JPS6124855B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an answering machine that records response messages and business matters on a single magnetic tape.

Conventionally, so-called answering machines that record incoming calls while you are away generally first send a message to the caller that the answering machine will record the answering machine when a call arrives. I try to record the message after each meeting. In conventional devices of this kind, two tapes are used: one dedicated to reproducing the response message and the other dedicated to recording the message. For this purpose, two sets of tape drive mechanisms such as capstans and pinch rollers are provided, and the user also needs to prepare two tapes. Therefore, the structure is complicated and uneconomical, and there are also problems in terms of space factor and handling.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems,
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The present invention is designed to record a response message and a message on a single tape, and FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the recording method. In the following explanation, the response message will be referred to as OGM (outgoing message).
It is called.

First, a tape 1 shown in FIG. 1A is prepared. This tape 1 is provided with a leader tape 2. Note that this tape 1 may be a recorded one. Next, attach tape 1 to the answering machine, rewind it to tape top a, and then
Fast forward to point c as shown in Figure B. In the case of a normal cassette tape, the length of the leader tape 2 (the length of points a to b) is approximately 60 seconds at forward (FWD: normal running) speed, so this length is sufficiently covered. Fast forward as above. In this case, by performing fast forwarding and erasing from slightly before point b, the signal previously recorded between point b and point c is erased, and a no-signal portion 3 is formed during this period. Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, recording of OGM4 is performed from point c. At this time, for example, a 30Hz cue signal is recorded along with OGM4. This OGM4 and signal recording is for example
Done within 30 seconds. After the recording is finished, forward erasure is performed for, for example, 3 seconds to form a no-signal portion ₅₁ up to point d.

Tape 1, on which OGM 4 has been recorded, is rewound to point c and waits for an incoming call. When the first call arrives in this standby state, OGM4 is first played (PB) as shown in Figure 1D, and then after the no-signal portion ₅₁ , the caller's business is started from point d. 6
₁ is recorded up to point e. For this recording, 30
A Hz queue signal is recorded along with the message. After recording is completed, tape 1 continues to be erased forward for about 10 seconds and is stopped at point f. As a result, a no-signal portion ₅₂ is formed with a length T ₁ .
Thereafter, the screen is rewound to point c and is again in the incoming call standby state. Next, when a second call arrives, OGM4 is first played, as shown in FIG. 1E. After the playback ends, the data is fast-forwarded to point e. At this time, the tape 1 actually travels a distance equivalent to about 3 seconds from point e in terms of forward speed and stops at point g. As a result, the length _T1 of the non-signal portion ₅₂ is shortened to _T2.Next , the second message ₆₂ is recorded from point g to point h along with the cue signal. Thereafter, tape 1 runs for about 10 seconds while being erased forward, and is stopped at point i. This results in a no-signal portion 5 of length T _1
3 is formed. Thereafter, the film is rewound to point c.

Next, when the third call arrives, the OGM will be sent in the same way.
4 is played back, and further fast-forwarded to point h, and from the point past point h, the third message ₆₃ is recorded together with the cue signal. After recording ends, it is erased for 10 seconds and then rewound to point c. From then on, the same operation is repeated every time a call is received, and as a result, OGM4 and each message ₆₁ are recorded on tape 1, as shown in Figure 1F.
A no-signal portion 5 1 to 5 o of approximately equal length T ₂ (length of about 3 seconds at forward speed) is formed between ~6 _o , and the final no-signal portion 5 _{o +1 is} the length of T ₁ It is formed. . In this example, 30 messages are recorded per time.
The recording is performed for seconds, and after 30 seconds, recording is stopped and forward erase is performed. I also try to record 20 messages on each tape.

Next, the actual operating procedure and operation of the answering machine will be explained in the order described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1F.

First, when the response recording button is pressed to record OGM 4, tape 1 is rewound to point a and then stopped once. This stopping is performed by detecting that the reel shaft has stopped rotating. Once stopped, fast-forward erasing is performed for 60 seconds and then stopped at point c. The unit is now in OGM recording standby mode and the standby lamp lights up. Next, when the user presses the response recording button again, the recording mode is entered, and the user records OGM4 using the microphone. This recording will take place within 30 seconds; if it exceeds 30 seconds, an alarm will sound and the device will automatically shut off. After OGM recording ends, there is no signal part 5 ₁
is formed and then stops. Next, when you press the answering mode button, OGM4 is played back after being rewound to point c. This causes OGM4 to be checked. After the playback is finished, the playback is rewound again to point c, and the incoming call standby lamp is turned on.

If a call is received in this state, it is detected that the bell has rang twice, the telephone line is closed, and OGM4 is then played. This playback content is transmitted to the caller via the line. After the playback is finished, the oscillator makes a signal sound of about 3 while driving through the no-signal section 5 ₁ .
It is oscillated for a second and is transmitted to the caller. After the signal tone stops, the caller's message ₆₁ is recorded. After recording ends, the line will be disconnected. At the same time, after a no-signal portion ₅₂ is formed, the film is rewound to point c. When the second call is received, the line will be closed,
OGM4 is played. Next, the program is fast-forwarded and Message ₆₂ is recorded from point g. Note that a signal sound is emitted from the end of OGM4 playback until it is temporarily stopped at point g. After the recording is completed, a no-signal portion ₅₃ is formed and then the tape is rewound to point c.

As described above, each time recording of a message is completed, OGM4
Rewinding is performed to the top c point, and when a call is received, the previous recorded business is skipped and fast-forwarded. In this case, to cue point c and cue the recording start point, touch the head to tape 1 during rewinding or fast forwarding, detect the cue signal recorded with OGM 4 and each message, and set the number of times of detection in advance. This is done by comparing it with the stored number of recordings up to that point. For this reason, there is a no-signal portion 5 1 to 5 _o between OGM 4 and each condition 6 _{1 to} 6 _o.
is formed with length T ₂ . This T ₂ is selected to be long enough to allow the cue signals of each recorded portion to be sufficiently identified during detection. Further, since the non-signal portions ₅₁ to _5o are formed by the erasing head, there is no need to use an unrecorded tape. Furthermore, since the no-signal portion 3 is formed before the OGM 4, the OGM 4 can be reliably recorded while avoiding the leader tape 2, and there is no need to use an unrecorded tape.

Next, an embodiment of an apparatus for performing the above-described operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

In this device, all the operations mentioned above are performed by the micro CPU.
This is done automatically based on instructions from the computer. FIG. 2 shows a peripheral circuit system that gives instructions to the CPU 10 or operates according to instructions from the CPU 10, and FIG. 3 shows an input/output circuit, a recording/reproducing circuit, etc. connected to the telephone set.

In FIG. 3, when recording an OGM 4, an OGM signal obtained from a microphone 11 is applied to a recording/reproducing head 15 through a microphone amplifier 12, a recording amplifier 13, and an equalizer 14, thereby being recorded onto a tape 1. At the same time, a cue signal from the cue signal oscillator 16 is applied to the recording/reproducing head 15 for recording. Further, the OGM signal is applied to the speaker 19 through the volume resistor 17 and the main amplifier 18 and is monitored.
In addition, if you use earphones, use earphone jack 2.
0 is used. Also, the bias oscillator 21 is activated to apply a bias current to the recording/reproducing head 15 and to apply an erase current to the erase head 38.

On the other hand, a disconnector 24 is connected to the telephone terminals 22a, 22b and the office line terminals 23a, 23b, and a line transformer 25 is connected to the disconnector 24 via a relay 26. Also, terminal 2
3b is connected to a detection circuit 27 for detecting whether the handset is picked up or put down. When there is an incoming call, a bell sound signal is input to terminals 22a and 22b,
The signal is transmitted from the transformer 25 to the tone detection circuit 28
Detected by When the detection signal when the bell rings twice is applied to the CPU 10, the relay 26 is closed and the closure is performed. Then, when OGM is played back together with the queue signal, this playback signal is transmitted to head 1.
5 through a preamplifier 29 to a high-pass filter 30 to remove the cue signal, the signal is applied from an equalizer 31 to an amplifier 18 to a speaker, and is also transmitted from a line output circuit 32 to a trunk 25 and then to the calling party over the line. Further, the above reproduced signal is transmitted to the queue signal detection circuit 33.
This circuit 33 outputs, for example, a queue detection signal falling from a high level to a low level and is applied to the CPU 10. When the OGM reproduction ends and the queue detection signal rises to a high level, an alarm sound from the alarm oscillator 34 is applied to the transformer 25 via the alarm muting circuit 35 and transmitted to the caller. When the alarm sound continues for about 3 seconds, recording of the message is started, and the message signal from the caller is applied from the transformer 25 to the line input circuit 36, and is further applied to the head 15 through the recording amplifier 13 and equalizer 14, where it is sent to the tape 1. is recorded along with the cue signal. In this case, if the task exceeds 30 seconds, an alarm will sound and the system will automatically shut down. The CPU 10 stores the number of times recording is performed. Furthermore, when fast-forwarding to the start point of the next recording, the number of times the cue signal portion is detected is detected, and the number of times of the cue signal is compared with the stored number of times to locate the start point of the recording. Further, the non-signal portions 3, _{5 1} to 5n are formed by operating the erase pads 38 at predetermined timings. It should be noted that each circuit in FIG. 3 is operated when necessary at a predetermined timing in accordance with the operating order already described for FIGS.
It is controlled by the CPU 10. For this purpose, a predetermined circuit as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
A control signal is applied from the CPU 10, and an instruction signal is applied to the CPU 10 from a predetermined circuit.

In FIG. 2, +B power is applied to the CPU 10 when the tape cassette accidental erasure prevention claw detection switch 40 and the cutter 24 are closed. When rewinding the tape 1 to the tape top point a, the reel shaft rotation detection circuit 42 detects that the reel shaft 41 has stopped rotating. CPU
In addition to instructions from the predetermined circuit shown in FIG. 3, 10 also receives instructions based on the operation of the mode setting switch.
The CPU 10 also includes a plunger drive circuit 43, a capstan motor drive circuit 44, a reel motor drive circuit 45, a relay drive circuit 46, and a display drive circuit 4.
7. LED (light emitting diode) drive circuit 48, 4
Controls the operations of 9 and 50. As a result, the forward plunger 51, the queue signal plunger 52, the capstan motor 53, and the reel motor 5
4, relay 26, recording count display circuit 55, operation display LED 56, standby display LED 57,
The OGM standby display LED 58 and the like are operated at predetermined timings. Further, the CPU 10 is reset by the reset circuit 59 after power is turned on.

In the embodiment described above, one message recording is always performed.
It is set to 30 seconds. That is, even if the task actually lasts for example 20 seconds, the recording mode is maintained for 10 seconds thereafter. Further, in the embodiment, since the business is recorded 20 times, the total recording time is 30×20=600 seconds. Therefore, if the time for one recording of a business is always constant, it is uneconomical if the business is completed in a short time.

Therefore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, one recording is performed.
The recording mode is canceled as soon as the task is completed, with a limit of 30 seconds. If you do this,
You can record more than 20 messages within the 600 seconds of recording time. In the case of this embodiment, a function is added to the detection circuit 28 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to detect the busy tone produced when the caller hangs up the telephone receiver. By transmitting this busy tone detection to the CPU 10, the recording mode is canceled, and then erasing is performed to form a no-signal portion.

FIG. 4 shows a circuit added to perform the operation of the second embodiment described above, and shows the detection circuit 2.
8 detects a bell and detects the busy tone. The timer setting circuit 60 is set to a maximum recording time of 30 seconds for one message. Also, the timer setting circuit 61
The total recording time is set to 600 seconds. When recording of the business is started, the timer circuit 62 detects the elapsed time. When this elapsed time exceeds 30 seconds, an instruction is sent from the timer setting circuit 60 to the CPU 10, an alarm is issued, and recording is automatically canceled. When the recording of the business ends within 30 seconds, the busy tone is detected and the recording is canceled, and the elapsed time detected by the timer circuit 62 is added to the addition circuit 63.
added to. On the other hand, the timer memory 64 stores the total recording time up to the previous time.
This total time is added to the adding circuit 63 and added to the above-mentioned total time. This added value is stored in timer memory 64. The comparison circuit 65 compares the memorized elapsed time with the 600 seconds set by the timer setting circuit 61 every time a busy tone is detected, that is, every time a business recording ends, and the elapsed time is found to match 600 seconds. Outputs a match signal when the time reaches 600 seconds or approaches 600 seconds. Based on this matching signal, the answering machine recording mode is canceled.

Next, we will discuss TELREC mode.

TELREC mode is a mode in which, unlike the above-mentioned answering machine recording, when a call is received, the content of the conversation between the caller and the user is recorded without playing the OGM. In this case, TELREC will be sent as in the example described above.
If you press the button, recording will start immediately when there is an incoming call, so OGM4 will be erased. To prevent this, when the TELREC button is pressed,
All you have to do is fast-forward for a certain period of time (for example, 30 seconds worth of forwards), then stop and wait for an incoming call. By doing this, in addition to preventing accidental erasure of the OGM, even if the answering machine is equipped with a tape recording of contents unrelated to the call other than the OGM and the business, the contents are protected for a certain period of time. can do. In addition, if you protect recorded messages, you can receive an additional 600 yen by pressing the TELREC button.
All you have to do is fast-forward the length by seconds.

Next, we will discuss the case of remote control.

It is known that this type of answering machine can be remotely controlled from outside via a telephone line to perform fast forwarding, rewinding, playback, etc. In this case, the user sends a remote control signal to fast-forward or rewind, find the desired part of the recording of the business that came in while he was away, and play that part. Since the recorded events are often of short duration, it is extremely difficult to find the desired part by fast forwarding or rewinding.

In such a case, the present invention makes it possible to reliably locate the target portion by using the cue signal recorded together with the message. That is, when fast forwarding or rewinding is performed by a remote control signal, a cue signal is detected, and the cue signal is stopped when the cue signal is interrupted at a no-signal portion. Then play it, listen to the content, and if it doesn't look right, fast-forward and rewind again, and stop when the cue signal is interrupted. By detecting the queue signal in this way and making sure to stop it for each task, the target portion can be reliably found.

As described above, the present invention is configured to sequentially record requests from a telephone caller on a magnetic tape having a response message recorded at the beginning thereof after the response message is reproduced, and to When set to a call recording mode (TELREC mode) in which no playback is performed, the magnetic tape is fast-forwarded for a predetermined period of time.

Therefore, it is only necessary to provide one set of tape drive system,
Furthermore, since the user only needs to prepare one tape, the device is more economical and easier to handle than conventional devices of this type. Furthermore, when performing TELREC, the message is always fast-forwarded for a certain period of time, so it is possible to prevent the response message from being erased by mistake.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1A to 1F are diagrams showing an example of recording signals on a magnetic tape, FIGS. 2 and 3 are circuit diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram. In addition, in the symbols used in the drawings, 1...
...Magnetic tape, 4...Response message, 6 ₁ to 6
_o ...Requirement, 10...Microcomputer, 1
5... Recording/playback head, 54... Reel motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1.An answering machine that is configured to record messages from a telephone caller sequentially on a magnetic tape having an answering message recorded at the beginning thereof, after the answering message is played back; 1. An answering machine, comprising: a setting means for setting a call recording mode in which no reproduction is performed; and when the setting means is operated, the magnetic tape is fast-forwarded for a predetermined period of time.