JP3275376B2 - Answering machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an answering machine for recording and reproducing incoming calls when the user is away.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The volume of a speaker in a conventional answering machine is set by adjusting the gain of an amplifier system for driving the speaker.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional answering machine, if the speaker volume is narrowed down by the gain control unit of the amplification system, there is no sound even if the playback button is pressed, so that the absence May be mistaken for no incoming call. In order to prevent this, some devices are provided with a display device for notifying the magnitude of the amplification system gain or the presence or absence of an incoming call.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an answering machine capable of reproducing a recorded business message and listening at an appropriate volume even when the volume is reduced.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a memory for storing a gain setting state of a reproduction amplification system, a volume adjustment means for adjusting the gain of the reproduction amplification system, and a recording message reproduction button. Is detected, the control unit controls the volume control unit in accordance with the storage in the memory and includes a control unit for setting the reproduction system gain to a predetermined value.

[0006]

According to the present invention, when the playback button is pressed to reproduce a message on the answering machine, the predetermined speaker volume can be obtained even if the volume is reduced.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An answering machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a speaker volume and a scale of a gain controller of an amplification system in the apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an answering machine in the present embodiment.

First, the principle of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As is clear from the figure, the scale of the gain adjuster and the reproduction volume are proportional to the scale equal to or higher than the threshold, and the range below the threshold is a constant value corresponding to the threshold. That is,
Even when the gain is narrowed down, at the time of reproducing the message, according to the present invention, the volume is raised to the volume A corresponding to the threshold, and the reproduction is performed according to the characteristic curve B at the scale above the threshold. The gain setting information before automatic adjustment according to the present invention is stored in the memory in the control means shown in FIG. This threshold can be set as appropriate according to the surrounding environment of the place where the answering machine is installed.

Next, the operation of the answering machine in this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. FIG.
When a bell signal is input from the telephone line 1 to the answering machine, the bell detecting means 2 transmits detection information of the bell signal to the control means 3. The control means 3 for controlling the answering machine as a whole comprises a memory 9 for storing gain setting information of the amplification system and a microcomputer as main devices, and connects to the telephone line closing means 5 via the voice signal processing means 4 to the telephone line. Is instructed to connect, and an incoming call is received. When an incoming call is received, a response message recorded in advance on the response cassette tape 7 of the recording / reproducing means 6 is sent out to the telephone line 1 by the voice signal processing means 4. After the response message is sent, the control means 3 instructs the audio signal processing means 4 and the recording / reproducing means 6 to shift to recording of the message,
The incoming message is recorded on the message cassette 8 of the recording / playback means 6 by the voice signal processing means 4.

The message recorded in the recording / playback means 6 is played by pressing a message playback button (not shown) on the operation unit 10. When the control means 3 detects that the play button is pressed, the amplifier 1 is controlled via the volume control means 13 in accordance with the amplification gain information stored in the memory 9.
Adjust the gain of 1. That is, when the gain is narrowed, the gain is raised to the level A shown in FIG. After the output from the speaker 12, the automatic gain adjustment by the volume adjusting means 13 can be arbitrarily released, and the speaker output volume can be manually adjusted.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the control means is arranged to adjust the amplifier gain via the volume adjusting means in accordance with the stored amplification gain information of the audio output system, the speaker output is adjusted. Even if the volume is narrowed down, the appropriate speaker volume can be automatically set when the message playback button is pressed, and it is not mistaken that there is no incoming call when the user is absent.

It is needless to say that the response message blown into the answering machine can be automatically adjusted in the same manner as the message reproduction. Also,
The automatic adjustment process is not limited to either a digital type or an analog type. In this embodiment,
Although the recording / reproducing means has been described as a cassette tape recorder, the present invention is not limited to this, and any device including a semiconductor memory can be used as long as it performs storage and reproduction functions.

[0013]

As is apparent from the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the automatic volume control function for raising the volume to a predetermined level when the play button of the answering machine is pressed is provided, so that the user can use the function. It is possible to provide a telephone answering machine that can prevent erroneous recognition as a failure and does not require an expensive display device such as a liquid crystal display.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a reproduction sound volume characteristic with respect to a gain adjuster scale for explaining the principle of an answering machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an answering machine in one embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 control means 9 memory 13 volume adjustment means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04M 1/64-1/658

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An answering machine having a function of recording a message received when the user is absent and reproducing the message.
A memory for storing a gain setting state of the reproduction amplification system;
Volume adjustment means for adjusting the gain of the reproduction amplification system, and controlling the volume adjustment means in accordance with the gain setting state stored in the memory upon detecting pressing of a recording message reproduction button, and controlling the reproduction amplification system gain. Answering machine equipped with a control means for setting the telephone number to a predetermined value.