Automating Operator Duties

TELEPHONE SWITCHING SYSTEM INCLUDING TOLL SERVICE DESK:

Canadian Patent #946499 (Issued Apr. 30, 1974)

Canadian Patent Office (external link)

Inventors: HALBEDEL, DON E. , BAGWELL, BENJAMIN J. , LONG, JOSEPH H., SCHWEITZER, CAMERON C. , CALLENDER, JACK E. , LISSAKERS, ERIK A. , HORNING, JAMES L.

NORTH ELECTRIC COMPANY (Now Nortel)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Description of the Prior Art

In earlier telephone systems, manual boards equipped with plugs and jacks were provided for use by attendant operators in the establishment of connections between subscribers of the exchange. Switching equipment was developed which permitted subscribers to dial local calls without operator assistance, while yet permitting access to an operator for the purpose of seeking assistance in establishing toll calls. The operator was also required in such system[s] to prepare toll tickets for billing purposes.

With the advent of extended area free service, it became possible for subscribers to dial into or through distant offices, but operators with cord boards were still required in establishing dial assistance and toll calls, and for the purpose of preparing and completing toll tickets for billing purposes. In more recent years automatic toll ticketing has been developed which permits subscribers to dial so-called non-premium toll calls, with automatic ticketing equipment providing a ticket for the call to thereby relieve the operator of such burden. A non-coin, direct distance dialed, station-to-station call is typical of the type of call which might be handled by the system and ticketed without operators' participation.

While such capability did reduce the burdens placed upon the operators, and did provide more efficient service to the subscribers, it was still necessary for operators with cord boards to handle and make out toll tickets for dial assistance calls and for person-to-person calls, collect calls, credit card calls, charge to third party calls, direct distance dialed coin calls, premium toll ticketed coin and non-coin premium toll calls. Therefore it was necessary for the operator to stay with such calls until they were released. In certain installations (CAMA equipment, for example) (internal link) operators using cord boards were called in momentarily to ascertain the calling subscriber identity, and after keying such identity into the equipment, were permitted to release.

Furthermore, recently there has been developed a system having toll service positions (This may refer to TSPS, internal link) and associated equipment wherein operator boards with pushbuttons (instead of plugs and jacks) provide greater operator convenience and efficiency in handling dial assistance calls, CAMA calls, and toll calls. With such equipment, in most types of calls, (1) the operator is only required to connect to the call momentarily and can then release; (2) is not required to transfer the calls to cord and plug boards; and (3) is not required to manually tickets for billing purposes.

While such equipment is a definite advance in the art, the operator involvement is still too great; that is, in each call to an operator's position requiring time and charge, the operator is required to perform a manual operation to insert time and charge; in certain types of calls (such as coin dial 0 calls, notification calls, and time and charge calls) operators are required to stay connected to the call for the duration of the call (a condition which seriously limits the efficiency of the system) and in certain other types of calls (such as mobile calls) the operators are required to transfer the calls to plug and jack boards; and on certain types of calls (such as coin dial O calls, coin dial 1+ calls changed to coin dial O+ calls, operator originated calls, any third number calls, credit card calls, and time and charge calls) the operator is required to manually prepare tickets. Further, flash recall is operative only on calls originated from coin stations, and then for only the first 42 seconds. On calls returned to the operator's board such as by means of flash recall within the 42 seconds which can only be from a coin station, the operator has to again key pulse the called number. On coin dial 1+ calls (i.e., non-premium direct distance dialed calls originated at a coin station by first dialing the digit "1") the operator has to insert the class charge. The boards further were not arranged to handle hotel dial 1+ calls, inward assistance calls, and WH calls.

Equipment which is generally indicative of the state of the art at the time of the present invention is shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,341,661, which issued to R.B. Curtis on September 12, 1967, and U.S. Patent No. 3,341,662, which issued to L. J. Cernyetal on September 1

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a novel system which provides many of the above noted services which were not previously available, and which achieves such service with a substantially reduced number of special trunks. That is, novel universal toll recording trunks are provided which are capable of handling any of the many different forms of toll calls, any of the inward assistance calls, and any of the outgoing calls a from a toll service position.

In addition to the new and different universal trunks, the switching system is connected to permit establishment a connection from each toll recording trunk to an idle toll service desk over a set of switching equipment, and to thereafter establish a bypath between the memory, trunk and toll service desk for signalling purposes, whereby a substantial reduction in the amount of switching equipment is effected.

The novel system further includes an arrangement which permits flash recall of the operator on any call at any time (particularly on non-coin calls and on coin calls beyond the first 42 seconds of the prior art); and which upon flash recall on non-coin calls effects automatic answer time display to the operator. answer time display is automatic during the initial period (3, 4, o r 5 minutes) and elapsed time display is automatic after the initial period.

In addition, upon flash recall on coin calls, After flash recall, release and re-establishment of the call in the forward direction is accomplished by the operator without re-keying.

The new and different system also provides time and charge Information automatically without requiring a manual operation of any device, and without requiring the operator to stay on the call, and without requiring the operator to prepare a ticket.

The system is the first arrangement which is capable of handling calls requiring an additional number or room number for ticketing purposes (such as hotel dial 1+ calls), inward assistance calls, and WH calls, and which is also operative to handle special originated calls, such as calls originated by a mobile subscriber, without the requirement that the operator transfer the call to a plug and jack board. Also, automatic insert of class charge for coin 1+ calls (as well as for all other dial 1+ calls) is provided without requiring a manual operation. Furthermore, for the first time the operator may release after monetary assistance has been provided for coin dial 0 calls, notification calls, and time and charge calls.

The system is further novel in its ability to automatically prepare tickets for coin dial 0, coin dial 1+ changed to coin dial O + calls or vice versa, third number, credit card, time and charge, and operator originated (OGT) calls, whereby the operator time in handling type calls is reduced.

Yet another feature of the system is the manner in which all calls are initially allowed to float. As a result an operator's desk requires connection to a call only during the time that manual functions are required. Once the operator has satisfied the immediate requirements of the call, she can release her desk from the call and be available to other calls requiring her participation.

The toll recording trunk, however, may connect an operator several times during a call. For example, a subscriber may ask to be notified at the end of the base charge period. In this case the operator, after keying in the base charge period indication, can release the call from her desk. The trunk will time the call and request an operator when the time period has lapsed. It should be noted that the operator connected the second time may not be the same one that originally handled the call. All of the call’s statistics are available to the new operator through lamp indications and numerical displays.

The operator has the ability to change any number at any time, until timing has started, and the keying of numbers can occur in any sequential order. allows an operator to key information in the order that receives it from a subscriber. This feature eliminates the need for her to make scratch pad notes. The fact that numbers can be changed allows the operator to follow a called person to another terminating number without forcing the originating subscriber to replace the call even though he may have dialed the original number himself.

Another feature allows the operator to re-send the called number without re-keying. For example, a call may reach a busy signal on the first attempt. The operator can release the forward connection by pushing the release forward key and then simply reoperate the start key. The machine will re-send the called number that has been stored in the memory. This operation can be repeated as many times as required.

The flexibility of operation of the desk is complemented by a status checking feature which insures that all required billing information has been stored in the memory. Should any of this required information be absent, the equipment will not permit the operator to release from the call.

Also, the system permits the operator to change class-charge at any time until timing has started.

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Patent continues in .pdf form at the Canadian Patent Office

Canadian Patent Office (external link)

Here's the Toll Service Desk console layout:

http://www.privateline/Snyder/NorthernTelecomTSD1.gif

(Huge file to make the keys readable)

Compare and contrast to the Bell System console for TSP or Traffic Service Position:

http://www.privateline.com/circuits/TSPconsole.jpg

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What were WH calls?

From Ronald Briggs: I looked at the Canadian patent offices' .pdf file, the one you get by clicking on "Disclosures.' On page 97, "WH" stands for "We Have". The way the description reads, I took it to mean this lamp indicates a customer completing a person call back (operator 5, 6, 56, 67, remember those?). What the customer would need to dial to cause that lamp to light rather than a Dial O indicator I don't know. Was there ever a 11N or N11 code specifically for person call back calls?

J.R. Snyder Jr. responds: This is an interesting question. Not to intend to sound like a know-it-all, which I will prove I'm not in a moment, if there was a 11N or N11 I would likely remember it. Pardon the vernacular in the following, Tom's used to it.

Operator 6 were the most common call backs and in the International Operating Centers we got a lot for International Operator 6, which was the overseas person-to-person call back operator "secret code."

The billing requirement was that all these calls, national and international (internal link), HAD to be paper ticketed and timed as late as 1987-1988. The reason was they crossed different billing systems, so a computer record wouldn't do in that era. As an aside, certain countries, like Germany and South Africa, required paper ticketing on ALL of their non station-to-station International calls for years, hence ISPS.

So, a customer in 1976 named Paul Offsthendahl of 602-277-7400 in Phoenix, AZ receives a message that he has an "Operator 6" call from Juan Perez in Des Moines, IA at 515-232-1234. Phil picks up his Mountain Bell phone and dials "0" and asks for Operator 6, not knowing just any operator will do the job.

IBM Mark Sense reader and card. Click to enlarge.

The Phoenix Operator who answers starts mark sensing an IBM Toll Ticket with the call information from Paul and marks it also "Spl Blg" (Special Billing) and notes in the hand written section "Operator 6" which ultimately means this entire ticket will be excluded from the automated billing process and manually handled.

The Phoenix operator will then pull up the forward cord and key pulse out on a regular tandem trunk 515-232-1234, get Juan Perez in Northwestern Bell territory on the wire, and ticket and time the call. Remember, Juan originated and is paying for the call, but this is a call back and being ticketed and timed by the Called Party's operator, not the Calling Party's (or originating party) operator. A twisted version of a collect call, which in my mind always would've been easier.

My guess is that in an environment where really only basically the billing was mechanized on TSD, as opposed to TSPS (internal link) and TOPS where more than billing was mechanized (such as rate and route tables), "WH" was a way of marking a call as "Special Billing." The same scenario, if done by the Blythe, CA TSD operator instead of Phoenix cordboard, probably would go like this.

The call would still be manually ticketed and timed on a mark sense ticket and held at the operators TSD position but "WH" pressed as either a signal to remind the operator it was special billing or to actually tell the computer it was special billing, meaning "'we have' the call but it isn't really ours to bill." The operator would also have to mark in the start and stop time of the call which came up on their TSD display. This is just a guess based on TSPS and later developments.

I believe this is how it went. On TSPS if we had an Operator 6 call we did either one of two things, depending on where we were or what the practice of the year was. It was either passed off to the few cordboard operators left (which we did in Jacksonville TSPS) or it was still ticketed, mark sensed and held at the operators TSPS position (Phoenix) but "SPL BLG" depressed and the computer timed the call. Later it was just key pulsed in as "SPL BLG" and released into TSPS and ticketed and timed by the system.

TSD was still manual, although still advanced to cordboard, and I read into the patent that it essentially was a very sophisticated CAMA. So, more calls were ticketed and timed and held at the TSD position because the computer couldn't process a lot of special billing. Note: "PPCS" on a call meant it could be released into the computer for timing after the operator keyed in the rate and route. Special Billing also included "800" numbers which were "NO AMA" and third number billing, collect, etc. I do know that almost all coin toll calls had to be held at TSD for notification and collection of coins, whereas in TSPS and TOPS they were released and popped back into any available operator position for notification and/or collection of coins. I recall that from visiting the Greenwood, SC TSD office around 1974, where the issue was they had a lot of post pay paystations. A prepay paystation could be released as PPCS, but Independents didn't have a lot of prepays. We still had post pays on TSPS (deliver me from pay phones, period!) and we had to hold and ticket and time those calls.

"Early (1960) model of cordless switchboard developed in anticipation of increased customer dialing of person-to-person, collect, and coin-phone toll calls." A History of Engineering and Science in the Bell System: Switching Technology (1925 -- 1975) Bell Telephone Laboratories A.E. Joel et. al. p. 309. (1982)

Northern Electric's TSD really was basically an improvement of Bell Labs PPCS and the difference between TSD and TSPS was the "system" part. The "system" held a memory of rate and toute and ticketed and timed, whereas TSD had to have a lot of that keyed in by the operator manually. Which would also explain why PPCS or TSD didn't get very far in the Bell System or Independents. It was fine in a small environment but when you got to the larger cities like Atlanta or Tampa, it really didn't reduce the amount of operator time or head count very much because of sheer volume.

By the time Las Vegas had the Northern Telecom version of "TSDS" in the late 70's the "system" part was worked out. They quickly moved on to TOPS and Bell Labs was preoccupied with Divestiture and fell behind.
Those are my best guesses. JR..

Many, many more related pages! Click for a list. Information on J.R. Snyder Jr., operators, directory assistance working and history, placing toll calls and so on. Great reading.

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