JPH033543A - Automatic answering telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To select freely which of a new message or an old reply message is to be left by transferring the old reply message recorded already on a magnetic tape to a semiconductor memory when cancelling operation is implemented before the transfer. CONSTITUTION:A recording and reproducing control circuit 5 transfers a reply message written in a semiconductor memory 6 to a magnetic tape 14 for storage and when cancelling operation is implemented before the transfer, the old reply message having been already recorded on the magnetic tape 14 is transferred to the semiconductor memory 6. That is, the mutual transfer of the reply message is implemented between a recording and reproducing device 9 for the semiconductor memory and a recording and reproducing device 15 for the magnetic tape. Then a reply message OGM stored in the magnetic tape 14 is restored to the semiconductor memory 6 and at the end of write into the semiconductor memory 6, any of the new and old reply messages is selected freely and left onto the recording media 6, 14.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an answering machine, and particularly to an answering machine that records a response message on a magnetic tape for bank-up of a response message sent from a semiconductor memory when a call is received. It is suitable for use in

[Summary of the invention]

If the operation to cancel the new response message is performed before the response message newly written in the semiconductor memory is transferred and recorded on the magnetic tape for storage, the old response message recorded on the magnetic tape is played back. This telephone answering machine is capable of freely selecting whether to leave a newly recorded message or an old response message recorded before rewriting by restoring it to the semiconductor memory.

[Conventional technology]

Generally speaking, so-called answering machines that record calls that come in while you are away first send a message to the caller indicating that the answering machine will record the call, and then The message is recorded.In addition, some of these answering machines have a message function that allows messages to be conveyed to a specific person, such as a mother to her child. .

Conventionally, in answering machines equipped with response message and message message functions, cassette tapes and memory ICs have been mainly used as recording media for the messages. Then, the response message is recorded in the memory IC, and when the call arrives, the response message is sent out from the memory IC, and the business message sent from the caller thereafter can be immediately recorded on the cassette tape.

In addition, a recording area for a response message is provided at the beginning of the cassette tape, and after confirming and reproducing the response message written in the memory IC, it is automatically transferred and recorded to the magnetic tape, and the data in the memory IC is saved during power outage. This allows for recovery in the event of a power outage such as a power failure.

By the way, when a response message is recorded to be rewritten, it may not be possible to record a satisfactory response message due to a lot of surrounding noise or poor syntax.

In such a case, the memory IC is operated in write mode again and another response message is rewritten to erase the unsatisfactory response message.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

For example, when rewriting a response message remotely using an external telephone, there may be no time to rewrite it. If there is no time to rewrite, an unsatisfactory response message will remain in the memory IC, but there are cases where it is better to leave the unrewritten response message in the memory IC than to leave a new unsatisfactory response message. There is. However, since the response message written in the memory IC' is erased by writing a new response message, it has disappeared when the writing is completed.

Further, the response message written in the memory IC is reproduced for confirmation and then immediately transferred and recorded on the magnetic tape.

Therefore, no old response message remains on the tape.

For this reason, conventionally, if a newly written response message was unsatisfactory, the only option was to rewrite it by rewriting it.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a system in which, when a response message is rewritten and recorded, it is possible to freely select whether to leave the newly recorded response message or the response message recorded before the rewriting on the recording medium. The purpose is to

[Means to solve the problem]

The answering machine of the present invention includes a recording/reproducing device 9 of a semiconductor memory 6 in which response messages O (1, M) are written when a call is received, and a recording/reproducing device 9 of a magnetic tape 14 for recording the caller's business. device 15, and a recording/reproducing control circuit (system controller 5) that mutually transfers a response message between each of the recording/reproducing devices 9 and 15 when recording a response message, and the recording/reproducing control circuit 5 is connected to the semiconductor memory. The response message written in 6 is transferred to the magnetic tape 14 for storage,
When a cancellation operation is performed before transfer, the old response message already recorded on the magnetic tape 14 is transferred to the semiconductor memory 6 in response.

[Effect]

Semiconductor memory recording/reproducing device 9 and magnetic tape recording/reproducing device 15
This enables mutual transfer of response messages between the two parties. Therefore, it becomes possible to restore the response message ○GM stored on the magnetic tape 14 to the semiconductor memory 6, and when writing to the semiconductor memory 6 is completed, either the old or new response message can be freely selected and the message can be transferred to the recording medium. 6.14.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of main parts of an answering machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

A telephone port 112 is connected to the input/output terminals 1a and 1b, and when an incoming call is received while operating in the absentee mode, a bell sound signal is input to these terminals 1a and 1b. This signal is led out through the input/output device 3 to a system controller 5 having a microcomputer configuration. Further, the dual tone input when the button is pressed is decoded by the tone decoder 4 and output to the system controller 5.

The system controller 5 is provided to control the operation of the entire device, and detects an incoming call when a bell sound signal is given a predetermined number of times. When the system controller 5 detects an incoming call while operating in the away mode, the system controller 5 outputs a closing signal to the input/output device 3 to close the device circuit and the telephone line 2. The memory recording/reproducing device 9 is operated for reproduction. As a result, the response message OGM written in the semiconductor memory 6 is read out, is given to the input/output device 3 through the signal conversion circuit 7, the switch 8, the equalizer amplifier 10, and the buffer amplifier 11, and is then sent to the input/output device 3 via the telephone line 2. transmitted to the calling party.

When the reproduction of the response message OGM is completed, the operating state of the device is switched to the business message recording state. Therefore, the business message ICM from the caller is sent to the input/output device 3.
This is the switching device 8, equalizer amplifier 1
0, buffer amplifier 11 and record equalizer 12
The signal is applied to the recording/reproducing head 13 of the tape recording/reproducing device 15 through the recording/reproducing device 15, and is recorded on the cassette chip 4. In this case, the bias oscillator 16 is operated to apply a bias current to the recording/reproducing head 13. Further, by applying an erase current from the bias oscillator 16 to the erase head 17, recorded contents are erased.

As shown in the recording format explanatory diagram of FIG. 2, an area 23 for recording a response message OGM is provided at the beginning of the cassette chip 114 from tape ton 13 point to point b, and from point b to point C. Areas 24 for recording messages PM are provided in order. And then C
An area 25 for recording business messages ICM is provided from the point to the end of the tape, and the business messages ICM are sequentially recorded in the order in which they are input. The answering machine of the embodiment is configured to write the response message OGM in the semiconductor memory 6, and when there is an incoming call, read it from the semiconductor memory 6 and transmit it to the caller, and the response message OGM is recorded on the tape 14. The response message OGM is used for recovery when data in the semiconductor memory 6 is lost and when the response message is rewritten as will be described later.

Message P recorded on cassette tape 14
M and the business message ICM can be reproduced by directly operating the main body of the device or by inputting a predetermined password through the telephone line 2. This reproduction signal is applied to an equalizer amplifier 10 through a switch 8, and is applied to a speaker 21 through a polyurethane 18 and a power amplifier 20. Further, the signal output from the equalizer amplifier 10 is applied to the input/output device 3 through the buffer amplifier 11, and is led out to the telephone line 2 via the input/output terminals 1a and 1b.

A signal derived from the buffer amplifier 11 to the input/output device 3 is also given to the signal detection circuit 22 .

The signal detection circuit 22 is provided to detect a polarity inversion signal (CPC) sent from the central office at the end of a call, silence, intermittent tone, and the like.

Reference numeral 36 denotes an operation section, and when various operation buttons and function buttons (not shown) provided here, such as recording and playback, are operated, a corresponding command signal is given to the system controller 5.

A pulse signal is generated in accordance with the running of the cassette tape 14, and the pulse signal is counted by the reel counter 27.
The running length of 4, that is, the length from 13 points of the tape ton is detected. This count value is derived from the reel counter 27 to the system controller 5 as a current position detection signal of the cassette/7 table f4. Note that the leading positions a, b, and C of each message recording area 23, 24, and 25 are fixed, and since point a is the top of the tape, the current position of the reel counter 27 is O. Further, the count values at point b and point C are, for example, 45 and 87.

Information on the presence or absence of the message PM and the business message ICM, information on the last recording position of the business message by the tape counter 27, etc. are held in the data memory 5a of the system controller 5, and the incoming sensitivity is adjusted depending on the presence or absence of these data. is switching. Further, the main body of the apparatus is provided with a power supply indicator lamp 33, a business message indicator lamp 31, and a message indicator lamp 32, so that whether or not a message is being recorded can be determined by checking the lighting status of these indicators.

In the answering machine of the embodiment configured as described above, when rewriting the response message OGM to be sent to the caller, operate the main body of the device in recording mode and use the microphone 34 installed in the main body or the external telephone. Enter a new response message via. A new response message input via these input devices is sent to the switching device 8, equalizer amplifier 10. The signal is applied to the signal conversion circuit 7 through the amplifier amplifier 11, where it is converted into a digital signal and written into the semiconductor memory 6.

Then, when the maximum recordable time elapses, when a response message recording end button (not shown) is pressed, or when a command signal corresponding to the operation is sent via the telephone line, the semiconductor memory recording/reproducing device 9 is activated. It operates in the playback mode to confirm and play back the newly recorded response message OGM. The person who rewrites the response message monitors the playback content using the speaker 21 or an external telephone, and if the recorded content is unsatisfactory, the person who rewrites the response message can press the recording end button on the main body of the device or input a command signal to end recording from the external telephone. You can re-record the response message/message.

When the confirmation playback of the recorded content is completed, the semiconductor memory recording/playback device 9 plays back the newly recorded response message from the beginning, and the tape recording/playback device 15 operates in the recording mode. As a result, transfer and recording from the semiconductor memory 6 to the cassette tape 14 is started, and the newly manually written response message OGM is recorded in the response message recording area 23 of the cassette tape 14.

Sometimes you don't like the newly input response message because there is noise during recording or the syntax is bad. In such a case, before transfer recording to the magnetic tape 14 is executed, that is, during confirmation playback or within 2 seconds after confirmation playback ends, try again to end the recording, such as by pressing the end recording button. , you can cancel a newly entered response message.

That is, when a command signal to end recording is given to the system controller 5 by pressing the recording end button on the operation unit 36 or by pressing the button characteristic of the external telephone, the semiconductor memory recording/reproducing device 9 starts recording. At the same time, the tape recording/reproducing device 15 is switched to the reproduction mode. As a result, the old response message recorded on the cassette tape 14 before being rewritten is reproduced and transferred and recorded to the semiconductor memory 6.

Therefore, the new response message written to the semiconductor memory 6 is erased, and the response message before rewriting is restored to the semiconductor memory 6.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for rewriting a response message. In FIG. 3, in step S1, when the record button is pressed, a response message is sent from the microphone 34.
The mode is set to record GM into memory. When the response message ○GM is recorded and the recording end button is then pressed in step S2 or the maximum recording time of, for example, 8 seconds has elapsed, the recorded contents in the memory are automatically reproduced for checking. This is monitored through the speaker 21 or the line, and if all is well, it is detected in steps S4 and S5 that the recording end button is not pressed within the next two seconds, and furthermore, in step S6, a new response message OGM is transferred from the semiconductor memory 6 to the tape. recorded and retained. This completes 00M recording and saving.

If the recorded content of the new response message OGM is not good, the recording end button is pressed within 2 seconds after the check playback ends in step S3. If this is detected in step S4, the new response message OGM in the semiconductor memory 6 is canceled, and the old response message OGM is transferred from the tape 14 to the semiconductor memory 6 in step S7. In other words, the response message OGM is restored to its current state. If it is desired to further correct the response message OGM, it is possible to start over from step S1.

In this way, the answering machine of the embodiment can freely select whether to leave the newly input response message or the previous response message when inputting a new response message is completed.

Therefore, the user can change the response message without fear of recording failure, and the usability of the response message sending function can be greatly improved.

Note that a transfer cancellation iff and a transfer cancellation code for the telephone line 2 may be provided to perform an operation for canceling transfer recording to the cassette tape 14.

Further, a button for transferring and recording the response message from the semiconductor memory 6 to the cassette tape 14 and a button for canceling the transfer to the tape and returning the response message from the cassette tape 14 to the semiconductor memory 6 are provided separately, and each transfer record is provided. You may also do this manually. In this way, it is possible to select which response message to leave after confirming and reproducing the memory recording contents without time constraints.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention enables mutual transfer of response messages between a semiconductor memory recording/reproducing device and a magnetic tape recording/reproducing device, so that response messages written in the semiconductor memory If a cancellation operation is performed before the response message is transferred to the magnetic tape for storage,
In response to this, the old response message that had already been recorded on the magnetic tape was transferred to the semiconductor memory, so that when the input of a new response message is completed, the newly input response message or the previously recorded response message is transferred to the semiconductor memory. It is possible to freely select which of the old response messages to leave on the recording medium. Therefore, even if recording of a new response message fails, the previous response message can be restored, so the response message can be changed with peace of mind, and user-friendliness can be greatly improved.

ICM-・・-・-・・-・Message message OG gate-
・・・・−−m−−−〜−・One response message PM
・−・−・・−・−This is a message.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A semiconductor memory recording and reproducing device in which a response message to be sent when a call is received is written, a magnetic tape recording and reproducing device that records a caller's business, and each of the above when recording a response message. and a recording/reproducing control circuit for mutually transferring response messages between the recording/reproducing devices, the recording/reproducing control circuit transferring the response message written in the semiconductor memory to the magnetic tape for storage, and transmitting the response message to the magnetic tape for storage. 2. An answering machine, characterized in that when a cancellation operation is performed, an old response message already recorded on the magnetic tape is transferred to the semiconductor memory in response to the cancellation operation.