Facsimile apparatus with automatic telephone answering function

• US 5,517,557 A
• Filed: 05/13/1994
• Issued: 05/14/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSANG, FAN S
• Application Number:
  US08/241,896
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/142, 379/100
• US Class Current: 379/88.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/654 Telephone line monitoring circuits therefor, e.g. ring detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32704 Establishing a communication with one of a facsimile and another telecommunication apparatus sharing a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32708 Telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3271 Telephone answering machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32726 signals other than facsimile protocol signals, e.g. DTMF signals

Abstract

A facsimile apparatus with automatic telephone answering function, comprises: a ring signal detection circuit; a detection circuit for detecting telephone number data sent with the ring signal through the telephone line; an interface circuit for connecting the same with the telephone line; a telephone portion for communicating with the telephone line; a facsimile portion for communicating with the telephone line; a storing circuit for storing a predetermined telephone number data; a comparing circuit for comparing telephone number data detected by the detection circuit with the predetermined telephone number data and for indicating as a result of the comparison whether the telephone portion or the data communication circuit is to be operated; and a control circuit responsive to the comparing circuit for operating the telephone portion when the result of the comparing circuit indicates the telephone portion and for operating the data communication circuit when the result indicates the data communication circuit. The telephone portion may comprise OGM sending and ICM recording circuits. The OGM may be sent after a predetermined times of generation of ring sound.

Claims

1. A facsimile apparatus with automatic telephone answering function, comprising:

(a) ring signal detection means for detecting a ring signal repeatedly sent with respect a call from a telephone line;

(b) telephone number detection means responsive to said ring signal detection means for detecting caller identifying telephone number data accompanied by said ring signal from said telephone line;

(c) interface means for making a connection with said telephone line after said caller identifying telephone number data is detected;

(d) a telephone portion including;

hand set means for providing communication with said telephone line for a called party; and

automatic telephone answering means for communicating with said telephone line through said interface means, said automatic telephone answering means having;

message sending means for sending a first message to said telephone line through said interface means; and

message recording means responsive to said message sending means for recording a second message sent from said telephone line through said interface means;

(e) data communication means for communicating with said telephone line with data signals through said interface means;

(f) automatic telephone answering mode setting means responsive to a manual operation for setting a mode signal to an automatic answering mode;

(g) storing means for storing a predetermined telephone number data;

(h) comparing means for comparing caller identifying telephone number data detected by said telephone number detection means with said predetermined telephone number data and for indicating as a result of the comparison whether said telephone portion or said data communication means is to be operated;

(i) first control means for immediately operating said data communication means when said result indicates said data communication means;

(j) counting means for counting a number of detections of said ring signal;

(k) second control means for causing said counting means to count detections of said ring signal and causing said handset means to operate when said result indicates said telephone portion; and

(l) third control means for causing said automatic answering means to operate when the number of detections of said ring signal reaches a predetermined value and said mode signal is set to said automatic answering mode.

2. A facsimile apparatus with automatic telephone answering function, comprising:

ring signal detection means for detecting a ring signal from a telephone line;

telephone number detection means responsive to said ring signal detection means for detecting caller identifying telephone number data accompanied by said ring signal from said telephone line;

interface means for making a connection with said telephone line;

ring sound generation means for generating a ring sound in response to ring signal from said ring signal detection means;

a telephone portion, having an automatic answering means for providing said automatic answering function, for communicating with said telephone line through said interface means;

data communication means for communicating with said telephone line through said interface means;

storing means for storing a predetermined telephone number data;

comparing means for comparing caller identifying telephone number data detected by said telephone number detection means with said predetermined telephone number data before said interface means makes said connection with said telephone line and for indicating as a result of the comparison whether said telephone portion of said data communication means is to be operated;

counting means responsive to said ring signal detection means for counting a number of detections of said ring signal; and

control means responsive to said comparing means and counting means for operating said interface means to make said connection with said telephone line and operating said automatic answering means when the result of said comparing means indicates said telephone portion and the number of detections of said ring signal reaches a predetermined value and for operating said interface means to make said connection with said telephone line and operating said data communication means when the result indicates said data communication means irrespective of the number of detections.

3. A facsimile apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said automatic answering means comprises:

message sending means responsive to said control means for sending a first message to said telephone line through said interface means when said telephone portion is operated by said control means; and

message recording means responsive to said message sending means for recording a second message sent from said telephone line through said interface means.

4. A facsimile apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said data communication means comprises a facsimile means responsive to said control means for receiving a data signal from said telephone line through said interface means and forming an image from said data signal when said data communication means is operated by said control means.

5. A facsimile apparatus with automatic telephone answering function as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control means responds directly to said comparing means for operating said telephone portion or said data communication means, and in operating said data communication means thereby shortening a response time for data communication by operating free of a requirement for transmission of a data identifying signal and discrimination between data and voice communication.

6. A facsimile apparatus with automatic telephone answering function as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

(a) timer means for measuring an time interval in response to said ring signal detection means; and

(b) second control means for causing said automatic answering means to operate when said result indicates said telephone portion and said interval reaches a predetermined value.

7. A facsimile apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control means immediately operates said interface means to make said connection with said telephone line and immediately operates said data communication means when the result indicates said data communication means.

8. A facsimile apparatus with automatic telephone answering function, comprising:

ring signal detection means for detecting ring signals from a telephone line, wherein said ring signals occur at regular intervals;

telephone number detection means responsive to said ring signal detection means for detecting caller identifying telephone number data transmitted with at least one of said ring signals;

interface means for making a connection with said telephone line;

a telephone portion, having an automatic answering means for providing said automatic answering function, for communicating with said telephone line through said interface means;

data communication means for communicating with said telephone line through said interface means;

storing means for storing a predetermined telephone number data;

comparing means for comparing caller identifying telephone number data detected by the telephone number detection means with said predetermined telephone number data before said interface means makes said connection with said telephone line and for indicating as a result of the comparison whether said automatic answering means or said data communication means is to be operated;

timer means for measuring a time interval corresponding to a number of said ring signals of regular interval; and

control means responsive to said comparing means and said timer means for operating said interface means to connect said telephone line and the automatic answering means when the comparison result indicates the automatic answering means is to be operated and the measured time interval reaches a predetermined value and for operating said interface means to connect said telephone line and said data communication means when the comparison result indicates said data communication means is to be operated.