone set A comprises an exclusion circuit 101, a speech network 102, a line button LK₁₀, and a hook switch HS₁₀. This telephone set is connected to the telephone circuit through a control unit C comprising a relay H which controls a line lamp for indicating the holding of a line. The other telephone set B is the same as the telephone set A in construction. Now assume that No. 1 line is idle and the attendant of telephone set A depresses line button LK₁₀, thereby selecting No. 1 line which comprises a line L₁ and a control wire H₁₀. Then, by lifting the handset (not shown), hook switch HS₁₀ is closed to allow current to flow through the following circuit: ground--hook switch HS₁₀ --resistor R₁₁ --resistor R₁₂ --diode D₁₀ --line switch LK₁₀ --control wire H₁₀ --battery E₁₀ --ground. This current is shunted to the gate-cathode circuit of a thyristor SCR connected in parallel to resistor R₁₂, to cause this thyristor to be turned on. As a result, current flows through the following circuit: ground--hook switch HS₁₀ --diode D₁₁ --thyristor SCR_A-K --diode D₁₀ --line switch LK₁₀ --control wire H₁₀ --battery E₁₀ --ground. The voltage developed thereby across diode D₁₁, resistors R₁₃ and R₁₄ causes a base current to flow in transistor TR₁₀ whereby this transistor is turned on. Accordingly, the voltage drop between the emitter and collector of transistor TR₁₀ becomes small and hence transistor TR₁₁ does not become conductive. Under this condition, no current flows through relay P₁₀ and this relay is kept unenergized. Consequently, its contacts P₁₀ and P₁₁ remain connected to the side of speech network 102 to allow the attendant to converse. In the circuit shown, resistor R₁₅ serves as the bias resistor for transistor TR₁₀, and resistors R₁₆ and R₁₇ as the bias resistors for transistor TR₁₁.

Now assume that at the time the attendant at telephone set A selects No. 1 line, telephone set B has already accessed or engaged line L₁. Under this condition control wire H₁₀ is substantially at ground potential from the SCR circuit in telephone set B and, as a consequence, the potential across thyristor SCR in telephone set A is insufficient to cause this thyristor to conduct, and there is no base current in transistor TR₁₀ to cause this transistor to conduct. Therefore, current flows through the following circuit: ground-- hook switch HS₁₀ --the parallel circuit of resistor R₁₇ and emitter base of TR₁₁ --resistor R₁₆ --resistor R₁₅ --battery E₁₁ --ground. As a result, transistor TR₁₁ turns on. The conduction of transistor TR₁₁ causes current to flow through the following circuit: ground--hook switch HS₁₀ --transistor TR₁₁(E-C) --relay P₁₀ --battery E₁₁ --ground. Accordingly, relay P₁₀ is operated and speech network 102 is disconnected from line L₁ through contacts P₁₀ and P₁₁ . Thus, a speech channel established by telephone set B is prevented from being tapped by telephone set A. Contacts p₁₀ and p₁₁ of relay P₁₀ are of make-before-break type. Any abnormal voltage produced between lines when contacts p₁₀ and p₁₁ break is absorbed by resistor R₁₈, and an over-voltage developed across the coil of relay P₁₀ is suppressed by diode D₁₂.

Unfortunately, however, this conventional circuit must depend upon an intricate thyristor circuit, which accounts for a considerable portion of the cost of the whole circuit.

With reference now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the invention is illustrated by a circuit diagram wherein a flip-flop circuit is constituted of transistors TR₂₀ and TR₂₁. Transistor TR₂₁ has its collector connected to relay J₁₀ through which a speech network is established or disconnected from a line. Contact j₁₀ of relay J₁₀ is connected in series to control wire H₂₀ corresponding to speech line L₁ and used to change the states of transistors TR₂₀ and TR₂₁. Contacts j₁₁ and j₁₂ are inserted in speech network 202 whereby this network is controlled for operation in either speech state or privacy state. Capacitor C₂₀ is connected between the base and the emitter of transistor TR₂₀ whereby transistor TR₂₀ is operated with a delay after the operation of transistor TR₂₁. The purpose of resistor R₂₁ is to control the base current of transistor TR₂₀ when contact j₁₀ makes. Resistors R₂₂ and R₂₃, and resistors R₂₅ and R₂₆ are for feeding back the collector potentials of transistors TR₂₀ and TR₂₁, respectively.

Assume that No. 1 line is idle. Then, by depressing line button LK₂₀ and lifting the handset (not shown), hook switch HS₂₀ is closed whereby a ground potential is led to control line H₂₀ by way of a circuit: ground--hook switch HS₂₀ --contact j₁₀ --diode D₂₀ --line button K₂₀. At the same time, a ground potential is supplied to the emitters of transistors TR₂₀ and TR₂₁. Transistor TR₂₁ becomes conducting and transistor TR₂₀ remains in off-state because capacitor C₂₀ is connected between the base and the emitter of transistor TR₂₀ to delay the operation of this transistor. Under this condition, the flip-flop circuit operates stably and relay J₁₀ connected to the collector of transistor TR₂₁ is actuated. As a result, its contact j₁₀ makes to allow current to flow in the base of the transistor TR₂₀. Therefore, transistor TR₂₀ is turned on, the conduction state of transistor TR₂₁ is inverted, and relay J₁₀ is instantaneously reset. Thus, a stable state is established where transistor TR₂₀ is in on-state, and transistor TR₂₁ is in off-state. In this state, a loop is formed by way of: ground--hook switch HS₂₀ --contact j₁₀ --diode D₂₀ --line button LK₂₀ --control wire H₂₀ -- battery E₂₀ --ground. Because relay J₁₀ has been reset, a speech network to the line is set up through line button LK₂₀ and relay contacts j₁₁ and j₁₂ to enable the attendant of telephone set A to converse.

Now assume that No. 1 line is engaged by telephone set B. Under this condition, when line button LK₂₀ in set A is depressed to select line L₁, and the handset (not shown) is removed on the side of telephone set A, relay J₁₀ is operated to make its contact j₁₀, and contacts j₁₁ and j₁₂ are brought to the side of resistor R₂₈, as in the case where No. 1 line is idle. In this state, a ground potential is led to control wire H₂₀ from telephone set B and hence no base current flows in transistor TR₂₀ of telephone set A, and this transistor does not become conductive. Accordingly, transistor TR₂₀ remains in off-state, transistor TR₂₁ is on-state, and relay J₁₀ is in operation. Contacts j₁₁ and j₁₂ stay on the side of resistor R₂₈, and telephone set A is maintained in privacy state since speech network 202 is disconnected from line L₁. Under this condition, if No. 2 line is idle, a speech channel is established through the line of telephone set A, as in the operation described above, by depressing line button LK₂₀ to select No. 2 line.

This embodiment is an example where two telephone sets are connected to the line. The invention is not limited to this example, but applicable to a circuit comprising more than two telephone sets.

As has been specifically described above, the invention obviates the need for an intricate switching circuit formed of thyristors or the like, as well as for elements having holding characteristics, thus markedly simplifying the circuitry and permitting privacy circuits to be realized at low costs.

While there has been shown and described but one embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.