Patent ID: 7015946

Claim:
A television door apparatus comprising: a door intercom substation comprising: a call button; a substation microphone; a camera having a field-of-view angle; and a substation speaker; and a residential master station comprising: a master station speaker; a call detection circuit for detecting a push operation of said call button by a visitor; a signal generator circuit for outputting a call sound through the master station speaker, responsive to detection of a push operation of said call button, so that communication can be established between (1) the substation microphone and the substation speaker and (2) the master station microphone and the master station speaker; a picture monitor for displaying a picture taken by said camera; a message storage circuit for storing in advance a predetermined message that urges the visitor conducting the push operation to stand in front of the door intercom substation and to move into range of the field-of-view angle of the camera; and a message transmission circuit, activated responsive to detection of a push operation, for causing said substation speaker to output the predetermined message from said message storage circuit.