Busy override is a function of the
private branch exchange that allows the
calling party
The calling party (in some contexts called the "A-Number") is a person who (or device that) initiates a telephone call. The person who, or device that, receives a telephone call is the called party (or callee or B-party).
In some countries, it ...
to override the
busy signal
Reanno Devon Gordon (born 24 January 1979), better known by his stage name Busy Signal, is a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist.
Biography
Reanno Devon Gordon p/k/a Busy Signal was born in Saint Ann Parish,Johnson, Carolyn (2006)A Very Busy Chi ...
on the
called party
The called party (in some contexts called the "B-Number") is a person who (or device that) answers a telephone call. The person who (or device that) initiates a telephone call is the calling party.
In some situations, the called party may number m ...
to break into the ongoing conversation. Before breaking in most PBX announce the incoming call by a distinctive
sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...
signal
In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The '' IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing' ...
or
tone, but in most cases this can be disabled by software. The Busy override function was originally intended to allow the called party to receive a high priority, implying that the call is very important, and should be handled first.
The same feature is often provided for toll (long-distance) operators.
References
3Com Enterprise and Small Business Networking Solutions
ALLNT.com
Telephony