JPH02185148A - Automatic answering telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a calling subscriber side to automatically extend a business message recording time at calling subscriber's choice by providing a conventional automatic answering telephone system with a business message recording time extending function. CONSTITUTION:When the calling subscriber telephones, he hears response message 'This is (called subscriber's name) speaking. Speak your business within (a set number of) seconds. Please, depress the # key during recording, and the recording time is extended by (a set number of) seconds.' and is informed that the recording time can be extended. When the calling subscriber desires to extend the recording time during recording of his business message, he depresses the preliminarily determined # key to generate a specific tone. A specific tone detecting means 10c inputs information, which indicates reception of the recording time extending request, to a switch control means 10g. A business recording circuit 7 is controlled by a business recording control means 10b to extend the recording time by the preliminarily set time.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an answering machine, and more particularly to an answering machine that has a recording function and is capable of recording the caller's business after sending a response message. Regarding equipment.

[Conventional technology] Answering machines are widely used in ordinary households.

This answering machine automatically answers incoming calls while you are away, and sends a message (contact information while you are away, estimated time of return home, etc.) that has been recorded on an audio recording medium such as magnetic tape. inform the person.

After sending the message, a recording function was activated to record the caller's message for a certain period of time, and then the line was automatically disconnected.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, in the conventional answering machine, when recording a caller's message, the recording ends at a preset time, and the recording ends during the recording of the message. However, the line will be automatically disconnected after a certain period of time, so the caller will have to call again and record the remaining message. There was a problem in that it was troublesome to call back.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an answering machine that extends the recording time of a message in response to a caller's request for an extension of the recording time.

[Means for Solving the Problems] An answering machine according to the present invention includes a means for transmitting a prerecorded message to a caller in response to a ringing tone, and a predetermined time after transmitting the message. means for recording a caller's message for a limited period; means for detecting a specific signal tone sent from the caller's telephone to request an extension of the message recording time; and means for driving the recording means by extending the predetermined time period of the recording means.

[Function] When the answering machine according to the present invention receives a signal from the caller requesting a pre-specified message recording time extension while recording the caller's message, the answering machine according to the present invention The message recording time is automatically extended by a predetermined amount of time.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of an answering machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The functional configuration of the answering machine shown in Fig. 1 consists of input terminal tip 1 and ring 2 attached to the answering machine,
a polarity reversal detection circuit 3 that detects when the handset is on (the handset is on); a network control circuit 4 that connects the telephone line and the speech network circuit 5 (described later) to form a DC loop; 2 as a call path selection connection
A speech network circuit 5 that performs wire exchange or four-wire exchange similar to a telephone set, a response message circuit 6 that transmits a prerecorded response message to the line, and a message recording circuit 7 that records the caller's message. a specific signal sound detection circuit 8 that detects a specific signal sound requesting an extension of the recording time of the message; an incoming call detection circuit 9 that detects the arrival of a communication request from a caller; and the polarity reversal detection circuit 3 or the incoming call detection circuit 9. A central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a central processing unit) that controls input and output to each circuit
10 (abbreviated as CPU). Furthermore, the CPUl
0 is a response message control means 10a that controls the response message circuit 6 to send a response message, and a message recording control means 10b1 that controls the message recording circuit 7 to record the received message; a specific signal tone; A specific signal sound detection means 10c receives and processes the detection result of the specific signal sound of the detection circuit 8, and a network control means 10d controls the network control circuit 4.
, an incoming call detection means 10e which receives the detection result of the incoming call detection circuit 9 and performs processing, and a polarity reversal detection means 10f which receives the detection result of the polarity reversal detection circuit 3 and performs the processing. Further, the CPU 10 includes a switch control means 10g for mutually controlling input and output between the means 10g to 10f.

In the recording method of the response message circuit 6 and the message recording circuit 7 according to the present invention, an IC (abbreviation for integrated circuit) or magnetic tape is used as the recording medium.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the message recording process.

The operation of one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

It is assumed that the receiving telephone has been set to an answering machine in advance. Caller calls, tip 1
When a call arrives at the receiving telephone via the ring 2, the incoming call detection circuit 9 detects the call, and when the call is received a preset number of times, the incoming call detection means 10e detects the number of calls. When the incoming call detection means 10e detects that the number of calls has reached a certain number, it instructs the network control means 10d to control the network control circuit 4 via the switch control means 10g. In response, the network control means 10d operates the network control circuit 4 to connect the line and the speech network circuit 5 to form a DC loop. Next, the switch control means 10
In response to the instruction g, the response message control means 1'Oa operates the response message circuit 6 to transmit a prerecorded response message to the line via the speech network circuit 5. At this time, the response message to be sent is, for example, ``Hello, this is oo. Please tell us your business within 00 seconds. If you press the # key during recording, the recording will be extended for 00 seconds.'', indicating that the recording can be extended. inform the caller. With the above, it is possible to notify the caller that the recording time can be extended in addition to the message that the caller is away.

Next, the response message control means 10a receives from the response message circuit 6 that the transmission of the response message has been completed, and inputs the completion of response message transmission to the switch control means 10g. In response, the switch control means 10g instructs the matter recording control means 10b to record the matter. Accordingly, the message recording control means 10b sets the message recording circuit 7 to the second
A state is set in which recording of the business message in step Sl (abbreviated as Sl in the figure) is possible. If the caller wishes to extend the recording time while recording the business message, he or she presses a predetermined # key to emit a specific signal tone. Accordingly, in step S2, the specific signal tone detection circuit 8 detects this specific signal tone via the network control circuit 4 and the speech network circuit 5, and sends a specific signal tone to the specific signal tone detection means 10c requesting an extension of the recording time. Enter what was detected. In response, the specific signal sound detection means 10c inputs to the switch control means 10g that the request for extending the recording time has been received.

In response to this, in step S3, the switch control means 10g
instructs the message recording control means 10b, and the message recording control means 10b controls the message recording circuit 7 to extend the recording time by a preset time. On the other hand, if the specific signal sound requesting an extension of the recording time is not detected in step S2, that is, if the caller does not wish to extend the recording, the recording time will not be extended and the conditions shown in step S4 (described later) will be met. Move to message recording end processing.

As described above, the recording time is automatically extended in response to a caller's request for an extension of the recording time of the business message. When the recording of the business message including the recording extension is completed through steps S1 to S3 described above, the process proceeds to step S4.

Next, the process of terminating the recording of the business message in step S4 will be explained. There are two ways to end the recording: by ON HOOK on the caller's side and by the end of the recording time. First, the caller's ON HOO
The case where the recording of the business message is ended by K is explained. The caller finishes sending the message and hangs up the handset (
ON HOOK), the polarity reversal detection circuit 3 detects the polarity reversal of the exchange due to the ON HOOK from the caller input from the ring 2, and inputs the detected information to the polarity reversal detection means 10f. The polarity reversal detection means 10f is
It is input to the switch control means 10g that the polarity has been reversed and the caller's handset has been hung.

In response to this, the switch control means 10g controls the network control means 10.
d and that the polarity has been reversed is input to the message recording control means 10b. In response, the network control means 10d instructs the network control circuit 4 to disconnect the line and the speech network circuit 5,
Accordingly, the line and speech network circuit 5 are disconnected. At the same time, the message recording control means 10b issues an instruction to the message recording circuit 7 to stop recording, and the message recording circuit 7 accordingly ends the message recording. Next, the case where the recording time ends will be explained. When the recordable time for the message message ends, the message recording circuit 7 inputs to the message recording control means 10b that the recordable time has ended, and the message recording control means 10b informs the switch control means 10g that the recordable time is over. Enter that you have finished. Accordingly, the switch control means 10g controls the network control means 1.
0d, the network control circuit 4 is instructed to disconnect the line and the speech network circuit 5, and the line and the speech network circuit 5 are accordingly disconnected.

As described above, in the present invention, the recording time of the business message is extended by detecting a specific signal tone from the caller side requesting an extension of recording. By using a signal tone transmitting device, specific signal tones such as # tone signals, * tone signals, other dual tone signals, or single tone signals can be transmitted, so depending on the calling party's telephone model ( It doesn't matter whether it's a button type or a dial type.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a conventional answering machine is provided with a function of extending the message recording time, and the message recording time can be extended according to the request of the caller. Since the caller side can automatically make the settings, the problem of disconnection of the line during recording of the business message is eliminated, and the troublesomeness of the caller having to call again for additional recording is eliminated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of an answering machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a message recording process according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a chip, 2 is a ring, 3 is a polarity reversal detection circuit, 4 is a network control circuit, 5 is a speech network circuit, 6 is a response message circuit, 7 is a message recording circuit, and 8 is a specific signal tone detection circuit. , 9 is an incoming call detection circuit, 10 is a CPU
, 10a is a response message control means, 10b is a message recording control means, 10c is a specific signal tone detection means, 10d is a network control means, 10e is an incoming call detection means, 10f is a polarity reversal detection means, and 10g is a switch control means. . Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] Means for transmitting a prerecorded message to a caller in response to a ring tone; and means for recording the caller's message for a predetermined period of time after transmitting the message; means for detecting a specific tone signal transmitted by the caller's phone requesting an extension of the message recording time; and in response to the detection output of the detection means, the predetermined time period of the recording means and means for driving said recording means by extending said telephone answering machine.