Telephone answering device with a control flip-flop

Claim 2

A telephone-answering apparatus for association with a telephone having instrumentalities and the necessary circuit connections thereto including a power circuit for performing an automatic telephone-answering function, a prerecorded announcement playout function, an incoming message-recording function, and contrOl switching means for switching the apparatus from one to the other of said functions, said instrumentalities and circuit connections for performing said announcement playout and incoming message recording functions including a moveable sound carrier in the form of an endless loop and drive means for driving said endless loop, said control switching means including a control transistor, a photocell and flip-flop transistor circuitry, wherein said apparatus in response to said telephoneringing signal renders said control transistor conductive, said control transistor in said conductive state affecting the operation of said drive means to drive said endless loop, and wherein said photocell actuation upon said loop completing a first cycle renders said flip-flop transistor circuitry into a conducting state causing the transfer of said apparatus out of said announcement playout function into said incoming message recording function and upon said loop completing a second cycle said photocell actuation this time rendering said flip-flop transistor circuitry into a cutoff state, said flip-flop in its cutoff state driving the said control transistor into a cutoff condition and thus curtailing the operation of said drive means.

Claim 3

A telephone-answering apparatus for association with a telephone having instrumentalities and the necessary circuit connections thereto including a power circuit for performing an automatic telephone-answering function, a prerecorded announcement playout function, an incoming message-recording function, and control-switching means for switching the apparatus from one to the other of said functions, said instrumentalities and circuit connections for performing said announcement playout and incoming message-recording functions including a movable sound carrier in the form of an endless loop and drive for driving said endless loop, said control-switching means including a control transistor, a photocell, flip-flop transistor circuitry, a first and second relay, wherein said apparatus in response to said telephone-ringing signal rendering said control transistor conductive, said control transistor in said conductive state energizing said first relay thereby affecting the operation of said drive means to drive said endless loop, and wherein said photocell actuation upon said loop completing a first cycle renders said flip-flop transistor circuitry into a conducting state energizing the said second relay causing the transfer of said apparatus out of said announcement playout function into said incoming message-recording function and upon said loop completing a second cycle, said photocell actuation this time rendering said flip-flop circuitry into a cutoff state deenergizing said second relay, said flip-flop in its cutoff state driving the said control transistor into a cutoff condition deenergizing the said first relay and thus curtailing the operation of said drive means.

Claim 4

A telephone-answering apparatus for association with a telephone having instrumentalities and the necessary circuit connections thereto including a power circuit for performing an automatic telephone-answering function, a prerecorded announcement playout function, an incoming message-recording function, and control-switching means for switching the apparatus from one to the other of said functions, said instrumentalities and circuit connections for performing said announcement playout and incoming message-recording functions including a movable sound carrier in the form of an endless loop and drive for driving said endless loop, said control-switching means including a control transistor, a photocell, flip-flop transistor circuitry, a first and second relay, wherein said apparatus in response to said telephone-ringing signal rendering said control transistor conductive, said control transistor in said conductive state energizing said first relay thereby affecting the operation of said drive means to drive said endless loop, and wherein said photocell actuation upon said loop completing a first cycle renders said flip-flop transistor circuitry into a conducting state energizing the said second relay causing the transfer of said apparatus out of said announcement playout function into said incoming message-recording function and upon said loop completing a second cycle, said photocell actuation this time rendering said flip-flop circuitry into a cutoff state deenergizing said second relay, said flip-flop in its cutoff state driving the said control transistor into a cutoff condition deenergizing the said first relay and thus curtailing the operation of said drive means.

Claim 5

A telephone-answering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion of said endless loop is transparent and said control-switching means includes a lamp, said photocell actuation taking place when said transparent portion passes between said photocell and said lamp.

Claim 6

A telephone-answering apparatus for association with a telephone having instrumentalities and the necessary circuit connections thereto including a power circuit for performing an automatic telephone-answering function, a prerecorded announcement playout function, an incoming message recording function, and control-switching means for switching the apparatus from one to the other of said functions, said instrumentalities and circuit connections for performing said announcement playout and incoming message-recording functions including a movable sound carrier in the form of an endless tape loop having a transparent section thereon, tape drive means for driving said endless loop, said endless loop completing a first cycle during the announcement playout function and a second cycle during the incoming message-recoRding function, said endless loop travel being oriented so as to traverse between a light source and a photocell, said control-switching means including flip-flop circuitry comprising a first and second transistor, a relay in electrical association with said first transistor, said photocell connected in a circuit between said first transistor and a capacitor to common ground, said photocell rendering said flip-flop circuitry, alternately, in a conducting and cutoff condition on successive incidences of excitation of said photocell on each completion of said tape loop cycle.

Claim 7

A telephone-answering apparatus for association with a telephone having instrumentalities and the necessary circuit connections thereto including a power circuit for performing an automatic telephone-answering function, a prerecorded announcement playout function, an incoming message recording function, and control-switching means for switching the apparatus from one to the other of said functions, said instrumentalities and circuit connections for performing said announcement playout and incoming message-recording functions including a movable sound carrier in the form of an endless tape loop having a transparent section thereon, tape drive means for driving said endless loop, said endless loop completing a first cycle during the announcement playout function and a second cycle during the incoming message-recoRding function, said endless loop travel being oriented so as to traverse between a light source and a photocell, said control-switching means including flip-flop circuitry comprising a first and second transistor, a relay in electrical association with said first transistor, said photocell connected in a circuit between said first transistor and a capacitor to common ground, said photocell rendering said flip-flop circuitry, alternately, in a conducting and cutoff condition on successive incidences of excitation of said photocell on each completion of said tape loop cycle.

Claim 8

A telephone-answering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control-switching means further includes a control transistor, said control transistor being capacitivly coupled to said second transistor of said flip-flop circuitry, said apparatus in response to said telephone-ringing signal rendering said control transistor conductive and wherein said flip-flop circuitry in its cutoff condition upon said second completion of said tape loop cycle drives said control transistor into a cutoff condition.

Claim 9

A telephone-answering apparatus for association with a telephone having instrumentalities and the necessary circuit connections thereto including a power circuit for performing an automatic telephone-answering function, a prerecorded announcement playout function, an incoming message-recording function, and control-switching means for switching the apparatus from one to the other of said functions, said instrumentalities and circuit connections for performing said announcement playout and incoming message-recording functions including a movable sound carrier in the form of an endless tape loop having an announce track and adjacent potential plural incoming message-recording tracks arranged side-by-side across the width of said endless tape, said announcement playout and incoming message-recording functions further including a magnetic transducer, tape drive means for driving said endless loop, said endless loop completing a first cycle during said announcement playout function and a second cycle during said incoming message-recording function, said transducer being in tracking relationship with said announce track during said first cycle and with one of said incoming message recording tracks during said second cycle, said control-switching means including a control transistor, a photocell and flip-flop transistor circuitry, wherein said apparatus in response to said telephone-ringing signal renders said control transistor conductive, said control transistor in said conductive state affecting the operation of said drive means to drive said endless loop, and wherein said photocell actuation upon said loop completing a said first cycle renders said flip-flop transistor circuitry into a conducting state causing the transfer of said apparatus out of said announcement playout function into said incoming message recording function and upon said loop completing a said second cycle, said photocell actuation this time rendering said flip-flop transistor circuitry into a cutoff state, said flip-flop in its cutoff state driving the said control transistor into a cutoff condition and thus curtailing the operation of said drive means.

Claim 10

A telephone-answering apparatus for association with a telephone having instrumentalities and the necessary circuit connections thereto including a power circuit for performing an automatic telephone-answering function, a prerecorded announcement playout function, an incoming message-recording function, and control-switching means for switching the apparatus from one to the other of said functions, said instrumentalities and circuit connections for performing said announcement playout and incoming message-recording functions including a movable sound carrier in the form of an endless tape loop having an announce track and adjacent potential plural incoming message-recording tracks arranged side-by-side across the width of said endless tape, said announcement playout and incoming message-recording functions further including a magnetic transducer, tape drive means for driving said endless loop, said endless loop completing a first cycle during said announcement playout function and a second cycle during said incoming message-recording function, said transducer being in tracking relationship with said announce track during said first cycle and with one of said incoming message recording tracks during said second cycle, said control-switching means including a control transistor, a photocell and flip-flop transistor circuitry, wherein said apparatus in response to said telephone-ringing signal renders said control transistor conductive, said control transistor in said conductive state affecting the operation of said drive means to drive said endless loop, and wherein said photocell actuation upon said loop completing a said first cycle renders said flip-flop transistor circuitry into a conducting state causing the transfer of said apparatus out of said announcement playout function into said incoming message recording function and upon said loop completing a said second cycle, said photocell actuation this time rendering said flip-flop transistor circuitry into a cutoff state, said flip-flop in its cutoff state driving the said control transistor into a cutoff condition and thus curtailing the operation of said drive means.