JP2686642B2 - Answering machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention automatically sends a response message (OGM) to an incoming call while the operator is away, and then sends a message (message) from the caller. ICM) related to the answering machine for recording.

[Prior Art] A conventional answering machine is roughly composed of an OGM sending section and an ICM recording / playback section.

The OGM sending section is a response message (OGM: Out Going Me) for the operator to pre-record a message into the answering machine when he / she is at home and prompt the calling party to record a message.
ssage) is held and transmitted. The ICM recording / playback unit records and plays back a message (ICM: In Coming Message) issued from the caller side in accordance with the response message.

A voice recording / reproducing IC or the like that records and reproduces voice information by converting analog voice information into digital voice data and storing the digital voice data in a memory is usually used for the OGM sending unit.

As an OGM, for example, a message urging the other party to record a message, such as "I am out of the office right now, if you have a message, please speak the message after the beeping sound." It is blown into the voice recording / playback IC in advance.

On the other hand, the ICM recording / playback unit often uses a tape recording / playback device such as a microcassette tape or a compact cassette tape because it requires a longer recording time than OGM and in terms of sound quality. .

Next, the operation of such an answering machine will be described. First, the operator sets the answering machine in the answering mode when he goes out. So when there is an incoming call,
The answering machine detects this incoming call and sends the OGM previously recorded by the operator to the calling party. After this, the caller sends out the above-mentioned tone (beep tone signal) to signal to start speaking the message. At the same time, the ICM recording state is entered, the tape is driven, and the ICM from the caller is recorded on the tape. When the caller finishes talking to the ICM, the answering machine detects this and finishes recording the ICM,
The recording operation of CM ends.

While the phone is set to the absence mode, the above operation is repeated each time an incoming call arrives, and the ICM from the caller is sequentially recorded on the tape.

Next, the operator can cancel the absence mode after returning home, and sequentially play and listen to the ICMs from the caller recorded on the tape during the absence.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-described conventional technique, the OG
When the OGM is unnecessarily long or the caller has already written the contents of the OGM, the IC will be recorded for the first time after sending the beep tone signal after sending the M. Even if I knew it, I could not record the ICM until the OGM transmission was completed, and there was a drawback that it took time to record the ICM after calling.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an answering machine that can efficiently record an ICM without being restricted by an OGM sending operation and can eliminate an illegal recording due to a caller's tightness. Has an aim.

[Means for Solving the Problem] The present invention stores detection means for detecting the arrival of a message from a calling party, response message sending means for reproducing and sending a response message registered in advance, and a message for a message. In response to the message from the caller detected by the message storage means and the detection means, the response message transmission means interrupts the reproduction of the response message, and the message storage means transmits the message from the caller. A response message sending means and a control means for controlling the message storage means so as to store the message as a message, wherein the control means is a message from the caller detected by the detecting means. Is less than the predetermined time, if the interrupted response message is continuously reproduced by the response message sending means. Both are characterized by controlling the response message sending means and the message storage means so that the message from the caller after the response message is reproduced is stored by the message storage means as a message message. And

[Operation] In the present invention, for example, when the caller starts transmitting the message (ICM) during the transmission of the response message (OGM), the detection means detects the message, thereby stopping the reproduction of the response message. Then, the recording of the message is started. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently record the message without waiting for the end of the reproduction operation of the response message.

If the detection means detects a message and then detects a silent state within a predetermined period of time, it is determined that the noise is, for example, a caller's weird noise, and the response message is continuously reproduced and transmitted. And resumes, and operates to store the message from the caller after playing back the response message as a message. Therefore, the response message can be efficiently transmitted to the caller side, and
Unauthorized recordings due to the caller's tightness can be eliminated.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

The answering machine includes an incoming call / station line disconnection detection unit 1 that detects an incoming call from a station line and a momentary continuation of the station line when a DC loop is formed, and a call circuit for an operator to make a normal call at home. 2, a handset 3 for a call, a relay 4 for switching the circuit between a call mode state when at home and an answering machine mode when going out, and a switch 20 for forming a DC loop.

Also, this answering machine is on the office line side (2-wire circuit).
And a network unit 5 for performing 2-wire to 4-wire conversion and balance between the OGM sending unit (2-wire circuit) and the ICM receiving unit (2-wire circuit), and audio control at the time of recording / reproducing with a cassette tape. A tape audio control section 6 for performing, a tape drive control section 7 for controlling tape drive at the time of recording and reproducing with a cassette tape, a cassette tape 8 for recording and holding an ICM from a caller, and a recording for a cassette tape It has a magnetic head 9 for reproducing, an amplifier section 21 for listening to a tape reproduced sound, and a speaker 22.

Further, this answering machine is equipped with a voice detector 10 for detecting whether or not a voice signal from a caller has arrived, and an OGM.
Voice recording / playback IC (integrated circuit) for recording and playing
11, a memory 12 which is controlled by the voice recording / reproducing IC 11 and holds digital OGM voice data, and a microphone 13 for recording OGM by the voice recording / reproducing IC 11.
It has a control unit 15 for controlling each unit, an operation unit 17 for an operator to perform various operations, and a beep tone generation unit 19.

In the above-mentioned configuration, first, the relay 4 is normally on the T side, and the operator talks with the handset 3 via the communication circuit 2 at home.

In addition, the operator operates the operation unit 17 at home to put the voice recording / playback IC 11 in a recording state, and the microphone 13 causes the ICM
The OGM for prompting the recording of is recorded, and the digitalized OGM voice information is stored in the memory 12.

Therefore, when the operator goes out, the operator operates the operation unit 17 to set the absence mode so that the relay 4 is set to the A mode.
Connected to the side. After that, when there is an incoming call from the office line while the operator is away, the incoming call / station line disconnection detection unit 1 detects this incoming call, and based on this, the control unit 15 closes the switch 20 to make a DC loop. To form.

Next, the voice recording / playback IC 11 is put into a playback state, the OGM previously recorded by the operator is extracted from the memory 12, converted into analog voice information, and transmitted to the office line side via the network unit 5.

At the same time, the beep tone generating section 19 is operated to put the tape voice control section 6 and the tape drive control section 7 into a recording state, and the beep tone is recorded on the tape for several seconds as shown in FIG. The tape drive control unit 7 is stopped.

Next, the voice detection unit 10 is activated and the voice signal of the caller coming from the station line side is monitored via the network unit 5. Here, when the voice detection unit 10 detects the arrival of the voice signal, the control unit 15 immediately stops the OGM playback by the voice recording / playback IC 11 and records the tape voice control unit 6 and the tape drive control unit 7. The caller's voice signal
Record on tape as ICM. In this way, OGM transmission is also stopped on the condition of voice detection, so it overlaps with ICM and OG
M is never recorded on tape.

However, a few seconds (3-5
If the voice detection unit 10 detects the silent state of the caller in about 10 seconds, the control unit 15 determines that the caller is speaking due to, for example, the tightness of the caller, and the tape voice control unit 6 To switch from recording to playback. Further, when the tape drive control unit 7 is set to the reverse rotation state and the tape sound control unit 6 detects the end point of the beep tone (point A in FIG. 2),
The tape audio control unit 6 and the tape drive control unit 7 are stopped. After this, the voice recording / playback IC11 is set to the playback state,
Continue playing the OGM that was interrupted earlier.

Then, when OGM ends, the beep tone vocalization unit 1
9 is activated and a beep tone is sent to the calling side to signal the ICM to start speaking. At the same time, the tape voice control unit 6 and the tape drive control unit 7 may be set to the recording state, and the ICM from the caller may be recorded on the tape. However, when the voice detection unit 10 detects the voice, the recording is started. Thus, the tape can be used effectively.

Then, when the caller finishes recording the ICM, the voice detection unit 10 detects the silence state of the voice due to the caller's end of the call, or a momentary interruption of the DC loop caused by the on-hook of the caller. When the (CPC signal) is detected by the incoming call / station line talk detection section 1, it is judged that the caller's ICM has ended, the tape voice control section 6 and the tape drive control section 7 are stopped, and the switch
Open 20 to release the DC loop. This completes one ICM recording.

After that, when the incoming call / station line disconnection detecting unit 1 detects an incoming call, the above operation is repeated and ICMs from the caller are sequentially recorded.

Next, when the operator returns home, the operation unit 17 sets the home mode, sets the tape voice control unit 6 and the tape drive control unit 7 in the tape reproducing state, and listens to the recorded ICM from the speaker 22.

Although the tape recording method using the cassette tape is adopted as the ICM recording device in the above embodiment, it is also possible to use a voice recording / reproducing IC whose recording time has recently become long.

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, when the caller starts to convey the ICM, the ICM
Since recording is started, it is possible to efficiently record ICM without waiting for the end of the OGM playback operation.

Further, according to the present invention, when the recording of the ICM is started by interrupting the transmission of the OGM, if the message for which the recording is started is within the predetermined time, it is determined that this is not an appropriate message, By continuously playing the OGM, restarting its transmission, and starting the recording of the ICM after the end, the response message can be efficiently transmitted to the caller side, and, for example, the caller's tightness may cause an illegal message. You can eliminate recordings,
Can record proper ICM.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state of data recorded on a recording tape in the same embodiment. 1 ... incoming call / disconnection of line, 2 ... communication circuit, 3 ... handset, 4 ... relay, 5 ... network part, 6
...... Tape voice control unit, 7 …… Tape drive control unit, 8 ・ ・ ・
… Cassette tape, 9 …… Magnetic head, 10 …… Voice detector, 11 …… Voice recording / playback IC, 12 …… Memory, 13 …… Microphone, 15 …… Control section, 17 …… Operating section, 19 …… Beep tone generator, 20 …… switch, 21 …… amplifier, 22 …… speaker.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A detection means for detecting the arrival of a message from a calling party; a response message sending means for reproducing and sending a reply message registered in advance; a message message storage means for storing a message message. The response message sending means interrupts the reproduction of the response message in response to the detection of the message from the caller by the detection means, and the message storage means stores the message from the caller as a message message. Control means for controlling the response message sending means and the message storage means so as to store the message, and the control means has a message from the caller detected by the detecting means for a predetermined time or less. In this case, the response message sending means continuously reproduces the interrupted response message and An answering machine that controls the response message sending means and the message storage means so that the message storage means stores the message from the caller after the response message is reproduced as a message message. .