Automatic telephone answering apparatus
First Claim
1. An automatic telephone answering apparatus comprising:
- an interface circuit for communicating with a telephone line;
storing means for storing a plurality of blocks of sound data at storing regions respectively;
sound reproducing means for reproducing one of the blocks of sound data;
mail box means, having a plurality of mail box portions including a plurality of mail box numbers, for storing data indicative of said storing regions respectively;
ring signal detection means for detecting a ring signal from said telephone line, said ring signal including a data pattern of a type corresponding to one of a plurality of predetermined types of data patterns, each of said data patterns including at least a ringing period and at least a ring mute period;
data pattern detection means, including ringing period measuring means for measuring said ringing period and ring mute period measuring means for measuring said ring mute period, said data pattern detection means detecting said data pattern of said ring signal in accordance with said ringing period measured by said ringing period measuring means and said ring mute period measured by said ring mute period measuring means, and detects the type of said data pattern of said ring signal, from said predetermined types of data patterns, in accordance with said detected data pattern of said ring signal;
mail box number storing means for storing data of said mail box numbers;
control means for determining one of said mail box portions and one of said mail box numbers in accordance with said detected type of said data pattern of said ring signal, storing data of the determined one of said mail box numbers in said mail box number storing means, communicating with said telephone line using said interface circuit and then, reproducing and sending said one of the blocks of sound data in accordance with said data of the determined one of said mail box numbers using said sound reproducing means to said telephone line.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic telephone answering apparatus comprises: an interface circuit for communicating with a telephone line; a memory for storing a plurality of blocks of sound data; a sound reproducing circuit for reproducing one of blocks of sound data; a ring signal detection circuit for detecting a ring signal having predetermined types of data patterns; a data pattern detection portion for detecting which one of said predetermined types of data pattern said detected ring signal has; and a control portion for communicating with said telephone line using said interface circuit and then, reproducing and sending said one of blocks of sound data in accordance with said detected data pattern using said sound reproducing means to said telephone line. The data patterns are assigned to one telephone line and are detected by measuring ringing and ring mute periods of the ring signal. This apparatus further comprises a mail box portion having mail boxes assigned to the data patterns respectively, so that first out-going messages are provided to mail boxes respectively. A user of each mail box can listen to ICMs in the mail box assigned thereto. The user of the mail box at the outside location can know the presence of at least an ICM stored in the mail box by counting the cycles of the ring signal before this apparatus responds the user'"'"'s call.
25 Citations
4 Claims
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1. An automatic telephone answering apparatus comprising:
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an interface circuit for communicating with a telephone line; storing means for storing a plurality of blocks of sound data at storing regions respectively; sound reproducing means for reproducing one of the blocks of sound data; mail box means, having a plurality of mail box portions including a plurality of mail box numbers, for storing data indicative of said storing regions respectively; ring signal detection means for detecting a ring signal from said telephone line, said ring signal including a data pattern of a type corresponding to one of a plurality of predetermined types of data patterns, each of said data patterns including at least a ringing period and at least a ring mute period; data pattern detection means, including ringing period measuring means for measuring said ringing period and ring mute period measuring means for measuring said ring mute period, said data pattern detection means detecting said data pattern of said ring signal in accordance with said ringing period measured by said ringing period measuring means and said ring mute period measured by said ring mute period measuring means, and detects the type of said data pattern of said ring signal, from said predetermined types of data patterns, in accordance with said detected data pattern of said ring signal; mail box number storing means for storing data of said mail box numbers; control means for determining one of said mail box portions and one of said mail box numbers in accordance with said detected type of said data pattern of said ring signal, storing data of the determined one of said mail box numbers in said mail box number storing means, communicating with said telephone line using said interface circuit and then, reproducing and sending said one of the blocks of sound data in accordance with said data of the determined one of said mail box numbers using said sound reproducing means to said telephone line.
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2. An automatic telephone answering apparatus comprising:
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an interface circuit for communicating with a telephone line; first storing means for storing a plurality of blocks of first sound data at first storing regions thereof respectively; second storing means for storing a plurality of blocks of second sound data at second storing regions thereof respectively; sound reproducing means for reproducing one of blocks of said first and second sound data; mail box means, having a plurality of mail box portions including a plurality of mail box numbers, for storing first data of said first storing regions and second data of said second storing regions respectively; ring signal detection means for detecting a ring signal from said telephone line, said ring signal including a data pattern of a type corresponding to one of a plurality of predetermined types of data patterns; data pattern detection means, including ringing period measuring means for measuring said ringing period and ring mute period measuring means for measuring said ring mute period, said data pattern detection means detecting said data pattern of said ring signal in accordance with said ringing period measured by said ringing period measuring means and said ring mute period measured by said ring mute period measuring means, detects the type of said data pattern of said ring signal, from said predetermined types of data patterns, in accordance with said detected data pattern of said ring signal; mail box number storing means for storing data of said mail box numbers; first control means responsive to said ring signal detection means for determining one of said mail box portions and one of said mail box numbers in accordance with said detected type of said data pattern of said ring signal, storing data of the determined one of said mail box numbers in said mail box number storing means, communicating with said telephone line using said interface circuit and then, reproducing and sending the determined one of the blocks of first sound data in accordance with said first storing region stored in the determined mail box portion using said sound reproducing means to said telephone line; and second control means responsive to said first control means for receiving a sound signal, which may be sent from a caller through said telephone line and said interface circuit in response to said sending of the determined one of the blocks of first sound data, determining one of said second storing regions in accordance with the stored data of the determined mail boxes number in said mail box number storing means, storing said received sound signal as said second sound data at the determined one of said second storing regions, and storing data indicative of the determined one of second storing regions in said determined mail box portion.
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3. An automatic telephone answering apparatus comprising:
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an interface circuit for communicating with a telephone line; first storing means for storing a plurality of blocks of first sound data at first storing regions thereof respectively; second storing means for storing a plurality of blocks of second sound data at second storing regions thereof respectively; sound reproducing means for reproducing one of blocks of said first and second sound data; mail box means, having a plurality of mail box portions storing first data of said first storing regions and second data of said second storing regions, and third data indicative of the presence or absence of said second sound data in said second storing means directed to said mail box portions respectively; ring signal detection means for detecting a ring signal from said telephone line, said ring signal including a data pattern of a type corresponding to one of a plurality of predetermined types of data patterns; data pattern detection means for detecting the type of the data pattern of said ring signal from said plurality of predetermined types of data patterns; counting means responsive to said data pattern detection means for counting cycles of said detected type of data pattern of said ring signal; first control means responsive to said ring signal detection means for determining one of said mail box portions in accordance with said detected type of data pattern, communicating with said telephone line using said interface circuit when said counted cycles reaches a first number when said third data in the determined mail box portion indicates presence of said second sound data or when said counted cycles reaches a second number when said third data in the determined mail box portion indicates absence of said second sound data, then, reproducing and sending one of said blocks of first sound data in accordance with said first storing region stored in the determined mail box using said sound reproducing means to said telephone line, said first number being different from said second number; second control means responsive to said first control means for receiving a sound signal, which may be sent from a caller in response to said sending of one of said blocks of first sound data, from said telephone line via said interface circuit, determining one of said second storing regions in accordance with said detected data pattern, storing said received sound signal as said second sound data at the determined one of said second storing regions, and storing said second data indicative of the determined one of said second storing regions, and storing said third data indicative of the presence of said second data in the determined mail box portion; operation means for receiving an operation command; and third control means responsive to said operation means for reproducing said one of blocks of second sound data in accordance with one of second storing regions stored in one of said plurality of mail box portions indicated by said operation command using said sound reproducing means. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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Specification