Centralized telephone answering apparatus with remote accessing

• US 4,059,732 A
• Filed: 07/09/1976
• Issued: 11/22/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Code-A-Phone Corp.
• Original Assignee: Ford Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Hayden, Robert W., Clarridge, Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Cooper, William C.
• Application Number:
  US05/703,745
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 179/18 B, 179/6 E
• US Class Current: 379/102.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/50 Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers H04M3/487 takes precedence; centralised dictation systems H04M11/10; Centralised arrangements for recording messages

Abstract

A telephone system employing centrally located telephone answering devices, each assigned to a different subscriber'"'"'s telephone line. Also centrally located, and intended to be shared, one at a time, by all of the answering devices, is a single electrical tone generator which is used for enabling selective addressing of the different answering devices by their respective subscribers, for the purpose of listening to recorded messages, changing outgoing messages, etc. The tone generator is connected to its own associated telephone line, and is placed in operation through a subscriber'"'"'s call to the particular telephone number assigned to such line.

Claims

1. Apparatus in a telephone system for accessing, from a subscriber'"'"'s telephone line in the system, a remote associated answering device located adjacent central switching circuitry in the system, which circuitry includes a plurality of ports each operatively connectable to a different telephone line and means for producing selected couplings through said circuitry between different pairs of said ports, said apparatus, in operative condition with respect to such equipment, comprising

an electrical signal generator operatively connected to one of said ports and operable, on a call being recevied at said one port through said switching circuitry, to apply an electrical signal to said one port, and through said one port and said switching circuitry to the particular port then coupled through said switching circuitry with said one port,

electrical switching means operatively interposed between said subscriber'"'"'s line, said answering device and another one of said ports, normally producing a closed connection between said other port and said line, and an open connection between said other port and said answering device, and

a sensor operatively connected both to said line and to said switching means responsive to the occurrence on said line of signal received through said other port and said switching circuitry from said signal generator, to actuate said switching means, thus to open said normally closed connection and to close said normally open connection.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 which further includes means operable with access had to said answering device for transmitting to said subscriber'"'"'s line an indication of any incoming call coupled through said switching circuitry to said other port.

3. Apparatus in a telephone system for accessing at different times, from a plurality of subscriber'"'"'s telephone lines in the system, different line-associated answering devices located adjacent central switching circuitry in the system, which circuitry includes a plurality of ports each operatively connectable to a different telephone line in the system and means for producing selective couplings through said circuitry between different pairs of said ports, said apparatus, in operative condition with respect to such equipment, comprising

a shared electrical signal generator for use in conjunction, one at a time, with all of said answering devices, said generator being operatively connected to one of said ports other than a port associated with a subscriber'"'"'s telephone line, and beng operable, on a call being received at said one port through said switching circuitry, to apply an electrical signal to said one port, and through said one port and said switching circuitry to the particular port then coupled through said switching circuitry with said one port,

and for each answering device,

electrical switching means operatively interposed between the associated subscriber'"'"'s telephone line, said answering device, and another one of said ports, normally producing a closed connection between said other port and said associated telephone line, and an open connection between said other port and said answering device, and

a sensor operatively connected both to said associated line and to said switching means, responsive to the occurrence on said associated line of a signal received through said other port and said switching circuitry from said signal generator, to actuate said switching means, thus to open said normally closed connection and to close said normally open connection.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 which further includes, for each answering device, means operable with access had to an answering device for transmitting to the associated subscriber'"'"'s line an indication of any incoming call coupled through said switching circuitry to the port provided for said line.