Telephone answering device with TV telephone

• US 5,046,079 A
• Filed: 10/13/1989
• Issued: 09/03/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hashimoto Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hashimoto Corporation
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/421,105
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 379/53, 379/54, 379/67, 379/82
• US Class Current: 348/14.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085

Abstract

A telephone answering device with TV telephone for receiving and displaying a picture signal sent from a calling party through a telephone line, in the intermission of ringing signals, so that a called party can confirm who is calling by seeing the picture signal on the TV display. The picture signal as well as an incoming message from the calling party is recorded in a recording medium to be reproduced manually by the called party at home or remotely from a remote location. The TV telephone has a line which is common with or separate from the line of the telephone answering device.

Claims

1. A telephone answering device with TV telephone;

comprising;

ringing signal detection means for detecting ringing signals coming from a calling party through a telephone line in a standby mode of said telephone answering device with said TV telephone;

engaging means for releasing said telephone answering device from said standby mode and responsive to the output of said ringing signal detection means;

means for sending out an outgoing message to said calling party after the engaging of the telephone line by said engaging means;

first recording means for recording an incoming message from the calling party in a recording medium after the sending of said outgoing message;

carrier signal detection means for detecting the carrier signal of a picture signal sent from the TV telephone of the calling party through the telephone line between ringing signals or after said engaging;

second recording means for separately recording said picture signal in said recording medium after the detection of the carrier by said carrier signal detection means; and

restoration means for restoring the standby mode after the recording operations by said first recording means and/or said second recording means.

2. A telephone answering device with TV telephone, comprising;

ringing signal detection means for detecting ringing signals coming from a calling party through a telephone line in the standby mode of said telephone answering device with TV telephone;

engaging means for releasing said telephone answering device from said standby mode and responsive to said ringing signal detection means;

means for sending out an outgoing message to said calling party after the engaging of the telephone line by said engaging means;

first recording means for recording an incoming message from the calling party in a recording medium after the sending of said outgoing message;

carrier signal detection means for detecting the carrier signal of a picture signal sent from the TV telephone of the calling party through the telephone line between ringing signals or after engagement thereof;

second recording means for separately recording said picture signal in said recording medium after the detection of the carrier by said carrier signal detection means;

restoration means for restoring the standby mode after the recording operations by said first recording means and/or said second recording means; and

means for reproducing signals recorded in the recording medium in response to a remote operation by a user at a remote location,

whereby the picture signal recorded in said recording medium is displayed during the remote reproduction in the TV telephone connected to the telephone line of the remote user.

3. In combination with a TV telephone system operable to transmit through a telephone line a picture signal between ringing signals generated in response to dial data of a calling party, a telephone answering device with TV telephone at a location of a called party, comprising:

means for receiving said picture signal between ringing signals;

means for displaying in the TV telephone an image corresponding to said picture signal;

engaging means for engaging said telephone line, and thereby releasing said telephone answering device from a standby mode, after a predetermined number of ringing signals while the display of said image may be confirmed;

answering means for sending out an outgoing message after the engaging by said engaging means;

recording means for recording an incoming message from the calling party after answering by said answering means and for separately recording said picture signal; and

restoration means for restoring said standby mode after the recording of the incoming message of the calling party by said recording means;

wherein the picture signal corresponding to the image displayed in the TV telephone is transferred to and recorded in the recording medium containing the incoming message from the calling party following the recording of the incoming message.

4. In combination with a TV telephone system operable to transmit through a telephone line a picture signal between ringing signals generated in response to dial data of a calling party, a telephone answering device with TV telephone at a location of a called party, comprising:

means for receiving said picture signal between ringing signals;

means for displaying in the TV telephone an image corresponding to said picture signal;

engaging means for engaging said telephone line, and thereby releasing said telephone answering device from a standby mode, after a predetermined number of ringing signals while the display of said image may be confirmed;

answering means for sending out an outgoing message after the engaging by said engaging means;

recording means for recording an incoming message from the calling party after answering by said answering means and for separately recording said picture signal; and

restoration means for restoring said standby mode after the recording of the incoming message of the calling party by said recording means.

5. In combination with a TV telephone system operable to transmit through a telephone line a picture signal between ringing signals generated in response to dial data of a calling party, a telephone answering device and a TV telephone at a location of a called party, comprising:

means for transmitting said picture signal during the time between ringing signals;

means for displaying an image corresponding to said picture signal received between ringing signals;

means for releasing said telephone answering device from a standby mode by engaging said telephone line after a predetermined number of ringing signals and

means for separately recording an incoming voice message and said picture signal in a recording medium of said telephone answering device.