Message exchange device for communication between a manager and particular persons

• US 4,811,383 A
• Filed: 05/06/1986
• Issued: 03/07/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hashimoto Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hashimoto Corporation
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Canney, Vincent P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tomassini, James E.
• Application Number:
  US06/860,621
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 379/70, 379/74, 379/76, 379/77
• US Class Current: 379/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/652 Means for playing back the recorded messages by remote control over a telephone line H04M1/658 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A message exchange device for communication between a manager and particular persons, which is adapted to enable a particular person to listen to a particular message directed to a particular caller and recorded on an associated channel of a multi-channel recording medium, by sending a caller-representative coded signal assigned to him, and then stores that the particular message has been transmitted. Further, the device operates to transmit either one of a first predetermined announcement representing that said particular message has not been listened and a second predetermined announcement representing that said particular message has been listened, in accordance with stored results when a confirming coded signal is transmitted from the manager, and record on the multi-channel recording medium at least one substitute message, which is transmitted from the manager by the use of an external telephone set to be substituted for at least one of said outgoing message and said particular messages when a coded recording signal is transmitted.

Claims

1. Message exchange device connectable to a telephone line for communication between a manager and particular salesmen at at least one remote location comprising:

means for detecting an incoming call;

a first recording means to reproduce and transmit onto the telephone line a prerecorded outgoing message to a caller upon receipt of an incoming call detected by said detecting means;

a second recording means which can record only instructions or messages of the manager for any of the salesmen on any channel of a multi-channel recording medium;

means for receiving a code number sent over the telephone line to the device by any of the salesmen who has called the device and for determining that the number is a special personal number for accessing one of the channels of the multi-channel recording medium for enabling any of said salesmen who sent the special personal number to receive his instruction or message from the manager by playing back the message on the channel accessed;

memory means for storing information for each channel of the multi-channel recording medium to identify which channels have been accessed and which have not;

means for receiving a code number sent over the telephone lines to the device by the manager identifying the caller as the manager and thereby allowing him to access the device by remote control;

means for identifying by remote control whether a specific channel has been accessed or not as determined by said memory means;

a first announcing means which, when the manager accesses the device for checking from a remote location, announces a "not yet heard" message so long as the specific channel has not been accessed so that a salesman for whom that message was intended has not yet heard the manager'"'"'s message or instruction from his channel; and

a second announcing means which, when the manager accesses the device for checking from the remote location, announces an "already heard" message so long as the specific channel has been accessed so that a salesman for whom that message was intended has listened to the manager'"'"'s instruction of the message from his channel.

2. A device according to claim 1, further including a timer section for generating an output upon elapse of a predetermined period of time, and a dial signal generator for dialing respective numbers for calling out said particular salesmen, to thereby call out at least one of said particular salesmen who has not listened to said manager'"'"'s instruction when said predetermined period of time has elapsed, so as to request him to listen to the same instruction soon.