Automatic user selected variable telephone message record and playback system
First Claim
1. An automatic user selected variable telephone message playback system, comprising:
- a recorder unit for recording information messages in a series of predetermined message areas on a recording medium each of said message areas being associated with a respective multiple digit message identifier corresponding to a particular series of telephone Touch-Tone signals, said recorder unit including drive means for driving said recording medium to the beginning of any one of said message areas and means for playing the information message in that message area;
a telephone coupler unit including means for connection to a telephone line and means for detecting incoming calls by a user on said telephone line;
an audio switching unit including means for selectively connecting said telephone line via said telephone coupler unit to said recorder unit in response to detection by said telephone coupler unit of a telephone call;
said selectively connecting means of said audio switching unit comprising a multi-directional switch assembly means operated by said automatic controller, said assembly means having four inputs and three outputs, the controller including means for controlling which of the inputs is connected to which of the outputs;
the four inputs comprising;
a message recording line input;
a data input connected from said automatic controller;
a telephone line input connected from the telephone coupler unit;
an input connected from an output of the recorder unit; and
the three outputs comprising;
an output connected to an input to the recorder unit;
a data output connected to the input of the automatic controller; and
an output connected to the telephone coupler unit;
an automatic controller for controlling the operation of said units, said controller including;
means for monitoring said telephone line of said connected telephone call to detect a series of Touch-Tone signals on said telephone line entered from a user-operated Touch-Tone telephone and representing a message selected by said user;
means for associating said user-entered Touch-Tone signals with the corresponding message identifies;
means for automatically operating said recorder unit drive means in response to said detected Touch-Tone signals to drive said recording medium to the beginning of the message area associated with said corresponding message identifier, and for operating said recorder unit to play the information message store in said message area over said telephone line via said switching unit and coupler unit;
said controller selectably controlling said audio switching unit to connect said message recording line input through the output to the recording unit input in order to record a message on said recording medium;
said controller selectably controlling said audio switching unit to connect said data input form the automatic controller through the output to the recording unit input in order to write a beginning of message marker and an end of message marker onto said recording medium;
said controller selectably controlling said audio switching unit to connect said input from the recorder unit output through the output to the telephone coupler unit in order to enable a user to listen to a selected recorder message; and
said controller selectably controlling said audio switching unit to connect said telephone line input from the telephone coupler unit through the output to the recorder unit input in order to enable a user to record a message onto said recording medium.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An information system for storing and automatically retrieving selected information and transmitting it to a user over a telephone line is described. The system includes a recorder unit on which a series of information messages can be recorded on a recording medium and replayed from the recording medium. A telephone coupler unit for connection to a telephone line detects incoming calls on the line. An automatic controller operates the coupler unit to connect calls through an audio switch assembly to the recorder unit. The controller monitors connected calls to detect touch tone signals from a user and automatically operates the recorder unit in response to the signals to drive it to a user chosen position represented by the signals and to play the message recorded at that position.
124 Citations
30 Claims
-
1. An automatic user selected variable telephone message playback system, comprising:
-
a recorder unit for recording information messages in a series of predetermined message areas on a recording medium each of said message areas being associated with a respective multiple digit message identifier corresponding to a particular series of telephone Touch-Tone signals, said recorder unit including drive means for driving said recording medium to the beginning of any one of said message areas and means for playing the information message in that message area; a telephone coupler unit including means for connection to a telephone line and means for detecting incoming calls by a user on said telephone line; an audio switching unit including means for selectively connecting said telephone line via said telephone coupler unit to said recorder unit in response to detection by said telephone coupler unit of a telephone call; said selectively connecting means of said audio switching unit comprising a multi-directional switch assembly means operated by said automatic controller, said assembly means having four inputs and three outputs, the controller including means for controlling which of the inputs is connected to which of the outputs; the four inputs comprising;
a message recording line input;
a data input connected from said automatic controller;
a telephone line input connected from the telephone coupler unit;
an input connected from an output of the recorder unit; andthe three outputs comprising;
an output connected to an input to the recorder unit;
a data output connected to the input of the automatic controller; and
an output connected to the telephone coupler unit;an automatic controller for controlling the operation of said units, said controller including; means for monitoring said telephone line of said connected telephone call to detect a series of Touch-Tone signals on said telephone line entered from a user-operated Touch-Tone telephone and representing a message selected by said user; means for associating said user-entered Touch-Tone signals with the corresponding message identifies; means for automatically operating said recorder unit drive means in response to said detected Touch-Tone signals to drive said recording medium to the beginning of the message area associated with said corresponding message identifier, and for operating said recorder unit to play the information message store in said message area over said telephone line via said switching unit and coupler unit; said controller selectably controlling said audio switching unit to connect said message recording line input through the output to the recording unit input in order to record a message on said recording medium; said controller selectably controlling said audio switching unit to connect said data input form the automatic controller through the output to the recording unit input in order to write a beginning of message marker and an end of message marker onto said recording medium; said controller selectably controlling said audio switching unit to connect said input from the recorder unit output through the output to the telephone coupler unit in order to enable a user to listen to a selected recorder message; and said controller selectably controlling said audio switching unit to connect said telephone line input from the telephone coupler unit through the output to the recorder unit input in order to enable a user to record a message onto said recording medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 30)
-
-
21. An automatic user selected variable telephone message record and playback system, comprising:
-
means for recording and playing information messages, each message location being associated with a multiple digit message identifier corresponding to a particular series of telephone Touch-Tone signals; a telephone coupler unit including means for connection to a telephone line and means for detecting incoming calls by a user on said line; an audio switching unit including means for selectively connecting said telephone line via telephone coupler unit to said message recording and playing means on detection of a call by said coupler unit; and an automatic controller for controlling operation of said system, said controller being associated with said message storing means, coupler unit and switching unit, said controller including monitoring means for monitoring said connected calls to detect touchtone signals from said user, means for locating the message area associated with said touchtone signals with the corresponding message identifier, and further including operating means connected to said playing and recording means to play the particular information message at the message locator associated with said message identifier corresponding to said series of touchtone signals.
-
-
22. An automatic user-selected variable telephone message record and playback system, comprising:
-
a recorder unit for recording and playback of informational audio messages stored in assigned message areas of a recording medium, said recorder unit having respective recording input line and playback output line; a telephone coupler unit for connecting to a telephone line and detection of an incoming telephone call, said telephone coupler unit having telephone coupler input line and telephone coupler output line; an audio switching unit for selecting connecting said recorder unit recording input line and playback output line to said telephone line via said telephone coupler unit input line and telephone coupler unit output line and, alternatively, to said telephone coupler unit input line to a peripheral interface means of an automatic controller; said automatic controller including a processor, memory, and said peripheral interface means for monitoring and controlling said telephone coupler unit;
said recorder unit, and said audio switching unit;said controller being responsive to detection of said telephone call for operating said audio switching unit to connect said recorder unit playback output line to said telephone coupler unit output line and operating said recorder unit such that said recording medium is driven to a home message area and playing the home informational message over said playback output line then operating said audio switching unit to alternatively connect said telephone coupler unit input line to the peripheral interface means of the automatic controller whereby said automatic controller and monitors the incoming telephone line and then being responsive to a series of user generated touch-tone signals on said telephone line said Touch-Tone signals indicating the address of the assigned message areas, said controller operates said audio switching unto to alternatively connect said recorder unit playback output line to said telephone coupler unit output line then operating said recorder unit such that said recording medium is driven to the assigned message area associated with the series of touch-tone signals, and playing said information message at said assigned message area over said recorder unit output line to said telephone coupler unit output line to said user. - View Dependent Claims (23)
-
-
24. An automatic user-selected variable message record and playback system, comprising:
-
an automatic controller having data storage means for storing data and program instructions, and processor means for controlling operation of said system; a telephone coupler unit having respective input and output lines for connection a telephone line to detect incoming calls from a user; a recorder unit, having respective input and output lines, for storing information messages in a series of predetermined addressed message areas on a recording medium; and an audio switching unit for selectively connecting said input and output lines of said telephone coupler unit to said input and output lines of said recorder unit; said automatic controller unit having a data input line connected to said audio switching unit for monitoring data on said telephone input line via said audio switching unit, and a processor output connected to said switching unit for transmitting data through said audio switching unit in response to said program instructions, and a control signal output for controlling the recorder unit and the switch configuration of said audio switching unit; said data storage means including a set of message identifiers each corresponding to one of said predetermined addressed message areas on said recording medium; said controller operating in response to said program instructions to perform the following sequence of operations; (a) monitoring a status signal from said telephone coupler unit for detecting of incoming telephone calls on said telephone line; (b) on detection of an incoming call, configuring said switching unit to connect said telephone line through said coupler unit output line and said switching unit to said recorder unit output line, and playing the information message at a preselected home message area over said recorder unit output line; (c) configuring said switching unit to connect said telephone line through said telephone coupler unit input line and said switching unit to the data input of said controller for monitoring said connected telephone line to detect a series of touch-tone signals corresponding to a user-selected message identifier; (d) associating said user-selected message identifier with a selected addressed message area on said recording medium in response to data stored in said storage means; (e) configuring said switching unit to connect said telephone line through said telephone coupler unit output line and said switching unit to said recorder output line and operating said recorder unit to drive said recording medium to said user-selected addressed message area and to play back the information message stored in said user-selected addressed message area to said user over said recorder unit output line via said switching unit and coupler unit; (f) disconnecting said telephone line at the end of a cell sequence operating said recorder unit to return said recording medium to said preselected home message area. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. An automatic user selected variable telephone message playback system, comprising:
-
a recorder unit for recording information messages in a series of predetermined message areas on a recording medium each of said message areas being associated with a respective multiple digit message identifier corresponding to a particular series of telephone touch-tone signals, said recorder unit including drive means for driving said recording medium to the beginning of any one of said message areas and means for playing the information message in that message area; a telephone coupler unit including means for connection to a telephone line and means for detecting incoming calls by a user on said telephone line; an audio switching unit including means for selectively connecting said telephone line via said telephone coupler unit to said recorder unit in response to detection by said telephone coupler unit of a telephone call; an automatic controller of controlling the operation of said units, said controller including; means for monitoring said telephone line of said connected telephone call to detect a series of Touch-Tone signals on said telephone line entered from a user-operated touch-tone telephone and representing a message selected by said user entered Touch-Tone signals said series of Touch-Tone signals corresponding to the actual physical location of the message area on the recording medium; means for automatically operating said recorder unit drive means in response to said detected Touch-Tone signals to drive said recording medium to the beginning of the message area indicated by said series of Touch-Tone signals and for operating said recorder unit to play the information message stored in said message area over said telephone line via said switching unit and coupler unit.
-
Specification