JPS6337542B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention provides an announcement means comprising a first magnetic record carrier (medium) for recording and reproducing a multi-part (mixed) call response text and for recording and reproducing incoming information, e.g. storage means having a second magnetic record carrier for recording and reproducing data; and switching for connecting the device to circuit configurations corresponding to the different operating modes and for automatically controlling the operating cycles in the different operating modes of the device; amplification and control means, the control means is provided with means for recording a control signal of a predetermined frequency on the recording track of the call response text of the first carrier, and for reproducing the recorded control signal;
This causes the device to switch from the operating state of reproducing the first text section to the recording state of incoming information (calls), and at the same time transporting the first carrier back to the starting position after reproducing the second text section. This invention relates to an automatic communication (telephone) calling device.

In known devices of this type, a call response text is recorded on a first carrier and is reproduced when the call is made. This first text part contains a request for information (call) with an indication of identity confirmation in order to record on the second carrier the information to be conveyed accompanying the call.
This known device makes a final announcement from the first carrier after a certain time defined by the information (call) control in order to prepare the first carrier for the response to the next call. It is designed to be sent back to the starting position.

When the second carrier reaches its storage capacity, recording of the incoming information is no longer possible, but this drawback is transparent to the caller. In order to overcome these drawbacks, a device has been proposed in which when the recording capacity is already reached, the system automatically switches to an announcement text and no longer records the caller's information. However, in this known system, switching to the announcement text is accomplished by an expensive mechanical device that does not allow for varying the length of the call response text.

The problem of this invention is to reduce the number of times the third text part of the call response text containing only unrequested announcements of information (calls) on the first carrier when the second carrier reaches its storage capacity to a very small number. The object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type mentioned at the outset, which is capable of reproducing each text portion in a manner that allows the length of time to be varied, with the addition of additional circuit means.

The device according to the invention is configured to detect when the second carrier has almost reached its storage capacity in the storage means, or when the second carrier has almost reached its storage capacity.
a recording detector connected to the control means for detecting the disappearance of the carrier of the storage means; The present invention is characterized in that the first carrier is reproduced and subsequently the first carrier is transmitted backwards to the control signal recorded at the beginning of the third text portion.

The apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below based on embodiments. Note that this invention is not limited by this.

In FIG. 1, a first
A magnetic audio tape 1 formed as a magnetic carrier is intended for use with multiple track widths, the beginning and end being indicated by 2 and 3, respectively. 1st half truck 4
is text part 5, 6, 7, audio mark 8, 9,
10 and special code text 11 for recording and playing back. The code text 11 at the beginning of the audio tape is used to remotely respond to the arrival information recorded in the device, and has no important relation to the present invention. The second half-track 12 of the magnetic audio tape 1 is provided with a conductive metal layer 13, for example an aluminum layer, over the entire length of the code text 11. This metal layer is used to return the magnetic audio tape 1 to its starting position, as will be described later.

A first text section 5 starts in the first half-track 4 at a position corresponding to the end 14 of the metal layer 13 and contains an announcement of a call response text with call requirements. . Adjacent to this text field there is a first voice mark 8 which generates a control signal for switching the device into the operating state for recording the incoming information, and furthermore next to this there is a call mark 8 containing the final announcement. A second text portion 6 of the response text is located. Next to this, a magnetic audio tape is placed on the metal layer 13.
A second audio mark 9 is provided for reversing (backward) to the end of. The end 14 of the metal layer 13 sets the magnetic audio tape 1 to a stopped state.

Furthermore, in front of this are the first semi-truck 4 and the third semi-truck.
A voice mark 10 is recorded, and next to this is a third text portion 7 of the call response text that includes an announcement item that does not require a call, that is, does not request information to be recorded, up to the end 3 of the magnetic audio tape 1. is provided. When the end 3 of the magnetic audio tape 1 is reached, the magnetic audio tape is automatically switched back to the third audio mark 10. This audio mark 10 interrupts reverse feeding and brings the magnetic audio tape into a second stopped state at this position.

End portion 1 of metal layer 13 of this magnetic audio tape 1
The reversal switching of the second stop state at audio mark 10 to replace the first regular stop state at 4 is achieved by automatic monitoring of the second magnetic audio tape recording the arriving information. It is confirmed that the capacity has been reached or almost reached, or that the tape track or cassette containing the second magnetic audio tape is missing because it is not inserted into the device. It will be held in

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of each part of an automatic telephone call answering device, which controls the first magnetic audio tape having a call answering text section corresponding to the two stop states mentioned above . Other well-known device components such as a second magnetic audio tape control device and a telephone line receiving and transmitting device are not shown. In this regard, reference may be made, for example, to Swiss patents 549319 and 557121.

The illustrated device comprises an announcement means 21 with a first magnetic audio tape 1 which can be transferred from a storage spool 22 to a take-up spool 23 or vice versa. A motor 24 is provided for driving the spools 22, 23, and is equipped with a directional magnet 25 for controlling the direction of transport. Half of the magnetic audio tape 1, ie, the half track 4 shown in FIG.
are opposed, and this audio head is adapted to act as a telephone answering machine for recording call answering text and voice markings on half-track 4 and for reproducing these when the device is activated. Further, as is well known, an erasing head 27 is opposed to the half track 4. Furthermore, the device is provided with a contact pair 28. This contact pair faces the metal layer 13 (see FIG. 1) of the second half-track 12 and is offset in the width direction of the magnetic audio tape 1 with respect to the audio head 26 and the erase head 27. . Furthermore, the announcing means 21 is provided with a photoelectric device, namely a light source 29 and a photocell 30, for detecting the end of the magnetic audio tape 1 wound on the spool 23.

A microprocessor 31 with programs stored in a program storage device 32 is provided to control the entire device. FIG. 2 shows only a circuit including a microprocessor 31 provided for controlling the transport of the magnetic audio tape 1. In FIG. Therefore, the microprocessor 31 has a first output circuit that supplies a binary control signal MOT to the motor 24 via an amplifier 33 and a binary control signal MAG to the directional magnet 25 via the amplifier 34. Second to do
It is equipped with an output circuit. The variable outputs MOT and MAG of the microprocessor 31 are set based on the program stored in the program storage device and the variable inputs provided to the microprocessor 31. This variable input consists of the following signals:

(1) Output signal NOM of tape stop detector 35 connected to photoelectric devices 29, 30; (2) Output signal MARK of mark audio detector 37 connected to audio head 26 via amplifier 36; (3) Contact pair. The output signal TAK of the metal layer detector 38 connected to The output signal SEN of the recording detector 39 which detects the The end 1 of the metal layer 13 in the following form
4 (see Figure 1).

When the signal TAK=0, that is, when the contact pair 28 is not in contact with the metal layer 13, the microprocessor 31 generates the signals MOT=1 and MAG=0, so that the magnetic audio tape 1 moves backwards. The metal layer 13 contacts the contact pair 28 and the signal TAK=1
When this occurs, the magnetic audio tape 1 is switched to the forward direction by the signals MOT=1 and MAG=1. When reaching the end 14 of the metal layer 13, a new signal TAK=0 is generated, which causes the microprocessor 31 to generate signals MOT=0 and MAG=0, so that the magnetic audio tape 1 stops. As a result, the magnetic audio tape 1 enters a first stopped state in which it is possible to record responses to calls and incoming information.

If the metal layer 13 is already in contact with the contact pair 28 when the device is energized, that is, the signal TAK
= 1, the magnetic audio tape 1 has a signal
Move forward until TAK=0 (MOT=1,
MAG=1).

However, when the second magnetic audio tape reaches its recording capacity or becomes unloaded in the device,
The recording detector 39 receives the corresponding signal SEN=1
This signal is sent to the microprocessor 31.
is memorized. As a result, after the first magnetic audio tape 1 responds to the previous call, the output signal MOT=
1 and MAG=1, the tape stop detector 35 detects the end of the magnetic audio tape 1, and finally the signal NOM=1 is supplied to the microprocessor 31. As a result, the magnetic audio tape 1 is transported in the opposite direction by the output signals MOT=1 and MAG=0. The mark detector 37 is the third
When the audio mark 10 (see FIG. 1) at the beginning of the text portion 7 of is detected and the signal MARK=1 is supplied to the microprocessor 31, the output signal
MOT=0 and MAG=0 stop the magnetic audio tape from moving backwards. Therefore, the magnetic audio tape 1 is
A second stop state is entered suitable for playing the announcement text on the next call.

As mentioned above, once a call response text and a voice mark have been recorded on one half-track of the magnetic audio tape 1, the metal layer 13 is on the other half-track of the magnetic carrier 1, so that the contact pair 28 can be easily removed from the erasing head 27.
It can be installed in

FIG. 3 shows a half-track audio head 26 and a half-track erase head each connected to a magnetic circuit means 2 forming an air gap.
6' and 27'. The erasing head 27 is provided with two metal plates 28 forming contact pairs at the level of the second half-track of the magnetic audio tape 1 below the magnetic circuit means 27'. In this way, a special carrier is provided to support the contact pair 28,
There is no need for the contact pair to face the second half-track.

With the configuration described above, a call request when there is insufficient storage capacity can be automatically suppressed using a simple circuit. The first magnetic audio tape transfer process described above is carried out by the microprocessor 31.
Since it is based on programming, there is no extra cost. Detector 3 provided here
5, 37, 38, and 39 can be composed of multivibrators with a simple structure. Also, contact pair 2
The erase head 27 with the addition of 8 can be manufactured without extra cost. magnetic audio tape 1
The recording of the sound mark 10 (see FIG. 1) for the device is the well-known sound mark 8,
9, for example as shown in Swiss Patent No. 549319, No. 557121. The means for recording these audio marks 8, 9, 10 are the first
When recording a call response text on the magnetic audio tape 1 by pressing or releasing a key against the end of the text section 5 of the recorded on the audio tape 1, at the end of the second text portion 6,
A second sound mark 9 of the same frequency of 1000 Hz is generated and recorded, and immediately after the second sound mark 9 a third sound mark of lower frequency is generated, in particular by means of an oscillating circuit integrated in the microprocessor 31. audio mark 10
Advantageously, the arrangement is such that the occurrence and recording of the If the frequency of the third audio mark 10 is lowered by an amount by which the backward speed of the magnetic audio tape 1 exceeds its forward speed, the audio head 26 will be able to reach the audio mark 10 when the end 3 of the magnetic audio tape 1 is reversed. Then, a signal having a frequency of, for example, 1000 Hz is generated, which is the same as that generated when the audio marks 8 and 9 arrive during forward movement. Therefore mark voice detector 37
can be constructed of the same mark sound detector provided for transmitting the signals of the sound marks 8 and 9.

The metal layer 13 can be coated onto the magnetic audio tape 1 by, for example, evaporation, as long as the metal layer 13 is thin enough not to damage its magnetic properties. In this way, a second call response text can be recorded which is selectively available by loading the magnetic audio tape 1 in the opposite direction of transport, i.e. inverted, on the second semi-truck 12. , a metal layer corresponding to this text can be provided in the region of the end 3 of the magnetic audio tape 1 of the first half-track 4.

In this way, when the second magnetic audio tape reaches its recording capacity or is not loaded in the device, a response text containing an announcement that does not require information to be recorded on the second magnetic audio tape, i.e. Since only the third text is played back in response, the caller is not forced to make unnecessary calls. Furthermore, since the first magnetic audio tape has two tracks and can be installed in reverse, the control signal detection means can be used by recording the content of the response text and the corresponding control signal on different tracks. The structure is simple, and the detection means is inexpensive and easy to install. Furthermore, a pair of selectively available response texts can be recorded in each track at the same location, so that the only response text selection required is a reversal of the tape, and no tape rewind operation is required. Since it is not necessary, it does not require any effort.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a schematic diagram of a first magnetic audio tape with control markings having a call response text used in the device of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portion of the device of the present invention; and FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an audio head and an erasure head used in the device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Magnetic audio tape, 5, 6, 7... Text portion, 8, 9, 10... Audio mark, 13... Conductive metal layer, 14... End portion, 21... Announcement means, 31...
Microprocessor, 35...Tape stop detector, 37...Mark detector.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 Announcement means for recording, erasing, or reproducing a plurality of response texts and control signals on a first magnetic tape; means for recording and reproducing information entering a second magnetic tape; Control for switching from a state in which the response text on the first magnetic tape is reproduced to a state in which incoming information is recorded on the second magnetic tape in response to a signal, and also for reversing the first magnetic tape to its starting position after the response text is reproduced. an automatic communication call answering device comprising: a first magnetic tape having multiple tracks, one half-track having at least three answer texts and corresponding control signals; an announcement means for recording, erasing or reproducing a response text and a control signal on the track; a detection means for detecting and outputting when the second magnetic tape reaches its recording capacity or when the second magnetic tape is cut and disappeared; When the detecting means outputs, when a subsequent telephone call is received, only the third response text is reproduced and transmitted regardless of the first and second response texts, and then the first magnetic tape is moved to the first recorded control signal position of the third response text. control means for reverse feeding and waiting, and the other half track of the first magnetic tape has at least three response texts and control signals corresponding thereto; An automatic communication call answering device characterized in that it is a half-truck that can be used in the same way as the one half-truck by being reversely attached to the means.