Telephone responder apparatus

Apparatus connectable at a telephone subscriber's premises to a subscriber circuit including a telephone subset, said apparatus being adapted to enable the transmission of a status report of conditions at the premises in response to the receipt of a telephone call from a remote location, said apparatus comprising:

• A. means for detecting ring signals received on the subscriber circuit during an incoming telephone call;
• B. means coupled to said ring signal detecting means for counting the number of incoming ring signals received on the subscriber circuit, said counting means being responsive to the receipt of a predetermined number n of incoming ring signals, where n is greater than one, for establishing an off-hook condition on the subscriber circuit;
• C. status reporting means responsive to the establishment of the off-hook condition on the subscriber circuit by said counting means for generating and transmitting a reporting signal over the subscriber circuit during the off-hook condition, said status reporting signal being recognizable by a calling party and being indicative of conditions at the premises;
• D. means responsive to the transmission of the status reporting signal by said status reporting means for returning the subscriber circuit to an on-hook condition;
• and
• E. means for enabling the performance of a control function at the premises in response to the receipt of a second telephone call from a remote location subsequent to the aforementioned first telephone call, said control function means including electrical switching means operable in response to the receipt by said counting means of a predetermined number m of incoming ring signals during the second telephone call.