Sharing an automatic dialer among plural communication channels

摘要

Apparatus and method for selecting one of a plurality of communication channels in response to a preselected signal thereon involve sequentially coupling a primary terminal to a plurality of communication channels until a preselected triggering signal is detected on one of the channels. The coupling process is preferably accomplished by individually coupling the primary terminal to each of the communication channels in a continuously repeating sequence. In a preferred embodiment, the terminal is connectible to an automatic dialer and the communication channels are a plurality of telephone lines. The method then includes activating the automatic dialer to transmit a first preselected sequence of dialing signals along the line carrying the triggering signal.