Automatic telephone answering apparatus

• US 5,982,855 A
• Filed: 06/26/1995
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US08/494,680
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/67.1, 379/88.01, 379/88.04, 379/93.01, 379/88.22, 379/88.12, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.24, 379/93.21, 379/93.35 , 379/158, 379/202, 379/209, 379/215
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/53 Generation of additional signals, e.g. additional pulses
• 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 1/654 Telephone line monitoring circuits therefor, e.g. ring detectors

Abstract

Messages can be exchanged between two callers with ease by using an automatic telephone answering apparatus without calling the automatic telephone answering apparatus repeatedly. An automatic telephone answering apparatus which can automatically answer an incoming call includes a recording/reproducing unit (6) for recording an incoming call which the apparatus automatically answers, a call sound identifying circuit (8) for identifying a call sound contained in the incoming call signal, an identifying circuit (7) for identifying a predetermined control signal contained in the incoming call signal, and a flash switch (9) for temporarily opening a telephone line when the identifying circuits (7), (8) identify the call sound or the predetermined control signal. When the flash switch (9) temporarily opens the telephone line on the basis of identified results supplied thereto from the identifying circuits (7) and (8), the recording/reproducing unit (6) reproduces the incoming call signal recorded last. After the recording/reproducing unit (6) has reproduced the incoming call signal recorded last, the recording/reproducing unit (6) records an incoming call signal until the control signal identifying circuit (7) identifies the predetermined control signal.

Claims

1. An automatic telephone answering apparatus for exchanging a plurality of messages between a first caller and a second caller using a telephone line subscribed to a call waiting service by having said first and second callers make only one telephone call each to said telephone answering apparatus, said telephone answering apparatus comprising:

recording and/or reproducing means for recording and/or reproducing said messages;

first identifying means for identifying a password entered by one of said first and second callers;

second identifying means for identifying a call waiting signal sent by said call waiting service to said telephone line while said telephone line is being used by one of said first and second callers;

flash control means for automatically switching the use of said telephone line from one of said first caller to said second caller and said second caller to said first caller in response to an output from one of said first and second identifying means; and

control means for controlling said flash control means and said recording and/or reproducing means and being fed outputs from said first and second identifying means, wherein

when said first caller calls said telephone answering apparatus and said first identifying means identifies said password, said recording and/or reproducing means records a private message from said first caller, and

after said private message has been recorded said first caller stays on said telephone line and when said second identifying means identifies said call waiting signal while said first caller is holding said telephone line, said flash control means switches the use of said telephone line from said first caller to said second caller and said recording and/or reproducing means reproduces said private message, and

after said private message has been reproduced said second caller records an answer to said first private message, and

when said first identifying means identifies said password entered by said second caller said flash control means switches the use of said telephone line from said second caller to said first caller and said recording and/or reproducing means reproduces said answer to said first caller while said second caller is holding said telephone line.

2. The automatic telephone answering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first identifying means identifies a dual-tone-multifrequency signal.

3. A method for exchanging a plurality of messages between a first caller and a second caller using a telephone line subscribed to a call waiting service by having said first and second callers make only one telephone call each, the method comprising the steps of:

recording and/or reproducing said messages;

identifying a password entered by one of said first and second callers;

identifying a call waiting signal sent by said call waiting service said waiting service to said telephone line while said telephone line is being used by one of said first and second callers;

automatically switching the use of said telephone line from one of said first caller to said second caller and said second caller to said first caller in response to an output from one of said identifying a password step and said identifying a call waiting signal step; and

controlling said automatically switching and said recording and/or reproducing steps with outputs from said identifying steps, wherein

when said first caller calls and said identifying a password step identifies said password, said recording and/or reproducing step records a private message from said first caller, and

after said private message has been recorded said first caller stays on said telephone line and when said identifying a call waiting signal step identifies said call waiting signal while said first caller is holding said telephone line, said automatically switching step switches the use of said telephone line from said first caller to said second caller and said recording and/or reproducing step reproduces said private message, and

after said private message has been reproduced said second caller records an answer to said first private message, and

when said identifying a password step identifies said password entered by said second caller said automatically switching step switches the use of said telephone line from said second caller to said first caller and said recording and/or reproducing step reproduces said answer to said first caller while said second caller is holding said telephone line.

4. The method for exchanging messages according to claim 3, wherein said identifying step for identifying said password identifies a dual-tone-multifrequency signal.