Thornton S Paxton

Title: Thornton S. Paxton and PBX Feature Transparency

Introduction

Thornton S. Paxton is an inventor associated with Broomfield, Colorado, and AT&T Bell Laboratories. His work includes an invention for enabling feature transparency across interconnected private branch exchange (PBX) systems. The supplied information lists 1 patent for Paxton.

Latest Patents

Paxton’s listed patent, “Providing Feature Transparency Between a Plurality of PBXs,” describes a system that lets independently operating PBXs provide shared calling features. Each PBX has a switch processor, station lines, tie trunks, and a Direct Memory Data Controller (DMDC) that sends service-related messages over data links.

When a direct data link connects the calling and called PBXs, their DMDCs exchange messages directly. If no direct link exists, a tandem PBX relays the message. The called PBX’s DMDC then passes it to the switch processor through direct memory access, allowing the requested feature or service to be provided in addition to establishing the voice connection. The arrangement makes calls across multiple PBXs appear to customers as though they are served by one larger system.

Career Highlights

Paxton’s listed invention addresses coordination between PBXs, extending services beyond the basic connection of a call. The supplied information associates him with AT&T Bell Laboratories and identifies Broomfield, Colorado, as his location.

Collaborations

The supplied information names Frank J. Bogart and Mary R. Dedisse as Paxton’s coworkers. It does not specify their roles in developing or patenting the PBX feature-transparency system.

Conclusion

Thornton S. Paxton’s listed patent describes a data-message arrangement that enables PBXs to coordinate calling features across a network, making separate systems function more like a unified telephone system.