JPH0330343B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an improvement in an answering machine that uses a recording and reproducing device to send a response message and record messages from the other party.

[Technical Background of the Invention] FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of this type of device, in which a dial call circuit 2 and an automatic answering circuit 3 are selectively connected to a line 1 via a changeover switch 4. has been done. The automatic answering circuit 3 includes an incoming call detection circuit 31 that detects a calling signal arriving via the line 1 in the answer mode, a call end detection circuit 32 that detects a call end signal sent from the line 1, and a cassette tape recorder, for example. A recording/playback device 33 consisting of;
It is comprised of a control circuit 34 that controls various operations related to the absence response. Note that 5 is a switch. The recording and reproducing device 33 has one magnetic tape, and this magnetic tape is provided with a response message recording area and a business information recording area, respectively, as shown in FIG. 9a, for example.

By the way, in order to manage response messages when such a magnetic tape is used, a non-recorded portion of a predetermined length (5 to 10 seconds) is provided at the recording end position of the response message, as shown in FIG. 9b, for example. is considered. This unrecorded part is used to detect the end of a response message when it is played back, and to prevent the remainder of an old message that was recorded before the response message from being accidentally sent when the response message is sent. .

In such a configuration, with the changeover switch 4 switched to the automatic answering circuit 3 side and the control circuit 34 set to the answering operation mode, the incoming call detection circuit 31
When the occurrence of an incoming call is detected, the control circuit 34 automatically forms a communication path and then causes the recording/playback device 33 to play back the response message, and sends the played response message to the line 1 via the capacitor 6.
send to. Then, during the sending period of this response message, an unrecorded portion is monitored, and when this unrecorded portion is detected, it is determined that the sending of the response message has ended, and the magnetic recording tape is fast-forwarded to the message recording area. , and the subsequent messages sent from the caller via line 1 are recorded. When the end of the call is detected by the call end detection circuit 32, the control circuit 34 releases the communication path, stops the magnetic recording tape, and then rewinds it to the beginning of the response message recording area, returning to the standby state. .

[Problems in the Background Art] However, such devices detect the end of sending a response message by monitoring the unrecorded part added to the end of the response message when it is played back, and after this detection, the Since the system switches to recording operation, it takes a lot of time from the time the answering message is actually sent until the recording operation starts, which may make the caller feel anxious or make them feel anxious. Problems such as ending a call after determining that the call cannot be recorded were likely to occur.

[Object of the Invention] Focusing on the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention prevents a previously recorded message from being erroneously sent when sending a response message, and can quickly shift to the business recording operation after sending the response message. In this way, the waiting time is reduced and unnecessary anxiety or erroneous recognition is not caused to the caller. Moreover, even if the operation to end the recording of the response message is not performed, the message recording operation can be started. It is an object of the present invention to provide an answering machine that can be quickly migrated.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adds a silent area of a predetermined period after the recording end position of the response message when recording the response message, thereby making it possible to avoid the previously recorded sound when sending the response message. The end position address of the response message is determined and stored by subtracting the address corresponding to the silent area period from the address at the end of the silent area, and the response message is sent. During playback, when the address generated by the address generating means matches the pre-stored address corresponding to the end position of the response message, it is determined that the transmission of the response message has ended, and the tape is moved to the task recording area. In this way, the message recording operation can be started quickly after the response message has been sent.

[Embodiment of the invention] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the main parts of an answering machine according to an embodiment of the invention, in which 10 is a recording/playback device, 20
indicate control circuits, respectively. The recording and reproducing apparatus 10 uses a cassette magnetic recording tape as a recording medium, and 11 is a take-up reel, 12 is a supply reel, and 13 is a recording and reproducing head. The circuit section of this recording/playback device 10 also includes a microphone 14 for recording a response message, and a voice signal inputted from the microphone 14 and a message of a caller arriving via the line 1, respectively, by the recording/playback head 13. A recording circuit 15 for recording on a recording tape, a reproduction circuit 16 for reproducing the response message and message recorded on the recording tape through the recording and playback head 13, and a response message and message reproduced by the reproduction circuit 16. It is comprised of a speaker 17 that outputs the sound as sound, and an address pulse generation circuit 18 that generates an address pulse AP for detecting the recording position on the recording tape. Here, in this address pulse generation circuit, for example, as shown in FIG.
The output signal of 2 is waveform shaped by the waveform shaping circuit 83, and the output is used as the address pulse AP by the control circuit 2.
It is designed to supply 0.

On the other hand, the control circuit 20 is equipped with, for example, a microcomputer as a main control section, and has a line connection control means 21, a recording control means 22, and a playback control means 23 as shown in FIG. and the address pulse generation circuit 1
8, and an address storage means 25, respectively.

Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be explained according to the control procedure of the control circuit 20.

(1) When recording a response message First, set the device to the answering standby state, and then record the desired response message recording area on the recording tape, for example, the starting MS of "Response 1" (length 40 seconds) shown in Figure 6. cue. Then, in this state, the recording button is operated (first operation P1). Then, the contacts 53, 54, 55, and 61 of the recording/playback device 10 are switched to the dashed line side in FIG. 1, and the first operation of the record button is detected by the control circuit 20 in step 4a in FIG. Ru. When the control circuit 20 detects the first operation of the recording button, it then outputs the "L" level mute control signal MC in step 4b, thereby setting the mute control transistor 51 of the recording circuit 15 to the OFF state. . Then, in step 4c, the recording/reproducing device 10 is caused to start recording.

Now, when the subscriber inputs a desired response message using the microphone 14 in this state, the voice signal is amplified by the amplifier 52 and then sent to the contact 53.
The signal is once guided to the reproducing circuit 16 through the reproducing circuit 16, where it is amplified by the preamplifier 63, buffer amplifier 64, and output amplifier 65, respectively, and then guided to the bias oscillator 57 via the contact 55 and the recording equalizer 56. After the bias oscillator 57 superimposes the AC bias, the signal is supplied to the recording and reproducing head 13, thereby being recorded on a recording tape (not shown). In this recording state, the address pulse generating circuit 18 generates an address pulse AP in accordance with the running operation of the recording tape, and the control circuit 20 inputs this address pulse AP in step 4d and counts this address pulse in step 4e. The value of the recording position address is counted up as a pulse, thereby generating a recording position address corresponding to the recording position on the recording tape. Then, in step 4f, the second operation of the recording button is monitored, and the recording position address generation operation in steps 4d and 4e is repeated until this second operation is detected.

Now, in this state, the subscriber finishes inputting the response message and operates the recording button (second operation P2).
Then, the control circuit 20 detects this second operation at step 4f, moves to step 4g, and outputs the "H" level mute control signal MC at step 4g while continuing the recording operation. Then, the mute control transistor 5 of the recording circuit 15
1 is turned on, a ground level signal is supplied to the recording/reproducing head 13 as shown in FIG. 6, and as a result, a non-recording section is formed on the recording tape. At this time, the control circuit 20 starts timing operation (step
4h), and in step 4i, monitor whether the time value has reached 5 seconds. When 5 seconds have elapsed, the program moves to step 4i, where the current recording position address (CC in Figure 6) is temporarily memorized, and then, at step 4k, the address corresponding to 5 seconds from the recording position address CC is stored. The address BC of the end position ME of the response message itself is obtained by subtracting DC, and this address BC is stored in the internal memory in step 4l. When this memorization is finished, the control circuit 20
starts rewinding the recording tape at step 4m, and during this rewinding, the address pulse generation circuit 18
Step 4n address pulse output from AP
Enter the value in Step 4o and count down the value of the recording position address. Then, in step 4p, the value of the recording position address obtained in step 4o is compared with the pre-stored recording position address AC at the start of "Response 1", and when the two match, the beginning of "Response 1" is started. When it is determined that the process has been completed, the process moves to step 4p, and the rewinding of the recording tape is stopped. Thus, the recording operation of the desired response message to "Response 1" is completed.

(2) Sending a response message in response to an incoming call and recording the caller's message When an incoming call is received in the answering standby state, for example, with the starting MS of "Response 1" on the recording tape as shown in Figure 7. occurs and its detection output is output from the incoming call detection circuit (Fig. 8, 31), the control circuit 20
recognizes the arrival of the incoming call detection output in step 5a, moves to step 5b, and in step 5b sets each contact point of the recording/playback device 10 to the solid line side in FIG. The recording tape is run normally, as shown in FIG. The audio signal of the response message read by the recording/playback head 13 is introduced into the playback circuit 16 via the contact 53, passes through the preamplifier 63 of the playback circuit 16, and is then subjected to waveform equalization control by the playback equalizer 66. , and then amplified by buffer amplifier 64 and output amplifier 65 and sent to line 1. Incidentally, at this time, the audio signal of the response message outputted from the output amplifier 65 is also supplied to the speaker 17, and is output for monitoring as audio.

Also, in this reproducing operation state, the control circuit 20
In step 5c, address pulse generation circuit 1 is
Input the address pulse AP output from 8,
In step 5d, the recording address is counted up using this address pulse AP as a count pulse, and in step 5e, the counted up recording address is set to the end recording position ME of the response message stored in the internal memory in step 4l of FIG.
Compare it with the recording end position address BC, which represents the recording end position address BC.
As a result of this comparison, if it is determined that the two match, the control circuit 20 determines that the sending of the response message has been completed and proceeds to step 5f.
The recording tape is fast-forwarded as shown in Figure 7B. In other words, the unrecorded portion is not played back and the fast-forward operation is immediately started. Also, during this fast forward operation, the control circuit 20 inputs the address pulse AP from the address pulse generation circuit 18 in step 5g, counts up the recording position address in step 5h, and presets the counted up recording position address value. Memorized “message recording area 1”
The address XC of the start end XS is compared in step 5i, and when the two match, it is determined that the cueing of "message recording area 1" has been completed, and the process moves to step 5j, where the recording and playback device 10 switch each contact point to the side of the broken line in Figure 1 and shift the recording tape to normal running as shown in Figure 7C, thereby recording the message coming from the caller via line 1. . Therefore, the audio signal of the business input from the line 1 is transmitted to the contact 55 and the recording equalizer 5.
6, an AC bias is superimposed on the bias generating circuit 57, and then the recording/playback head 1
3 and recorded on a recording tape.

Also, during this message recording operation, the control circuit 20 monitors the arrival of the end of call detection output generated from the end of call detection circuit 32 in step 5k, and when the end of call detection output arrives, the control circuit 20 detects the message from the caller. It is determined that the recording has ended, and rewinding of the recording tape is started in step 5l as shown in FIG. 7D. During this rewinding operation, the control circuit 20 performs step 5n according to the bias pulse AP inputted at step 5m.
At step 5o, the recording position address value is counted down, and at step 5o, the counted down address value is compared with the recording position address AC at the starting MS of "Response 1". When the two match, it is determined that the cueing for "response 1" has been completed, and rewinding of the recording tape is stopped at step 5p. In this way, a response message is sent in response to an incoming call, and a message from the caller is recorded. Note that a different area is selected as the business recording area each time an incoming call occurs.

As described above, in this embodiment, since a silent section is provided after the end position of the response message, the message previously recorded on the audio tape is
It is possible to reliably prevent the problem of reproduction and erroneous transmission even for a short period of time.

In addition, a means for generating a recording position address of the recording tape is provided, and when a response message is recorded on the recording tape, the end recording position address is memorized, and when the response message is played back in response to an incoming call,
The recording position address generated in response to the running motion of the recording tape is compared with the previously stored recording position address at the end of the response message, and when both addresses match, the immediate task recording area is cued. Since the system performs fast forwarding for the purpose of the response, it is no longer necessary to play the silent section and detect the end of sending the response message as in the conventional method. It is possible to shorten the waiting time from when the message can be recorded. Here, the length of the above-mentioned silent period is usually set to 5 to 10 seconds, so being able to shorten this period is highly effective, and this can significantly reduce the anxiety felt by the caller. The problem of ending a call after determining that recording of the business cannot be done can almost certainly be eliminated.

Moreover, in this embodiment, when storing the recording position address of the end of the response message, the recording position address is not stored at the time when the second operation of the record button is detected, but at the time when recording of a predetermined length of unrecorded portion is finished. An address corresponding to the length of the unrecorded portion is subtracted from the recording position address of , and this calculated address is stored. Therefore, even if the second operation of the record button is forgotten when recording the response message, the recording address at the end of the response message can be reliably memorized for the following reason.
In other words, in an answering machine with a limited length of the response message recording area, even if the length of the response message covers the entire response message recording area, a predetermined length before the end of the recording area is always left unrecorded. I try to make it a part. Therefore, even if the second operation of the record button is forgotten, the predetermined length before the end of the response message recording area always becomes an unrecorded portion. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the second operation of the record button is not performed, the address corresponding to the length of the unrecorded part is subtracted from the recording position address at the end of the unrecorded part. The address value, that is, the recording position address at the beginning of the unrecorded part, is stored as the recording position address at the end of the response message, so when the response message is played back, the entire response message recording area is not played back. A fast-forward operation to the message recording area will be performed. Therefore, even if you forget the second operation of the record button as described above, the waiting time until the recording operation becomes possible can be shortened by at least the playback time of the unrecorded part. It is possible to reduce the feeling of anxiety given to the caller.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the only new circuit required is the address pulse generation circuit 18, and all other new functions can be realized by simply changing the program of the control circuit 20, so there is no need for major changes in the configuration. It has the advantage that it can be implemented with a simple configuration.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, the recording position address at the end of the response message is obtained by subtracting the address of the unrecorded part from the address of the end of the unrecorded part, but when the second operation of the record button is detected. The recording position address at that time may be stored. Further, each operation from counting address pulses to comparing and determining address values stored in advance may be realized by a so-called hard circuit using an up-down counter, a comparator, or the like.

In addition, the type of recording medium, the configuration of the means for generating an address corresponding to the recording position of the recording medium, the configuration of the playback control means, the control contents, etc. can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. .

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, the present invention adds a silent area for a predetermined period after the recording end position of the response message when recording a response message, and adds a silent area for a predetermined period from the address at the end of the silent area to the silent area period. The end position address of the response message is determined and stored by subtracting the corresponding address, and when the response message is played back, the address generated by the address generation means is set to the previously stored end position of the response message. When the response message matches the corresponding address pulse, it is determined that the sending of the response message has ended, and the tape is fast-forwarded to the message recording area.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a previously recorded message from being erroneously sent when sending a response message, and it is also possible to quickly shift to the recording operation after sending the response message. This reduces waiting time and prevents the caller from feeling unnecessarily anxious or misrecognizing the caller.Furthermore, even if the response message recording end operation is not performed, the message recording operation can be started. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an answering machine that can perform the transition quickly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 7 are for explaining an answering machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a portion of the same device related to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams. shows the main part of the circuit,
Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of the address pulse generation circuit.
Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the control circuit, Figs. 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing the control procedure of the control circuit, Figs. 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams used to explain the operation, and Figs. FIG. 9 is used to explain the conventional art; FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an answering machine, and FIGS. 9a and 9b are schematic diagrams each showing an example of a recording area of a recording tape and a recording state. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Line, 4... Selector switch, 10... Recording/playback device, 20... Control circuit, 11... Winding reel, 12... Supply reel, 13... Recording/playback head, 14... Microphone, 15 ... Recording circuit, 16 ... Playback circuit, 17 ... Speaker, 18
... Address pulse generation circuit, 51 ... Mute control transistor, 81 ... Black and white pattern, 82
...Photoreflector, 83...Waveform shaping circuit,
AP...Address pulse, MC...Mute control signal.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A response message recording area and a business recording area are respectively provided on one recording tape, and when an incoming call occurs in the answering mode, a response recorded in advance in the response message recording area is recorded. In an answering machine that plays a message and sends it out to the line, and also records in the message recording area the message sent from the caller via the line after the transmission of the response message is finished, the recording tape is moved. address pulse generating means for generating an address pulse corresponding to the rotation of the tape take-up reel shaft; and generating an address corresponding to the recording position on the recording tape based on the address pulse generated by the address pulse generating means. address generating means; silent area attaching means for attaching a silent area having a predetermined period after the recording end position of the response message when recording the response message; and a silent area specified by the silent area attaching means. a first address storage means for storing a first address value which is a terminal address of the first address value; and a first address value stored in the first address storage means.
a second address value storage means for storing, as a recording end address, a second address value obtained by subtracting a number corresponding to the number of address pulses obtained during the silent region period by the silent region adding means from the address value; When the address generated by the address generation means matches the second address value stored in the second address storage means during reproduction of the message, the response message reproduction operation is terminated and the message is recorded. 1. An answering machine comprising: a control means for rapidly forwarding a recording tape to a recording start position in an area.