Patent US 3,943,290

A semi-automatic telephone-answering system which connects a voice message to an incoming telephone line upon being activated. The incoming telephone line is connected to the system by an operator switchboard jack or key connector on a multiline telephone. A cueing signal switches a prerecorded message from a source thereof to the incoming telephone line at the beginning of the message. The cueing signal is synchronized with the message source so that switching means can only be activated at the beginning of the message. At the end of the message, a second cueing signal connects a music source or channel to the incoming telephone line. A primary signal indicates that the incoming telephone line has been waiting to be answered by the live operator for a predetermined time. A secondary signal is provided to indicate to the operator that a waiting call is being or has been answered live of a remote location. Thus, an effective urgency is imparted to the live operator as to the more pressing calls. The primary signal can also be transmitted to supervisory personnel to indicate that an overload condition exists in the answering system and allows said supervisor to intervene in calls or to talk on telephone lines, from a remote location, which an operator cannot answer because she is busy with other lines.