Patent ID: 7292869

Claim:
Telephone equipment having a main apparatus and a plurality of cordless handsets, the main apparatus being connectable with an outside apparatus through a telephone line, the plurality of cordless handsets being capable of performing an extension communication being relayed by the main apparatus, the telephone equipment comprising: a line holding system that holds a connection between the main apparatus and the outside apparatus; an extension communication detecting system that detects a start of the extension communication when a communication with the outside apparatus is being held; a timer that measures a time period elapsed from the start of the extension communication; and a notification system that causes at least one of the cordless handsets performing the extension communication to perform a notifying operation when the time period measured by the timer exceeds a predetermined time period, wherein the extension communication detecting system and the timer are provided to each of the main apparatus and the plurality of cordless handsets, wherein the main apparatus includes an instructing system that instructs at least one of the cordless handsets performing the notifying operation when the time period measured by the timer provided to one of the main apparatus and the plurality of cordless handsets exceeds the predetermined time period, wherein each of the plurality of cordless handsets is configured to transmit a disconnection signal to the main apparatus, the disconnection signal requesting for disconnection from the connection with the outside apparatus when an elapsed time period measured by the timer provided to each of the plurality of cordless handsets exceeds the predetermined period, wherein the instruction system included in the main apparatus is configured to transmit an instruction in response to the disconnection signal to a cordless handset that has transmitted the disconnection signal, and wherein when the cordless handset receives the instruction from the main apparatus, the notifying system causes the cordless handset that has received the instruction to execute the notifying operation.