Emergency notification device

Abstract

To make it possible to surely report generation of a reverse call through a telephone set in an on-hook state even when a plurality of telephone sets are connected to an emergency reporting device that makes an emergency report through an analog telephone network and there is a telephone set in an off-hook state after the emergency report.SOLUTION: When a reverse call detection unit 1012 detects arrival of a call signal and a line monitor section 1011 detects presence of a telephone set in an off-hook state after an emergency report, a changeover control unit 222 controls a changeover unit 221 based on a detection output of a hook state detection unit 1021. In this case, the changeover control unit 222 controls the changeover unit 221 so as to disconnect the telephone set in the off-hook state from an analog telephone network 4 and connect the telephone set in the on-hook state to the analog telephone network 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency call device for making an emergency call to an emergency call receiving organization such as a police organization, a fire department, or the Japan Coast Guard. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the event of an emergency such as a fire, an emergency notification device is known that sends an emergency notification to a designated emergency notification receiving agency such as a fire department. When a caller presses a notification button, the emergency notification device calls the emergency notification receiving agency, connects a call line, and automatically notifies the emergency using a pre-prepared voice message. The emergency notification receiving agency then calls back to a special number answering dedicated telephone (hereinafter referred to as a dedicated telephone) connected to the emergency notification device. In response to this, the caller can pick up the handset of the dedicated telephone, which rings, and then go off-hook to connect a call line between the dedicated telephone and the emergency notification receiving agency, allowing the call to be made.

[0003] If the emergency call device is connected to an analog telephone network (PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)), the call line between the emergency call receiving agency and the emergency call device is put on hold after the emergency call is made. Therefore, when the emergency call receiving agency calls back, a call signal (hereinafter referred to as an IR signal) is sent from the analog telephone network, causing the dedicated telephone to ring. In response, by picking up the handset of the dedicated telephone, the caller can speak to a representative at the emergency call receiving agency. In this way, when the caller hangs up the receiver while the line is on hold, the emergency call receiving agency sounds a ringtone. This is called a "reverse call."

[0004] In recent years, it has become possible to use IP (Internet Protocol) networks. An IP network refers to a network interconnected using the Internet Protocol Suite technology (TCP / IP). In the operation of emergency call devices connected to IP networks, the line hold function after an emergency call is no longer available, and a system is adopted in which the caller is called back (called back) to a dedicated telephone to connect the call line and communicate with the caller. Patent Document 1, described below, discloses an invention related to an emergency call device that can connect the call line in response to a call from an emergency call receiving agency and communicate with the caller even if the telephone connected to the emergency call device that makes an emergency call through an IP network is off-hook. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-62919 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As mentioned above, although IP networks are becoming more widely used, traditional analog telephone networks are also widely used. In the case of emergency notification devices connected to analog telephone networks, it has been found that connecting a general telephone to the emergency notification device in addition to a dedicated telephone may cause inconvenience. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in addition to a dedicated telephone 2, a general telephone (including a business phone, etc.) 3 may be connected to the emergency notification device 1X. In this way, by configuring the emergency notification device 1X, it becomes possible to respond to calls (return calls) from the emergency notification receiving agency 5 through the general telephone 3, thereby creating an environment in which the return calls can be more reliably responded to.

[0007] However, as shown in FIG. 7, the general telephone 3 can be connected to the analog telephone network 4 through the emergency call device 1X, and can make and receive calls to and from the external telephone 6 at times other than when an emergency call is being made. The general telephone 3 is placed, for example, on a desk and is frequently used during normal times, so the user may unintentionally take it off the hook. Assume that the general telephone 3 is off the hook when an emergency call is made. In this case, the emergency call is made normally, but the line between the emergency call device 1X and the emergency call receiving agency 5 is on hold, and if the general telephone 3 is off the hook (off-hook), the off-hook general telephone 3 will automatically answer the return call, unintentionally, without the caller's intention.

[0008] In other words, a telephone line is connected between the general telephone 3 and the emergency call receiving agency 5, the dedicated telephone 2 or the general telephone 3 cannot ring, and the caller cannot notice the call back and cannot respond to it. When making an emergency call, it is considered unlikely that the general telephone 3 is not busy and is unintentionally off the hook, but due to the characteristics of the emergency call device 1X, it is desirable to ensure that the caller notices the call back.

[0009] In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to ensure that when multiple telephones are connected to an emergency call device that makes emergency calls via an analog telephone network, even if one of the telephones is off-hook, the occurrence of a reverse call can be reliably reported (notified) through an on-hook telephone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, the emergency call device of the invention described in claim 1 comprises: An emergency call device to which a plurality of telephones for making calls to an emergency call receiving agency are connected, and which makes an emergency call to the emergency call receiving agency through an analog telephone network, a call detection means for detecting the arrival of a call signal from the analog telephone network after an emergency call is made; a line monitoring means for monitoring signals from the analog telephone network and detecting whether or not a telephone is off the hook among the plurality of telephones connected to the line monitoring means; a hook state detection means for detecting the hook state of each of the plurality of telephone sets connected to the own device; a switching means for switching between connection and non-connection to the analog telephone network for each of the plurality of telephones connected to the own device; a control means for controlling said switching means, when said reverse call detection means detects the arrival of said call signal and said line monitoring means detects the presence of a telephone set in an off-hook state, to disconnect the telephone set in an off-hook state from said analog telephone network and connect the telephone set in an on-hook state to said analog telephone network, based on the detection output of said hook state detection means; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0011] According to the emergency call device of claim 1, the emergency call device is connected to a plurality of telephones for making calls to an emergency call receiving agency and makes emergency calls to the emergency call receiving agency through an analog telephone network. When the incoming call signal is detected by the call back detection means and the line monitoring means detects that a telephone is off-hook, the control means controls the switching means based on the detection output of the hook state detection means. In this case, the control means controls the switching means to disconnect the off-hook telephones from the analog telephone network and connect the on-hook telephones to the analog telephone network. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this invention, multiple telephones are connected to an emergency call device that makes emergency calls via an analog telephone network. Even if one of the multiple telephones is off-hook after an emergency call is made, the off-hook telephone can be prevented from automatically responding to a call back. Furthermore, the occurrence of a call back can be reliably notified via an on-hook telephone. This allows the caller to connect a telephone line to the emergency call receiving agency through the on-hook telephone and communicate the details of the emergency situation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an emergency notification device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram for explaining the details of the configuration of the emergency notification device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining a basic operation of the emergency notification device of the embodiment when making an emergency call. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining a case where the emergency notification device of the embodiment operates without causing any problems when making an emergency call. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining a problem that occurs when the general telephone 3 is off the hook in the operation of a conventional emergency call device when making an emergency call. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart illustrating details of a process performed in the emergency notification device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional emergency notification system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an emergency notification device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The emergency notification device of the embodiment described below is connected to an analog telephone network and has multiple telephones connected thereto that can respond to a callback. A feature of the emergency notification device of the embodiment described below is that even if one of the telephones connected to the device is off-hook after an emergency call is made, the occurrence of a callback can be reported through other on-hook telephones.

[0015] The emergency call receiving organization to which an emergency call is made is generally a police agency, a fire department, the Japan Coast Guard, etc., but it is of course possible for any other organization to be the emergency call receiving organization, such as a security company. In the following embodiments, for simplicity of explanation, the emergency call device will be described as an example of an emergency call receiving organization that reports the occurrence of a fire and is a fire department.

[0016] [Schematic configuration of emergency notification device 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the schematic configuration of an emergency call device 1 according to an embodiment. The emergency call device 1 is used in the same manner as the emergency call device 1X shown in FIG. 7. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the emergency call device 1 according to this embodiment can make an emergency call by connecting a call line to an emergency call receiving agency 5 via an analog telephone network 4. The analog telephone network 4 refers to a public switched telephone network (PSTN), which enables analog transmission voice calls between subscribers.

[0017] As in the case of the emergency call device 1X shown in Figure 7, a dedicated telephone 2 and a general telephone 3 are connected to the emergency call device 1. The dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3 function as emergency call telephones for responding to calls received from the emergency call receiving agency. The dedicated telephone 2 is a special number answering telephone that only realizes the function of responding to calls received from the emergency call receiving agency. Although not shown in Figure 1, the general telephone 3 is also connected to the analog telephone network 4 through the emergency call device 1, as in the case shown in Figure 7, and is capable of making calls to desired parties and answering incoming calls under normal circumstances.

[0018] That is, the emergency notification device 1 of this embodiment constitutes an emergency notification system in the same manner as the emergency notification device 1X shown in Fig. 7. In this example, the general telephone 3 is connected to the analog telephone network 4 through a secondary line of the emergency notification device 1, but this is not limited to this. The general telephone 3 may also constitute a business phone system, in which case it is connected to the emergency notification device 1 and the analog telephone network 4 via a so-called main unit.

[0019] 1, the emergency notification device 1 includes a line control unit 101, a telephone control unit 102, a CPU unit 103, and a notification button 104. The line control unit 101 controls the connection of the line through the analog telephone network 4, and includes a line monitoring unit 1011, a call back detection unit 1012, and a notification control unit 1013. The telephone control unit 102 controls the connection between the line connected to the emergency notification device 1 and the dedicated telephone 2 or the general telephone 3, and includes a hook state detection unit 1021 and a line connection control unit 1022.

[0020] The CPU 103 is a main control unit that controls each part of the emergency notification device 1, and although not shown, is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile memory, etc. The notification button 104 is a button switch that is pressed by the caller.

[0021] [Details of the configuration of Emergency Notification Device 1] Fig. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the detailed configuration of the emergency notification device 1 according to the embodiment. For simplicity of explanation, the CPU unit 103 and the notification button 104 are omitted from Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the line monitoring unit 1011, the reverse call detection unit 1012, and the notification control unit 1013 of the line control unit 101 are each connected to the analog telephone network 4 and function under the control of the CPU unit 103.

[0022] When the report button 104 is pressed, the report control unit 1013, under the control of the CPU unit 103, performs processing to call a predetermined emergency report receiving agency 5, and if there is a response, to send a predetermined voice message (report message), and then to disconnect the line. Note that even if the report control unit 1013 disconnects the line, the call line connected through the analog telephone network 4 is put on hold.

[0023] After an emergency call is made by the call control unit 1013, the call back detection unit 1012 detects an IR signal (call back signal) transmitted from the analog telephone network 4 to the emergency call device 1 in response to a call back operation performed by the emergency call receiving agency 5. The IR signal has a cycle of 3 seconds, and is a continuous signal that is on for 1 second and off for 2 seconds. When the call back detection unit 1012 detects (receives) an IR signal, it notifies the telephone control unit 102 that an IR signal has arrived.

[0024] The line monitoring unit 1011 detects when at least one of the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3 connected to the emergency notification device 1 is in an off-hook state by monitoring signals from the analog telephone network 4. In other words, when either the dedicated telephone 2 or the general telephone 3 goes off-hook, the telephone that has gone off-hook is connected to the analog telephone network 4 and seizes the line. In response, the analog telephone network 4 transmits a dial tone (DT (Dial Tone)) to the telephone that has gone off-hook.

[0025] Dial tone is the continuous "beep" sound that you first hear when you lift the receiver of a telephone. This allows the off-hook telephone to make a call by entering the recipient's phone number. The dial tone is transmitted from the analog telephone network 4 for 30 seconds, but if you do not dial or make a call during this time, a busy tone will be transmitted from the analog telephone network 4 for 60 seconds.

[0026] A busy tone is generally an intermittent "beep beep beep" sound that you hear when you make a call and the other party is busy. You cannot dial while the busy tone is being transmitted, so you must replace the handset, put it on-hook, then go off-hook again to make the call. However, if the call does not go on-hook after the busy tone has been transmitted for 60 seconds, the analog telephone network 4, i.e., the telephone exchange, determines that the call has been taken off-hook or that a subscriber line has failed, and cuts off the 48V (volt) power supply.

[0027] Therefore, if the line monitoring unit 1011 receives a dial tone or a busy tone, it determines that one of the telephones connected to the line monitoring unit 1011 is in an off-hook state, and notifies the telephone control unit 102. Also, suppose that the line monitoring unit 1011 receives a dial tone for 30 seconds, followed by a busy tone for 60 seconds, and power supply from the analog telephone network 4 is stopped.

[0028] When a subscriber line is held in an invalid state for a long period of time, the state in which the analog telephone network 4 cuts off the power supply is called "high and dry." Even if the power supply is stopped and the state becomes high and dry after going through a series of states like this, the line monitoring unit 1011 determines that one of the telephones connected to its own device (emergency notification device 1) is in an off-hook state, and notifies the telephone control unit 102 of this fact.

[0029] As described above, the telephone control unit 102 includes a hook state detection unit 1021 and a line connection control unit 1022. The hook state detection unit 1021 detects the hook state of the dedicated telephone 2, for example, based on a change in the voltage of the telephone line connected to the dedicated telephone 2, and also detects the hook state of the general telephone 3, based on the voltage state of the telephone line connected to the general telephone 3. The hook state detection unit 1021 notifies the line connection control unit 1022 of the detected hook states of the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3.

[0030] 2, the line connection control unit 1022 includes a switching unit (switch circuit) 221 and a switching control unit 222. As shown in FIG. 2, the switching unit 221 has a terminal N connected to the analog telephone network 4, a terminal a connected to the dedicated telephone 2, and a terminal b connected to the general telephone 3, and switches between connection and non-connection to the analog telephone network 4 for the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3. The switching control unit 222 performs switching control of the switching unit 221 based on the detection output from the back call detection unit 1012, the detection output from the line monitoring unit 1011, and the detection output from the hook state detection unit 1021, as shown in FIG.

[0031] [Basic operation of Emergency Notification Device 1] The basic operation of the emergency notification device 1 having the configuration shown in Figures 1 and 2 when making an emergency call will be described. Figure 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining the basic operation of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment when making an emergency call. When the notification button 104 is pressed, a predetermined electrical signal is supplied to the CPU unit 103, and the CPU unit 103 is notified that the notification button has been operated. The CPU unit 103 instructs the line control unit 101 to make an emergency call. In response to this, the notification control unit 1013 functions, and in this embodiment, the special number "119" for the emergency call receiving agency 5, which is a fire department, is dialed to make the emergency call (step S1).

[0032] The analog telephone network 4, i.e., the telephone exchange, transmits a call signal to the emergency call receiving agency 5 to receive an incoming call (step S2). When the emergency call receiving agency 5 receives the call signal, a ringer connected to a command console (not shown) of the emergency call receiving agency 5 rings, notifying the occurrence of an emergency call. When the call is answered through the command console, a response signal is sent to the analog telephone network 4 (step S3), and the response signal is then transmitted from the analog telephone network 4 to the emergency call device 1 (step S4).

[0033] In the emergency notification device 1 that has received the response signal, the notification control unit 1013 functions to connect a telephone line between the emergency notification device 1 and the emergency notification receiving agency 5 through the analog telephone network 4, and in this example, transmits a voice message notifying the occurrence of a fire (step S5). The voice message includes, for example, the address and name of the person who reported the fire, and is prepared in advance in, for example, the non-volatile memory of the CPU unit 103. After transmitting the voice message notifying the occurrence of a fire, the notification control unit 1013 instructs the analog telephone network 4 to send a disconnection signal (step S6), which is then transmitted to the emergency notification receiving agency 5 through the analog telephone network 4 (step S7). This allows the emergency notification receiving agency 5 to recognize the end of transmission of the notification message.

[0034] In Figure 2, the processing from step S8 onwards shown below the dotted line is the call back operation. In this case, the call line connected between the emergency call device 1 and the emergency call receiving agency 5 through the analog telephone network 4 is not disconnected, but is instead held. When the emergency call receiving agency 5 performs a call back operation through its control console, an IR signal (call back signal), which is a call signal, is sent to the analog telephone network 4 (step S8), and the IR signal is transmitted from the analog telephone network 4 to the emergency call device 1 (step S9). The IR signal transmitted from the analog telephone network 4 to the emergency call device 1 is detected by the call back detection unit 1012. That is, after the emergency call is made, the call back detection unit 1012 detects the IR signal transmitted in response to the call back operation by the emergency call receiving agency 5, and if detected, notifies the telephone control unit 102 that the IR signal has been detected.

[0035] In this case, it is assumed that the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3 are both on-hook. The hook states of the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3 are detected by the hook state detection unit 1021 and notified to the switching control unit 222 of the line connection control unit 1022. Also, because the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3 are on-hook, the line monitoring unit 1011 has not detected that either the dedicated telephone 2 or the general telephone 3 is off-hook. For this reason, the line monitoring unit 1011 does not supply a detection output to the switching control unit 222, or it indicates that there is no telephone in an off-hook state.

[0036] In this case, the switching control unit 222 of the line connection control unit 1022 controls the switching unit 221 to connect each of the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3 to the analog telephone network 4 (steps S10 and S11). As a result, an IR signal is supplied to each of the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3, and the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3, which are in the on-hook state, ring to indicate an incoming call (steps S12 and S13). As a result, the occurrence of a reverse call from the emergency call receiving agency 5 can be notified through both the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3.

[0037] In this example, it is assumed that the caller who pressed the call button 104 of the emergency call device 1 picks up the handset (transmitter / receiver) of the dedicated telephone 2, thereby putting the dedicated telephone 2 into an off-hook state. In this case, a response signal is sent from the dedicated telephone 2 to the emergency call device 1 (step S14), a response signal is sent from the emergency call device 1 to the analog telephone network 4 (step S15), and a response signal is sent from the analog telephone network 4 to the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S16).

[0038] As a result, a call line is connected between the dedicated telephone 2 and the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S17), enabling voice communication. In this case, the caller can use the dedicated telephone 2 to notify the person in charge at the emergency call receiving agency of details of the fire, such as where the fire is occurring and what kind of fire it is, by voice communication. After this, when the notification (report) of the details of the fire is completed, the handset of the dedicated telephone 2 is returned to its original state, and the dedicated telephone 2 is returned to the on-hook state.

[0039] In this case, a disconnection signal is sent from the dedicated telephone 2 to the emergency call device 1 (step S18), a disconnection signal is sent from the emergency call device 1 to the analog telephone network 4 (step S19), and a disconnection signal is sent from the analog telephone network 4 to the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S20). As a result, the call line connected between the dedicated telephone 2 and the emergency call receiving agency 5 is disconnected (released).

[0040] In this way, the emergency call device 1 can make an emergency call to the emergency call receiving agency 5 when the call button 104 is pressed. In this case, the emergency call receiving agency 5 can make a call with the caller, for example, via the dedicated telephone 2, by making a call back, and can grasp the status of the emergency, in this example, the status of a fire, by voice communication. Note that although the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 3 describes a case where the call back is answered via the dedicated telephone 2, if the call is answered via the general telephone 3, a voice communication can be made with the emergency call receiving agency 5 via the general telephone 3 to inform the caller of the status of the fire, etc.

[0041] [Operation when the regular telephone 3 connected to the emergency notification device 1 is off the hook] 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the emergency call device 1 that makes an emergency call when the general telephone 3 is off the hook. As described above, the general telephone 3 is connected to the emergency call device 1, and is capable of responding to a call back from the emergency call receiving agency 5 when making an emergency call, and is also capable of making external calls and internal calls under normal circumstances.

[0042] For example, consider the case where a call is made from a general telephone 3 to an outside telephone 6 connected to the analog telephone network 4. In this case, as shown in Figure 4, the general telephone 3 is taken off-hook, and a dial tone is returned from the analog telephone network 4. The user then enters the telephone number of the desired caller and dials the number (step S31). In this case, a call signal for the incoming call is sent from the analog telephone network 4 to the called outside telephone 6 (step S32). This causes the on-hook outside telephone 6 to ring, and when the user takes the outside telephone 6 off-hook, a response signal is sent to the analog telephone network 4 (step S33), and the analog telephone network 4 then sends the response signal to the originating general telephone 3 (step S34).

[0043] As a result, a call line is connected between the originating general telephone 3 and the destination external telephone 6 via the analog telephone network 4, enabling voice communication (step S35). After this, assume that the call ends and the user of the external telephone 6 puts the external telephone 6 on-hook. In this case, a disconnection signal is sent from the external telephone 6 to the analog telephone network 4 (step S36), and a disconnection signal is sent from the analog telephone network 4 to the originating general telephone 3 (step S37). As a result, the call line connected between the general telephone 3 and the external telephone 6 is released.

[0044] However, suppose that the user of the general telephone 3 fails to properly return the handset to the designated position on the main body of the general telephone 3, causing the general telephone 3 to remain off-hook. The hook states of the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3 are also detected by the hook state detection unit 1021, and are also notified to the switching control unit 222. Therefore, under the control of the switching control unit 222 in accordance with the detection result of the hook state detection unit 1021, the switching unit 221 switches the general telephone 3, which is in the off-hook state, to connect it to the analog telephone network 4.

[0045] In this case, assume that a fire has broken out and the report button 104 of the emergency report device 1 is pressed. In the sequence diagram of Fig. 4, the processing from step S1 to step S9 is the same as the processing from step S1 to step S9 in the sequence diagram of the basic operation shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, the emergency report device 1 makes a call to the emergency report receiving agency 5 (steps S1, S2), and when the emergency report receiving agency 5 answers (steps S3, S4), a telephone line is connected between the emergency report device 1 and the emergency report receiving agency 5.

[0046] The emergency notification device 1 transmits a voice message to the emergency notification receiving agency 5 through the connected communication line to notify the emergency notification receiving agency 5 of the occurrence of an emergency (step S5), and after the transmission, transmits a disconnection signal to the emergency notification receiving agency 5 (steps S6, S7). In this case, the connected communication line is not disconnected, but is placed on hold. The subsequent processing is a call-back operation. That is, when a call-back operation is performed in the emergency notification receiving agency 5, an IR signal is transmitted from the analog telephone network 4 to the emergency notification device 1 (steps S8, S9).

[0047] In this case, as described above, since the general telephone 3 is off-hook, the line monitoring unit 1011 detects that either the dedicated telephone 2 or the general telephone 3 connected to the emergency notification device 1 is off-hook. Furthermore, the reverse call detection unit 1012 detects that an IR signal has arrived. Therefore, the switching control unit 222 is notified by the line monitoring unit 1011 that there is an off-hook telephone, by the reverse call detection unit 1012 that an IR signal has arrived, and by the hook state detection unit 1021 that the hook state of each telephone is notified.

[0048] For this reason, the switching control unit 222 of the emergency notification device 1 of this embodiment first controls the switching unit 221 based on the detection result from the hook state detection unit 1021 to disconnect the currently off-hook general telephone 3 from the analog telephone network 4 (step S41). That is, the switching unit 221 disconnects terminal b from terminal N, and the general telephone 3 becomes disconnected from the analog telephone network 4. In FIG. 4, the disconnection of the general telephone 3 that was connected to the analog telephone network 4 from the analog telephone network 4 is indicated by a dotted arrow and a cross. This prevents an IR signal from being supplied to a general telephone 3 that is unintentionally off-hook, thereby preventing the general telephone 3 from automatically responding to an IR signal and connecting the call line.

[0049] Next, the switching control unit 222 controls the switching unit 221 to connect the dedicated telephone 2, which is in the on-hook state, to the analog telephone network 4 (step S42). That is, the switching unit 221 connects terminal a and terminal N, and the dedicated telephone 2 is connected to the analog telephone network 4. As a result, an IR signal is supplied from the analog telephone network 4 to the dedicated telephone 2, which is in the on-hook state, and the dedicated telephone 2, which is in the on-hook state, rings for an incoming call (step S43).

[0050] Therefore, suppose that a call back (an incoming call from an emergency call receiving agency) is notified through the on-hook dedicated telephone 2, and the caller or the like picks up the handset of the dedicated telephone 2 and goes off-hook. In this case, a response signal is returned from the dedicated telephone 2 to the emergency call device 1 (step S44), and the emergency call device 1 sends the response signal to the analog telephone network 4 (step S45), and the analog telephone network 4 transmits the response signal to the emergency call receiving agency 5 that sent the call back (step S46).

[0051] As a result, a call line is connected between the dedicated telephone 2 and the emergency call receiving agency 5, enabling communication (step S47). This allows the caller, etc., to make a voice call with a person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 via the dedicated telephone 2 and report the details of the emergency (fire) situation, etc. Note that the term "caller, etc." is intended to include the caller and anyone who is in the vicinity of the dedicated telephone 2 and can respond to a call back.

[0052] In addition, in FIG. 4, the explanation is given taking the example of the case where the general telephone 3 is off the hook. As mentioned above, the general telephone 3 is capable of external and internal calls, and is usually used frequently, so there is a high possibility that it will go off the hook. However, this is not limited to this. For example, if for some reason the dedicated telephone 2 is off the hook and the general telephone 3 is on-hook, it is possible to disconnect the dedicated telephone 2 from the analog telephone network 4 and connect the general telephone 3 to the analog telephone network 4, as in the case explained using FIG. 4. In this case, by making the general telephone ring in response to an IR signal and going off-hook, a call line can be connected to the emergency call receiving agency 5 and a detailed call can be made.

[0053] [Details of the problems that occur with the conventional emergency notification device 1X] For comparison, the operation of a conventional emergency notification device 1X will now be described. Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining a problem that occurs when the general telephone 3 is off the hook in the operation of the conventional emergency notification device 1X at the time of making an emergency call. In Fig. 5, the processing from step S31 to step S37 is performed in the same way as the processing from step S31 to step S37 in Fig. 4, and it is assumed that the general telephone 3 is off the hook.

[0054] In this case, it is assumed that the report button is pressed to make an emergency call. In this case, the processes from step S1 to step S9 in Fig. 5 are performed in the same manner as the processes from step S1 to step S9 in Fig. 4. The processes from step S51 onwards differ from the processes in the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 4.

[0055] That is, after an emergency call is made, an IR signal is transmitted to the emergency call device 1X in response to a call-back operation at the emergency call receiving agency 5. The emergency call device 1X does not have a function such as a line monitoring unit 1011, so it connects the dedicated telephone 2 to the analog telephone network 4 (step S51) and also connects the general telephone 3 to the analog telephone network 4 (step S52). In this case, the dedicated telephone 2 is on-hook, but the general telephone 3 is off-hook, so a response signal from the general telephone 3 is automatically returned to the emergency call device 1 (step S53). The response signal is sent from the emergency call device 1 to the analog telephone network 4 (step S54), and then transmitted from the analog telephone network 4 to the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S55).

[0056] As a result, a call line is connected between the general telephone 3 and the emergency call receiving agency 5 (step S56), enabling a call to be made. However, the general telephone 3 is unintentionally in an off-hook state by the user, and the user is not in a state where he or she can talk to a person at the emergency call receiving agency 5 through the general telephone 3. Also, as shown in Figure 5, in response to a return call from the emergency call receiving agency 5, a call line is immediately connected between the off-hook general telephone 3 and the emergency call receiving agency 5, and therefore the dedicated telephone 2, which is on-hook, does not ring in response to the IR signal.

[0057] For this reason, the caller or the like cannot be notified of the occurrence of the reverse call through either the dedicated telephone 2 or the general telephone 3. Therefore, in the state shown in Fig. 5, the caller or the like cannot communicate with the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5 through the telephone line that is connected in response to the reverse call from the emergency call receiving agency 5. As a result, the details of the emergency situation (details of the fire in this embodiment) cannot be communicated to the person in charge of the emergency call receiving agency 5, which may cause inconvenience such as a delay in the appropriate response on the part of the emergency call receiving agency.

[0058] However, as explained with reference to FIG. 4, even if one of the telephones connected to the emergency call device 1 is off-hook after an emergency call is made, the off-hook telephone will not automatically respond to the IR signal and connect the telephone line. In other words, the inconvenience of not ringing in response to the IR signal can be prevented. In this case, the on-hook telephone can be connected to the analog telephone network and supplied with the IR signal to ring in response to the call. This ensures that the caller is notified of the incoming call so that they can respond. When the on-hook telephone is taken off-hook, the telephone line is connected and a voice call with a person at the emergency call receiving agency 5 can be established.

[0059] [Summary of Emergency Notification Device 1 Operation] Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the processing performed in the emergency call device 1 of the embodiment. The processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is processing that is mainly performed by the switching control unit 222 of the line connection control unit 1022 of the telephone control unit 102. That is, when the call button 104 is pressed, the call control unit 1013 functions to make an emergency call to the emergency call receiving agency 5 and then sends a disconnection signal, and then the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is executed by the switching control unit 222.

[0060] The switching control unit 222 determines whether an IR signal (reverse call signal) has arrived based on the detection output from the reverse call detection unit 1012 (step S101). If it is determined in the determination process of step S101 that an IR signal has not arrived, the process from step S101 is repeated. Assume that it is determined in the determination process of step S101 that an IR signal has arrived. In this case, the switching control unit 222 determines whether either the dedicated telephone 2 or the general telephone 3 connected to the switching control unit 222 is off-hook (in an off-hook state) based on the detection output from the line monitoring unit 1011 (step S102).

[0061] Assume that in the determination process of step S102, it is determined that either the dedicated telephone 2 or the general telephone 3 is off the hook. In this case, the switching control unit 222 controls the switching unit 221 based on the detection output from the hook state detection unit 1021 so as to disconnect the off-hook telephone from the holding line, i.e., the analog telephone network 4 (step S103). Note that the processes from step S101 to step S103 are immediately executed when it is determined in step S101 that an IR signal has arrived. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the off-hook telephone from transmitting a response signal in response to the IR signal.

[0062] After the process of step S103, or if it is determined in the determination process of step S102 that there are no off-hook telephones, the process of step S104 is performed. That is, based on the detection output from the hook state detection unit 1021, the switching control unit 222 controls the switching unit 221 to connect the on-hook telephones to the holding line, i.e., the analog telephone network 4 (step S104). As a result, an IR signal is supplied to the on-hook telephone, and in response, an incoming call ringing (ringtone emission) is initiated.

[0063] Thereafter, the telephone in the on-hook state receiving a ringing call waits until it is taken off-hook (step S105). Suppose the handset of the telephone in the on-hook state receiving a ringing call is picked up and the telephone goes off-hook. In this case, a response signal is sent from the telephone to the emergency call receiving agency 5 via the analog telephone network 4, and the call line is connected (step S106). That is, a call line is connected between the telephone that went from the off-hook state to the on-hook state through the analog telephone network 4 and the emergency call receiving agency 5, enabling a call (reverse call). Then, based on the detection output from the hook state detection unit 1021, the switching control unit 222 determines whether the telephone that went from the off-hook state to the on-hook state has gone on-hook (step S107).

[0064] If it is determined in the determination process of step S107 that the telephone has not returned to the on-hook state, the process from step S107 is repeated. Assume that it is determined in the determination process of step S107 that the telephone has returned to the on-hook state. In this case, a disconnection signal is transmitted from the telephone that has returned to the on-hook state, and thereafter the switching control unit 222 controls the switching unit 221 to disconnect the telephone that was connected to the call line from the analog telephone network 4 (step S108). This ends the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0065] [Effects of the embodiment] In the case of the emergency call device 1 of this embodiment, even if an emergency call is made when one of the dedicated telephone 2 and the general telephone 3 connected to the device is off-hook, the off-hook telephone will not automatically respond to the IR signal (reverse call signal). Instead, the other on-hook telephone rings to notify the caller that a reverse call has been received. This allows the caller to take the other on-hook telephone off-hook and reliably respond to the reverse call from the emergency call receiving agency 5.

[0066] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which two telephones, a dedicated telephone 2 and a general telephone 3, are connected to the emergency notification device 1. However, this is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to cases in which multiple dedicated telephones or multiple general telephones are connected to the emergency notification device 1. In short, when an IR signal arrives after an emergency notification, the telephones that are off-hook are disconnected from the analog telephone network 4, and the telephones that are on-hook are connected to the analog telephone network, so that the incoming call rings in response to the IR signal. As a result, the telephone that rings can be used to connect a call line to the emergency notification receiving agency 5 and make a voice call.

[0067] Furthermore, if the dedicated telephone 2 is off-hook after an emergency call is made, considering that the dedicated telephone is only used for emergency calls, there is a possibility that the caller has picked up the handset of the dedicated telephone and is waiting for a call back. Therefore, if the dedicated telephone is off-hook after an emergency call is made, rather than supplying an IR signal to an on-hook telephone to ring, the dedicated telephone may be controlled to automatically answer the IR signal and connect the call line. Since the hook state detection unit 1021 can detect the hook state of the connected telephone, the switching control unit 222 may distinguish whether the off-hook telephone is a dedicated telephone or a general telephone and perform switching control.

[0068] [others] As can be seen from the above description of the embodiment, the function of the claimed reverse call detection means is realized by the reverse call detection unit 1012 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment, and the function of the claimed line monitoring means is realized by the line monitoring unit 1011 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment. Also, the function of the claimed hook state detection means is realized by the hook state detection unit 1021 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment, and the function of the claimed switching means is realized by the switching unit 221 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment. Also, the function of the claimed control means is realized by the switching control unit 222 of the emergency notification device 1 of the embodiment.

[0069] Moreover, a method corresponding to the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is an application of one embodiment of the callback response control method of the present invention. Also, the functions of line monitoring unit 1011, callback detection unit 1012, report control unit 1013, hook state detection unit 1021, switch control unit 222, and switch unit 221 shown in Fig. 2 can also be realized by software as functions of CPU unit 103 by a program executed in CPU unit 103, which is connected to analog telephone network 4, dedicated telephone 2, and general telephone 3 and transmits and receives signals therebetween. Therefore, the program that performs the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is an application of one embodiment of the callback response control program of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1...emergency call device, 101...line control unit, 1011...line monitoring unit, 1012...reverse call detection unit, 1013...call control unit, 102...telephone control unit, 1021...hook state detection unit, 1022...line connection control unit, 221...switching unit, 222...switching control unit, 103...CPU unit, 104...call button, 2...dedicated telephone, 3...general telephone, 4...analog telephone network, 5...emergency call receiving agency, 6...external telephone

Claims

1. An emergency call device to which a plurality of telephones for making calls to an emergency call receiving agency are connected, and which makes an emergency call to the emergency call receiving agency through an analog telephone network, a call detection means for detecting the arrival of a call signal from the analog telephone network after an emergency call is made; a line monitoring means for monitoring signals from the analog telephone network and detecting whether or not a telephone is off the hook among the plurality of telephones connected to the line monitoring means; a hook state detection means for detecting the hook state of each of the plurality of telephone sets connected to the own device; a switching means for switching between connection and non-connection to the analog telephone network for each of the plurality of telephones connected to the own device; a control means for controlling said switching means, when said reverse call detection means detects the arrival of said call signal and said line monitoring means detects the presence of a telephone set in an off-hook state, to disconnect the telephone set in an off-hook state from said analog telephone network and connect the telephone set in an on-hook state to said analog telephone network, based on the detection output of said hook state detection means; An emergency notification device comprising:

2. The emergency call device according to claim 1, The plurality of telephones are dedicated telephones that only make call-back calls in response to call-backs from the emergency call receiving agency, and general telephones that can make outside calls or internal calls, The control means controls the switching means so that, when the general telephone is in an off-hook state and the dedicated telephone is in an on-hook state, the general telephone is disconnected from the telephone line and the dedicated telephone is connected to the telephone line. An emergency notification device characterized by:

3. The emergency call device according to claim 1, The line monitoring means detects the presence of an off-hook telephone when it receives a 30-second dial tone, then a 60-second busy tone, and power supply from the analog telephone network is stopped. An emergency notification device characterized by:

4. The emergency call device according to claim 1, The line monitoring means detects that there is a telephone set that is off the hook when a dial tone or a busy tone is received. An emergency notification device characterized by:

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