JPH02185147A - Automatic answering telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent meaningless sound recording by setting the time zone in which a first response message is sent and the time zone in which a second response message is sent and sending the first or second response message to a subscriber line in the automatic answering mode based on set time zones and the time counted by a time counting means. CONSTITUTION:The time zone for sending of a response text 1 and that of a response text 2 are set by a keyboard 1. When an incoming tone detecting means 34 of a control microcomputer 20 detects an incoming tone signal, a remaining area of a business storage area 3c of a memory 3 is checked by a remaining area detecting means 32. When there is not the remaining empty area, a response text 2 automatic answering mode control means 26 is driven to perform the response text 2 automatic answering mode processing. There is the remaining area, it is judged whether the present time is in a response time zone 1 or not. When it is in the response time zone 1, a response text 1 automatic answering mode control means 25 is driven; but when it is in a response time zone 2, the response text 2 automatic answering mode processing is performed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial application field> The present invention relates to an answering machine.

<Prior art> Conventionally, as an answering machine, a first response message (hereinafter referred to as response message 1) indicating that recording of a message is possible is used.
and a second response message (hereinafter referred to as response message 2) indicating that recording of the business is impossible is stored in the IC memory in advance, and when the ringtone is detected a specified number of times in the away mode. , depending on the state of the message storage area in the memory, either the response message 1 or the response message 2 is sent to the subscriber line, and if the response message I is sent, the message is recorded, and the message is recorded. Some devices do not record the message when response text 2 is sent. That is, first, erase the above-mentioned message storage area so that the message can be recorded,
Make a reply using response sentence l. If this answering that you are not at home is repeated, the above area will disappear, and in that case, the answer will be switched to the answering that you are not at home using response sentence 2. The absence response using response sentence 2 is continued until the message storage area is erased and a new message can be recorded.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the conventional answering machine.

In Fig. 4, l is a keyboard for setting the away mode or at-home mode, 2 is a control microcomputer that controls the entire device according to the mode set by the keyboard l, and 3 is a message for response messages, business messages, etc. 4 is a recording/playback circuit for recording messages in the memory 3 and reproducing messages recorded in the memory 3; 5 is a visit tone detection circuit;
6 is a telephone circuit. This telephone circuit 6 captures the subscriber line 7 and transmits messages from the subscriber line 7 to the recording/reproducing circuit 4, and transmits messages reproduced by the recording/reproducing circuit 4 to the subscriber line 7. The above-mentioned visittone detection circuit 5 transmits the visittone from the subscriber line 7.
It is now possible to communicate this to others. Further, 8 is a ringtone detection circuit that detects a ringtone sent from the subscriber line 7 and outputs a ringtone signal to the control microcomputer 2, and 9 is a ringtone detection circuit that detects the ringtone and makes a speaker sound. A ring tone generating circuit generates a ring tone, 10 is a changeover switch, and 11 is a speaker. The changeover switch 10 receives a signal from the control microcomputer 2, connects the speaker 11 to the recording/playback circuit 4 or the ringtone generation circuit 9, and outputs the signal from these circuits to the speaker 11. It has become.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the area configuration of the memory 3. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the memory 3 includes a response sentence 1 storage area 3a for storing a response sentence 1, a response sentence 2 storage area 3b for storing a response sentence 2, and a business matter storage area for storing business matters. It is equipped with 3C. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for switching between the answering machine and the home mode in the answering machine, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for switching between the answering machine and the at-home mode, and FIG. Absence response based on response sentence 2 (hereinafter, response sentence 2
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure for response text 1 "absence mode control", and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure for response text 2 "absence mode control". Hereinafter, the operation of this device in the absence mode will be explained according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 7 to 9.

Assume now that response sentences 1 and 2 have been recorded in advance, the absentee mode has been set, and the business message has not yet been recorded. In step S71 of FIG. 7, it is determined whether the absentee mode has been canceled or not. If the absentee mode has been canceled, the process advances to step S7'/ and the at-home mode is set. If it remains in the absentee mode, it waits for a ringtone from the subscriber line 7 in step S72. When there is a ringtone, the ringtone detection circuit 8 detects the ringtone and outputs a ringtone signal to the control microcomputer 2. Control microcomputer 2
measures the number of ringtones based on this signal, and proceeds to step S73.
It is determined whether the number of ringtones has reached a predetermined number. When the number of ringtones reaches the specified number, the process proceeds to step S74, and the remaining area of the business storage area 3C of the memory 2 is checked.

Then, if there is a remaining area, the process advances to step S75 to perform response sentence 1 absentee mode control, and if there is no remaining area, the process advances to step 976 to perform response sentence 2 absentee mode control. As mentioned above, the message is unrecorded, so
First, the response sentence 1 absence mode control shown in FIG. 8 is performed.

That is, after the telephone circuit 6 closes the subscriber line 7 at step S81 in FIG.
Sending of the response text l stored in a to the subscriber line 7 is started. Next, when it is detected in step S83 that the sending of the response sentence 1 has ended, the process proceeds to step S84, where the recording and reproducing circuit 4 is controlled to start recording in the business matter storage area 3C of the memory 3.

Then, the process advances to step S85, and it is determined whether a visit tone has been detected. If it is determined that a visit tone has been detected, the recording is finished in step S87, and then step 9
The subscriber line 7 is opened at 88.

On the other hand, if no visit tone is detected, the process proceeds to step 886, where the recording/playback circuit detects the end of recording, and if the end of recording is detected, the process proceeds to step 98B, where the subscriber line 7 is released.

By repeating the absence response using the above response sentence, the memory 3
When the business storage area 3C becomes full, the process advances from step S74 in FIG. 7 to step S76, and the response sentence 2 absence mode control shown in FIG. 9 is performed. In this flowchart, from the time the subscriber line 7 is closed in step S91 to the end of sending of the response message detected in step 393, the eighth
As in the case shown in the figure, if the completion of transmission of the response message is detected, unlike the case in FIG. 8, the subscriber line 7 is released in step S94 and then the next ring tone is waited for. This response sentence 2 absence mode control is performed until the message stored in the message storage area is deleted.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional answering machine, switching between an answering answer using response text 1 and an answering answer using answering text 2 is performed depending on whether or not there is a remaining area in the message storage area. Until the area runs out, the message is recorded by responding with the response sentence "l", so recording is performed regardless of the time of day, and there are many meaningless recordings other than the message, such as only the busi-tone. Become. This has the disadvantage that the memory is not used effectively and that it is not possible to record messages from the other party that are expected to arrive at a previously predicted time. This is particularly a problem in the case of an IC type memory with a small storage area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an answering machine that can effectively utilize memory by switching between the two answering responses according to the time period.

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first response message indicating that recording of the business is possible, and a second response indicating that recording of the business is impossible. If a message is stored in advance, and when a call is received in absentee mode, either the first response message or the second response message is sent to the subscriber line, and the first response message is sent. In the answering machine, which records the message and does not record the message when the second response message is sent, the time period for sending the first response message and the second response message are sent. a time zone setting means for setting a time zone; a clock means; a time zone setting means for setting a time zone; and a time zone setting means for setting a time zone; The present invention is characterized by comprising a response message sending means for sending the first response message or the second response message to the subscriber line.

<Operation> In the above configuration, the time zone setting means sets a time zone for transmitting the first response message and a time zone for transmitting the second response message, and in the absence mode, the response message transmitting means sets a time zone for transmitting the first response message and a time zone for transmitting the second response message. Based on the time zone set by the setting means and the time measured by the clock means, the first response message or the second response message is sent to the subscriber line depending on the time zone represented by the time.

Therefore, by sending the first response message during the time period when it is considered necessary to record the business, and sending the second response message at other times, meaningless recording can be prevented and the memory can be used effectively.

<Example> Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the circuit structure of an embodiment of the answering machine of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit structure of the control microcomputer 20 in the above embodiment.

The answering machine of this embodiment uses a control microcomputer 20 having a circuit configuration shown in FIG. 2 in place of the control microcomputer 2 of the conventional answering machine shown in FIG.
Components other than the control microcomputer are the same as in the conventional example. Identical components will be given the same numbers and their explanations will be omitted.

In FIG. 2 above, 21 is an absentee mode determining means for determining whether the mode set with the keyboard 1 is the absentee mode, and 22 is a memory for storing the switching time between the response sentence 1 and the response sentence 2 set with the keyboard 1. Response text switching time storage means 23 is a switching timer for measuring the switching time; 24 is a response text switching time storage means 22 for storing response text based on the switching time stored in the response text switching time storage unit 22 and the time measured by the switching timer 23; l Mode switching control means for determining whether to perform absent mode control or response statement 2; mode switching control means for determining whether to perform absent mode control; 2;
Reference numerals 5 and 26 denote a response text 1 absence mode control means and a response statement 2 absence mode control means, respectively, and 27 a timer. Also,
28 is a subscriber line opening/closing control means for controlling the telephone circuit 6 to open and close the subscriber line 7; 29 is a recording/playback control means for controlling the recording/playback circuit 4; 30 is a response message sending end detection means;
Reference numeral 1 denotes a task recording end detection means, 32 a remaining area detection means, and 33 a visit tone detection means. Further, 34 is a ringtone detecting means for detecting a ringtone upon receiving a signal from the ringtone detecting circuit 8, and 35 is an incoming number counter for counting the number of ringtones upon receiving a signal from the ringtone detecting means 34. 36 is a changeover switch control means for controlling the changeover switch 11.

The operation of the answering machine having the above configuration in the answering mode is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

It should be noted that the contents of the response text 1 absent mode control and the response text 2 absent mode control are the same as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 8.9, so their explanation will be omitted. The operation in the absence mode will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, select the sending time period of response sentence 1 (hereinafter referred to as response time!) and the sending time period of response sentence 2 (hereinafter referred to as “response time!”) using keyboard l.
(referred to as response time 2). Then, the response sentence switching time storage means 22 stores this set time period. Next, the answering machine is set to the answering mode using the keyboard 1, and the answering machine thereafter operates in the answering mode. Then, in step S31, it is determined whether the absentee mode has been canceled or not. When the absentee mode is canceled using the keyboard or the like, the process proceeds to step 938, where the at-home mode is set and the absentee mode is ended. If the answering mode remains in step S31, the process advances to step S32 and waits for a ringtone from the subscriber line 7. When there is a ringtone, the ringtone detection circuit 8 detects the ringtone.
detects the ringtone signal and outputs the ringtone signal to the ringtone detection means 34 of the control microcomputer 20. Then, the ringtone detecting means 34 detects a ringtone based on this signal, the ringtone number counter 35 measures the number of ringtones, and it is determined in step S33 whether the number of ringtones has reached a specified number. Then, when the number of ringtones reaches the specified number of times, step S34
Then, the mode switching control means 24 checks the remaining area of the task storage area 3c of the memory 3 using the remaining area detection means 32. Then, if there is no remaining area, step S
Proceeding to step 37, drive the response statement 2 absence mode control means 26,
The response sentence 2 absence mode process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. On the other hand, if there is a remaining area, the process advances to step S35, and the current time is the response time! Decide whether or not. If the current time or the response time is 1, the process advances to step 836 and the response text l
The absent mode control means 25 is driven to perform the absent mode processing of the response text l shown in FIG. 8, and if the current time is not the response time l, that is, if the response time is 2, step S3
Proceed to step 7 to perform response sentence 2 absence mode processing.

In this way, in the response time l, the task storage area 3c
Message recording is performed if there is a remaining area of By setting the time period, it is possible to prevent meaningless recording such as recording only of the visit tone, which seems to be common in the time period of response time 2, and to make effective use of the memory.

<Effects of the Invention> As is clear from the above, in the answering machine of the present invention, the time zone setting means sets the time zone in which the first response message indicating that message recording is possible, and the time zone in which the message recording is possible. A time slot is set for sending a second response message indicating that the call is not possible, and when an incoming call is received in the absentee mode, the response message sending means uses the time slot set by the time slot setting means and timekeeping. Based on the time measured by the means,
Sending the first response message or the second response message to the subscriber line depending on the time zone represented by the time;
When the first response message is sent, the message is recorded, and when the second response message is sent, the message is not recorded. This prevents meaningless recording and makes effective use of memory. can be achieved. This effect is particularly effective for an answering machine using an IC type memory with a small recording area.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the control microcomputer in the above embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the circuit structure of the control microcomputer in the above embodiment. Flowchart showing the procedure, No. 4
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the conventional example, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the memory area configuration in the conventional example, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a general mode selection operation, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the conventional example. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing response sentence 1 absence mode control in the conventional example, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing response sentence 2 absence mode control in the conventional example. Keyboard, 2.20... Control microcomputer, 3
...Memory, 4.Recording and playback circuit, 5.Visitone detection circuit, 6.Telephone circuit, 7.Subscriber line, 21
. . . Absence mode judgment means, 22 . . . Response sentence switching time storage means, 23 . . . Switching timer, 24 . . . Mode switching control means, 25 .・・・
Response text 2: Absence mode control means, 29: Recording/playback control means, 32: Remaining area detection means. Patent applicant: Sharp Corporation Agent
Patent attorney: 1 person: Figure 3 Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) If you memorize in advance a first response message indicating that recording of a message is possible and a second response message indicating that recording of a message is not possible, and when a call is received while you are in away mode. Then, either the first response message or the second response message is sent to the subscriber line, and if the first response message is sent, the business is recorded, and if the second response message is sent, the message is recorded. In an answering machine that does not record business matters, a time zone setting means for setting a time zone for transmitting the first response message and a time zone for transmitting the second response message; a clock means; A response for sending the first response message or the second response message to the subscriber line according to the time zone represented by the time zone based on the time zone set by the time zone setting means and the time measured by the time measuring means. 1. An answering machine characterized by comprising a message sending means.