Telephone answering device with a plurality of passwords

Claim 2

A recording and reproduction apparatus comprising: recording and reproduction means for recording information on a medium, and reproducing the information recorded on the medium wherein said recording and reproduction means records predetermined information after first information is recorded; generating means for generating a signal depending upon an operation of said recording and reproduction means and independently of the information on the medium: and control means for controlling said recording and reproduction means to reproduce the information recorded on the medium, wherein said control means detects a record termination position by using the predetermined information recorded at the record termination position on the medium in accordance with a reproduction interruption, the detection being performed during a period of time determined by the signal generated by said generating means.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means stops the reproduction of the information by said recording and reproduction means when the information recorded at the record termination position is reproduced by said recording and reproduction means.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium is a magnetic tape and said recording and reproduction means comprises a magnetic head.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means returns said recording and reproduction means to record termination position where the reproduction of the information by said recording and reproduction means is interrupted.

Claim 6

An information reproduction apparatus comprising: reproduction means for reproducing information recorded on a medium; generating means for generating a signal depending upon an operation of said reproduction means and independently of the information on the medium; and control means for controlling said reproduction means by instructing said reproduction means to interrupt the reproduction of the information in accordance with an interruption instruction, by instructing said reproduction means to resume the reproduction in the vicinity of a position at which specific information for specifying a record termination position has been recorded in accordance with the signal generated by said generating means, and by instructing said reproduction means to stop the reproduction when the specific information is reproduced by said reproduction means.

Claim 7

An information reproduction apparatus comprising: reproduction means for reproducing information recorded on a medium; generating means for generating a signal depending upon an operation of said reproduction means and independently of the information on the medium; and control means for controlling said reproduction means by instructing said reproduction means to interrupt the reproduction of the information in accordance with an interruption instruction, by instructing said reproduction means to resume the reproduction in the vicinity of a position at which specific information for specifying a record termination position has been recorded in accordance with the signal generated by said generating means, and by instructing said reproduction means to stop the reproduction when the specific information is reproduced by said reproduction means.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said medium is a magnetic tape and said reproduction means comprises a magnetic head.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said reproduction means has a function to record the information on said medium.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control means stores therein data according to the position at which the specific information has been recorded.

Claim 11

A recording and reproduction apparatus comprising: recording and reproduction means for recording information on a medium and reproducing the information recorded on the medium, wherein said recording and reproduction means performs reproduction of predetermined information recorded at a record termination position; generating means for generating a signal depending upon an operation of said recording and reproduction means and independently of the information on the medium; and control means for controlling said recording and reproduction means to interrupt the reproduction of the information by said recording and reproduction means in accordance with an interruption instruction, to resume the reproduction from a position according to the signal generated by said generating means, and to start the recording of information from a position determined by the reproduction of predetermined information by said recording and reproduction means.

Claim 12

A recording and reproduction apparatus comprising: recording and reproduction means for recording information on a medium and reproducing the information recorded on the medium, wherein said recording and reproduction means performs reproduction of predetermined information recorded at a record termination position; generating means for generating a signal depending upon an operation of said recording and reproduction means and independently of the information on the medium; and control means for controlling said recording and reproduction means to interrupt the reproduction of the information by said recording and reproduction means in accordance with an interruption instruction, to resume the reproduction from a position according to the signal generated by said generating means, and to start the recording of information from a position determined by the reproduction of predetermined information by said recording and reproduction means.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said medium is a magnetic tape and said record and reproduction means comprises a magnetic head.

Claim 14

An automatic message recording telephone apparatus comprising: reception means for receiving first, second and third messages and first and second identification data from a line; memory means for storing first, second and third messages, and first and second identification data, wherein the first message is stored to correspond to the first identification data, the second message is stored to correspond to the second identification data, and the third message is stored without corresponding to the first and second identification data; and reproduction means for reproducing the first and third messages in accordance with the designation of a first password, and for reproducing the second and third messages in accordance with the designation of a second password, wherein the first and second passwords correspond to the first and second identification data, respectively.

Claim 15

An automatic message recording telephone apparatus comprising: reception means for receiving first, second and third messages and first and second identification data from a line; memory means for storing first, second and third messages, and first and second identification data, wherein the first message is stored to correspond to the first identification data, the second message is stored to correspond to the second identification data, and the third message is stored without corresponding to the first and second identification data; and reproduction means for reproducing the first and third messages in accordance with the designation of a first password, and for reproducing the second and third messages in accordance with the designation of a second password, wherein the first and second passwords correspond to the first and second identification data, respectively.

Claim 16

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said recording and reproduction means to start the reproduction of the information from a position in the vicinity of the position represented by the position data, and to stop the reproduction of the information recorded at the record termination position.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said recording and reproduction means to start the reproduction of the information according to the signal, in accordance with interruption of the reproduction of the information by said recording and reproduction means.

Claim 18

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording and reproduction means records a predetermined tone signal as the information recorded at the record termination position.

Claim 19

An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control means fast forwards the magnetic tape from a position on the magnetic tape at which the information is reproduced until the signal is generated by said generating means.

Claim 20

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control means fast forwards the magnetic tape from a position on the magnetic tape at which the information reproduction is interrupted to the vicinity of the position.

Claim 21

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said control means fast forwards the magnetic tape from a position on the magnetic tape at which information reproduction is interrupted to the position according to the signal generated by generating means.

Claim 22

An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said memory means has a magnetic tape for sequentially storing the first, second and third messages, and said reproduction means reproduces the first message in accordance with the designation of the first password, fast forwards an area on the magnetic tape at which the second message is stored, and reproduces the third message.

Claim 23

An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said reproduction means does not reproduce the second message when the first password is designated, and does not reproduce the first message when the second password is designated.

Claim 24

An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said reproduction means comprises second reception means for receiving the password from the line.

Claim 27

A method according to claim 21, wherein said detecting step comprises the step of abstaining from reproducing the information outside the range according to the signal generated in said generating means.

Claim 28

A method according to claim 21, further comprising the steps of: recording predetermined information at the record termination position; and storing the position data according to the position at which the predetermined information is stored in said recording step.

Claim 29

A method according to claim 21, wherein the predetermined information includes a predetermined tone signal.

Claim 30

A method according to claim 21, wherein said reproducing step comprises the step of reproducing the information according to the signal on the basis of an interruption of information reproduction.

Claim 31

A method according to claim 21, wherein said reproducing step comprises the step of interrupting the reproduction on the basis of an interruption of information reproduction, and restarting the reproduction from the position according to the signal.

Claim 32

A method according to claim 21, wherein said reproducing step comprises the step of restarting the recording of the information from the detected record termination position.

Claim 33

A method according to claim 21, wherein the signal generated in said generating step is generated in synchronism with rotation of the medium.

Claim 34

A method according to claim 21, wherein the medium includes a magnetic tape.

Claim 35

A method according to claim 21, further comprising the step of switching a drive speed of the medium between a high speed before generation of the signal and a low speed after generation of the signal.

Claim 36

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generating means generates the signal in synchronism with drive of the medium.

Claim 37

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means drives the medium at a high speed in accordance with the reproduction interruption and switches the drive speed of the medium between a high speed before generation of the signal and a low speed after generation of the signal.

Claim 38

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said generating means generates the signal in synchronism with drive of the medium.

Claim 39

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control means drives the medium at a high speed in accordance with the reproduction interruption and switches the drive speed of the medium between a high speed before generation of the signal and a low speed after generation of the signal.

Claim 40

An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said generating means generates the signal in synchronism with drive of the medium.

Claim 41

An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control means drives the medium at a high speed in accordance with the reproduction interruption and switches the drive speed of the medium between a high speed before generation of the signal and a low speed after generation of the signal.

Claim 42

An automatic message recording telephone apparatus comprising: reception means for receiving first, second, and third messages from a line; memory means for storing the first message corresponding to first identification data, the second message corresponding to second identification data, and the third message without corresponding to the first and second identification data; and reproduction means for reproducing the first and third messages in accordance with a designation of the first identification data, and for reproducing the second and third messages in accordance with a designation of the second identification data.

Claim 43

An automatic message recording telephone apparatus comprising: reception means for receiving first, second, and third messages from a line; memory means for storing the first message corresponding to first identification data, the second message corresponding to second identification data, and the third message without corresponding to the first and second identification data; and reproduction means for reproducing the first and third messages in accordance with a designation of the first identification data, and for reproducing the second and third messages in accordance with a designation of the second identification data.

Claim 44

An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said memory means includes a magnetic tape for storing the first, second, and third messages.

Claim 45

An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said reproduction means does not reproduce the second messages when the first identification data is designated, and does not reproduce the first message when the second identification data is designated.

Claim 46

An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said reception means further receives the first and the second identification data from the line.

Claim 47

An apparatus according to claim 40, wherein said reproduction means reproduces the first and third messages when the first identification data is received by said reception means, and reproduces the second and third messages when the second identification data is received by said reception means.