Wireless voice messaging device for use with cassette player

• US 5,654,942 A
• Filed: 07/11/1995
• Issued: 08/05/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Akahane, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, TAN X
• Application Number:
  US08/501,193
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 369/1, 369/2, 369/6, 369/7, 369/8, 369/10, 369/11, 340/825.44, 340/311.1, 455/38.1, 455/57.1, 455/38.2
• US Class Current: 369/2
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/049 Cassettes for special applications not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/20 for coupling gramophone pick-up, recorder output, or microphone to receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6515 using magnetic tape H04M1/6505 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64

Abstract

A wireless voice messaging device including a cassette-shaped body adapted to be inserted into a cassette player in lieu of a cassette. A receiver for receiving incoming call signals including at least one incoming voice message, a memory for storing the incoming voice message and recalling the incoming voice message in response to a first control signal, and a transducer for establishing an operative connection with a play head of the cassette player for transferring the incoming voice message recalled from said memory means to said play head are all disposed in the cassette-shaped body. A control signal generator, also disposed in the cassette-shaped body and responsive to operation of said cassette player, is provided for detecting a mode of operation of the cassette player and controlling a mode of operation of the voice pager in response thereto. A transmitter, disposed in the cassette-shaped body, is provided for transmitting outgoing voice messages.

Claims

1. A wireless voice messaging device for use with a cassette player, comprising:

a receiver for receiving incoming call signals including at least one incoming voice message;

coupling means for coupling said receiver with said cassette player and for transferring said at least one incoming voice message therebetween;

operation detecting means for detecting an operational mode of the cassette player; and

control signal generating means for generating a control signal in response to the operational mode of the cassette player, said control signal being used to control operation of said wireless voice messaging device.

2. A wireless voice messaging device for use with a cassette player, comprising:

a receiver for receiving incoming call signals including at least one incoming voice message;

a memory for storing said at least one incoming voice message;

coupling means for coupling said memory means with said cassette player and for transferring said at least one incoming voice message therebetween;

operation detecting means for detecting a mode of operation of the cassette player; and

control signal generating means for generating a control signal in response to the mode of operation of the cassette player, said control signal being applied to said memory for controlling the operation thereof.

3. The wireless voice messaging device of claim 2, wherein the control signal generating means, in response to detecting a PLAY mode of operation of the cassette player, generates a first control signal causing said memory means to recall said at least one incoming voice message and transfer said at least one incoming voice message to said cassette player through said coupling means.

4. The wireless voice messaging device of claim 3, wherein the control signal generating means, in response to detecting a RECORD mode of operation of the cassette player, generates a second control signal causing said memory to store at least one outgoing voice message transferred to said memory from said cassette player through said coupling means.

5. The wireless voice messaging device of claim 2 further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting at least one outgoing voice message.

6. A wireless voice messaging device comprising:

a cassette-shaped body adapted to be inserted into a cassette player in lieu of a cassette;

receiving means, disposed in said cassette shaped body, for receiving incoming call signals including at least one incoming voice message;

memory means, disposed in said cassette-shaped body, for storing said at least one incoming voice message and recalling said at least one incoming voice message in response to a first control signal;

transducer means, disposed in said cassette-shaped body, for establishing an operative connection with a play head of the cassette player for transferring said at least one incoming voice message recalled from said memory means to said play head; and

control signal generating means, disposed in said cassette-shaped body and responsive to operation of said cassette player, for detecting a mode of operation of the cassette player and controlling a mode of operation of the wireless voice messaging device in response thereto.

7. The wireless voice messaging device according to claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting means, disposed in said cassette shaped body, for transmitting outgoing call signals including at least one voice message.

8. The wireless voice messaging device according to claim 6, wherein the control signal generating means, in response to detecting a PLAY mode of operation of the cassette player, generates the first control signal.

9. The wireless voice messaging device according to claim 8, wherein, in response to a second control signal, the transducer means is further adapted to transfer at least one outgoing voice messages, generated via a microphone of the cassette player, from a record head of the cassette player to said memory means.

10. The wireless voice messaging device according to claim 9, wherein the control signal generating means, in response to detecting a RECORD mode of operation of the cassette player, generates the second control signal.

11. The wireless voice messaging device according to claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting means, disposed in said cassette shaped body, for transmitting outgoing call signals including said at least one outgoing voice message.

12. The wireless voice messaging device according to claim 6, further comprising a liquid crystal display, disposed in said cassette-shaped body, and wherein the incoming call signals include at least one incoming text message to be displayed on said liquid crystal display.

13. A two-way voice pager comprising:

a cassette-shaped body adapted to be inserted into a cassette player in lieu of a cassette;

receiving means, disposed in said cassette shaped body, for receiving incoming call signals including at least one incoming voice message;

memory means, disposed in said cassette-shaped body, for storing said at least one incoming voice message and recalling said at least one incoming voice message in response to a first control signal;

connection means, disposed in said cassette-shaped body, for establishing an operative connection with a play head of the cassette player for transferring said at least one incoming voice message recalled from said memory means to said play head;

control signal generating means, disposed in said cassette-shaped body and responsive to operation of said cassette player, for detecting a mode of operation of the cassette player and controlling a mode of operation of the two-way voice pager in response thereto by generating corresponding control signals; and

transmitter means, disposed in said cassette-shaped body, for transmitting outgoing call signals, including at least one outgoing voice message, in response to a second control signal, said at least one outgoing voice message transferred from said cassette player to said memory means via said connection means.