Apparatus for remotely changing the message of an automatic announcing machine

Claim 2

Apparatus for remotely altering the selection of a prerecorded program of an announcing system, comprising: means for communicating between an announcing station and a programming station remotely located therefrom, encoding means for generating signals to be transmitted over said communication means from said programming station to said announcing station, said signals being representative of information desired to be newly selected from the prerecorded program of said announcing station, control means responsive to said signals for activating said announcing station transmitting the previous selection from the prerecorded program therefrom to said programming station, said control means including means for indicating to said programming station that said announcing station is ready to accept coded instructions, and said control means further including means for decoding said signals to alter the selection of information for delivery from the prerecorded program of the announcing station.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said control means further includes means for audibly transmitting the new selection of the prerecorded program from the announcing station to the programming station thereby enabling an operator at said programming station to hear the selected stored program.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said means for encoding includes a telephone and means for dialing signals representing the desired program change and wherein the coded signals are audibly produced and transmitted to said announcing station via said telephone mouthpiece and said means for communicating.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said control means includes a stepping switch and variable resistance means, said stepping switch being responsive to said encoded signals to control the flow of coded signals to said variable resistance means whereby predetermined resistances are established representative of a desired selection of information from said prerecorded program.

Claim 6

Apparatus for changing the selection of prerecorded messages on an automatic announcement system, comprising in combination; call responsive means operative in response to an incoming signal on a reprogramming circuit to establish data exchange contact with the reprogramming circuit; means responsive to the reception of a predetermined entry code signal received from the reprogramming circuit to establish message communication between the reprogramming circuit and the announcement system so that the message being repeated thereon is transmitted to the reprogramming circuit; message termination responsive means for supplying a predetermined signal to the reprogramming circuit upon the conclusion of a recorded message being transmitted thereto, said predetermined signal indicating that the apparatus is ready to receive a coded message selection signal; message selection means which is operative to control the announcement system to select at least one prerecorded message from a plurality of such messages; said message selection means being operAtively associated with said message termination means to be thereby placed in condition to receive an incoming message selection signal; and signal decoding means connected to receive message selection signals incoming on the reprogramming circuit and to cause said message selection means to control the selection of a particular prerecorded message corresponding to the incoming message selection signal.

Claim 7

Apparatus for changing the selection of prerecorded messages on an automatic announcement system, comprising in combination; call responsive means operative in response to an incoming signal on a reprogramming circuit to establish data exchange contact with the reprogramming circuit; means responsive to the reception of a predetermined entry code signal received from the reprogramming circuit to establish message communication between the reprogramming circuit and the announcement system so that the message being repeated thereon is transmitted to the reprogramming circuit; message termination responsive means for supplying a predetermined signal to the reprogramming circuit upon the conclusion of a recorded message being transmitted thereto, said predetermined signal indicating that the apparatus is ready to receive a coded message selection signal; message selection means which is operative to control the announcement system to select at least one prerecorded message from a plurality of such messages; said message selection means being operAtively associated with said message termination means to be thereby placed in condition to receive an incoming message selection signal; and signal decoding means connected to receive message selection signals incoming on the reprogramming circuit and to cause said message selection means to control the selection of a particular prerecorded message corresponding to the incoming message selection signal.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 5, further comprising: means responsive to the completion of message selection to establish message communication between the reprogramming circuit and the recorded announcement system to cause the selected recorded message to be transmitted over the reprogramming circuit.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 5, wherein said means responsive to the reception of the predetermined entry code signal is additionally operative to enable the substitution of a busy signal for the recorded announcement in response to any inquiry seeking connection to the recorded announcement system.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 5, wherein: said decoding means is operative in response to the reception of message selection signals comprising discrete frequency pulses to cause said message selection means to select the particular prerecorded message which is represented by such discrete pulses.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 8, wherein: said message selection means comprises a plurality of individual selector means each of which is operative in response to a separate message selection signal to control the selection of a prerecorded message segment of the prerecorded message; said decoding means being operative in response to the reception of separate message selection signals to cause the one of said selector means corresponding to a particular separate message selection signal to select the particular prerecorded message segment represented by the discrete pulses of such message selection signal.

Claim 12

Apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising: selection signal directing means selectively operative to establish sequential message segment selection operation between said decoding means and each of said individual selector means; said decoding means including means responsive to the termination of each separate incoming message signal to cause said signal directing means to establish message segment selection operation between said decoding means and the next one in sequence of said individual selector means.

Claim 13

Apparatus in claim 10, wherein: said selection signal directing means is operative to cause each of said individual selector means to cancel any existing message segment selection thereon prior to selection of a message segment in response to a message selection signal.

Claim 14

Apparatus as in claim 9, further comprising means responsive to termination of the last one of said separate message selection signals to establish message communication between the reprogramming circuit and the recorded announcement system to cause the selected prerecorded message segments to be transmitted over the reprogramming circuit.

Claim 15

Apparatus as in claim 12, wherein said decoding means is responsive to the termination of transmission of the selected prerecorded message segments to be rendered responsive to the reception of another predetermined entry code signal received from the reprogramming circuit to enable selection of another prerecorded message.

Claim 16

Apparatus as in claim 9, in which the recorded announcement system is of the type wherein the selection of a particular prerecorded message from a plurality of such messages is accomplished by servo rebalancing under the control of a resistance bridge, wherein: each of said selector means comprises a resistance selection switch which is operative in response to a particular separate message selection signal to select the resistance which enables the servo to become rebalanced at the particular prerecorded message segment represented by the discrete frequency pulses of such message selection siGnal.

Claim 17

Apparatus as in claim 14, further comprising: selection signal directing means selectively operative to establish sequential message segment selection operation between said decoding means and each of said resistance selection switches; said decoding means including means responsive to the termination of each separate message signal to cause said signal directing means to establish resistance selection operation between said decoding means and the next one in sequence of said resistance selection switches.

Claim 18

Apparatus as in claim 15, wherein said selection signal directing means is operative to cause each of said resistance selection switches to cancel any existing message segment positioning resistance selection therein prior to selection of a resistance which enables the servo to become rebalanced at the particular prerecorded message segment represented by the discrete pulses of the message selection signal.