Forced answer communications
View Patent ↗Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to implement forced answer communications by receiving a request to permit emergency activation of a first telephone in response to a call placed by a second telephone having a defined telephone number, receiving the call placed by the second telephone to the first telephone, wherein the first telephone is either on hook or turned off, and establishing a voice communication path between the first telephone and the second telephone. The path may be established by either sending an off hook command to the first telephone if the first telephone is turned on and on hook, or sending a combination of turn on and off hook commands to the first telephone if the first telephone is turned off. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a database to store permission associated with emergency activation of a first telephone in response to a call placed from a second telephone having a defined telephone number; and
a telephone switch to establish a voice communication path between the first telephone and the second telephone when the second telephone is identified by the defined telephone number as part of the call and to determine whether the first telephone is turned off and on hook or whether the first telephone is turned on and on hook, wherein the telephone switch is to send an off hook command to the first telephone when the telephone switch determines the first telephone is turned on and on hook, and a combination of turn on and off hook commands to the first telephone when the telephone switch determines the first telephone is turned off, the turn on command configured to force the first telephone that is turned off to turn on.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a private branch exchange to couple to the first telephone.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the telephone switch is coupled to the database using a public switched telephone network.
4. A system, comprising:
a home location register including a database to store permission associated with emergency activation of a first telephone in response to a call placed from a second telephone having a defined telephone number; and
a mobile switching center to establish a voice communication path between the first telephone and the second telephone when the second telephone is identified by the defined telephone number as part of the call and to determine whether the first telephone is turned off and on hook or whether the first telephone is turned on and on hook, wherein the telephone switch is to send an off hook command to the first telephone when the telephone switch determines the first telephone is turned on and on hook, and a combination of turn on and off hook commands to the first telephone when the telephone switch determines the first telephone is turned off, the turn on command configured to force the first telephone that is turned off to turn on.
5. The system of claim 4 , comprising:
a visitor location register to receive the permission if the first telephone comprises a roaming cellular telephone.
6. The system of claim 4 , comprising:
a base station to initiate application of operational power to a radio receiver in the first telephone responsive to the turn on command.
7. A method, comprising:
receiving a request to permit emergency activation of a first telephone in response to a call placed by a second telephone having a defined telephone number;
receiving the call placed by the second telephone to the first telephone;
establishing, by a telephone switch, a voice communication path between the first telephone and the second telephone;
determining, by the telephone switch, whether the first telephone is turned off and on hook or whether the first telephone is turned on and on hook:
sending an off hook command to the first telephone when the telephone switch determines the first telephone is turned on and on hook; and
sending a combination of turn on and off hook commands to the first telephone when the telephone switch determines the first telephone is turned off, the turn on command configured to force the first telephone that is turned off to turn on.
8. The method of claim 7 , comprising:
providing a mandatory audible emergency feature activated tone to the first telephone after the voice communication path is established.
9. The method of claim 7 , comprising:
receiving an emergency tone selection; and
selectively providing an audible emergency feature activated tone to the first telephone after the voice communication path is established based on the selection.
10. The method of claim 7 , comprising:
provisioning the emergency activation in a switch as a feature associated with the first telephone in response to the request.
11. The method of claim 7 , comprising:
provisioning the emergency activation in a switch as a feature associated with a trunk, wherein the first telephone is an extension coupled to the trunk.
12. The method of claim 7 , wherein
the first telephone comprises a cellular telephone.
13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sending the turn on command to the first telephone comprises:
initiating application of operational power to a radio receiver in the first telephone using a low power receiver in the first telephone.
14. The method of claim 7 , comprising:
sending the off hook command to the first telephone to activate a speaker when the first telephone comprises a non-cellular speakerphone.
15. The method of claim 7 , comprising:
receiving the call from a third telephone different from the second telephone; and
rejecting the call.
16. The method of claim 7 , comprising:
receiving the call from a third telephone different from the second telephone;
accepting the call if the third telephone is associated with an emergency services provider; and
rejecting the call if the third telephone is not associated with an emergency services provider.
17. The method of claim 7 , wherein the request is not accepted if the request is not initiated by the first telephone.
18. A method, comprising:
receiving information associated with a call placed by a second telephone to a first telephone;
verifying existence of permission in a database associated with emergency activation of the first telephone in response to a call placed from the second telephone having a defined telephone number;
establishing, by a telephone switch, a voice communication path between the first telephone and the second telephone when the second telephone is identified by the defined telephone number as part of the information;
determining, by the telephone switch, whether the first telephone is turned off and on hook or whether the first telephone is turned on and on hook;
sending an off hook command to the first telephone when the telephone switch determines the first telephone is turned on and on hook; and
sending a combination of turn on and off hook commands to the first telephone when the telephone switch determines the first telephone is turned off, the turn on command configured to force the first telephone that is turned off to turn on.
19. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
storing the permission in a home location register associated with the first telephone.
20. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
establishing the voice communication path over a trunk to the second telephone as an extension coupled to the trunk.
21. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
establishing the voice communication path when the second telephone is not identified by the defined telephone number, based on determining that the second telephone is identified with an emergency service provider.
22. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
receiving a request for emergency services;
transmitting the second number to an emergency service provider; and
establishing the voice communication path between the emergency services provider and the second telephone.
23. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
providing a mandatory audible emergency feature activated tone to the first telephone after the voice communication path is established.
24. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
refusing to store the permission in the database if a request providing the permission is not initiated by the first telephone.
25. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the off hook command is configured to:
force the first telephone that is turned on to switch from an on-hook state to an off-hook state, the first telephone incapable of establishing the voice communication path when in the on-hook state and capable of establishing the voice communication path when in the off-hook state.