Patent · US Expired

Data storage and retrieval structure for a message storage system

US4221933A · kind A · utility

46Cited by
10References
12Claims
0Family size

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 21, 1978
Grant dateSep 9, 1980
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 21, 1998

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M3/533
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A message storage system (104) cooperates with a plurality of telephone switching offices (102, 122) to provide a variety of voice storage services to subscribing customers served by the switching offices. Control signals and voice messages are delivered to the message storage system in analog form and converted to digital signals. A processor circuit (111)interprets the control signals and sends work lists to a plurality of microprocessor controlled message controllers (113a through 113n) which in turn each control a plurality of disc transports (114a through 114n), a time multiplex switch (115), and a larger plurality of buffer circuits (116) wherein the messages in digital signal form are speed buffered for storage in the disc transports. The message controllers control the flow of digital data words between the buffer circuits and the disc transports via the time multiplex switch to provide highly efficient mass storage and retrieval of messages.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.