Telephone answering system

Claim 1

A telephone answering apparatus for permitting a called party to select between an automatic mode wherein a message is automatically played back to a caller without any action of a called party and a prenouncer mode wherein a message is played back to the caller when activated by the called party, said telephone answering apparatus comprising: a ring detector circuit connectable to an outside line and responsive to an incoming call on said outside line for producing a ring detected signal; a timer and driver circuit responsive to said ring detected signal for producing a playback signal; a manually actuatable answer switch; a mode switch capable of selecting one of a prenouncer mode and an automatic mode, said mode switch being connected to said timer and driver circuit, to said ring detector circuit and to said answer switch, said mode switch being operative in said automatic mode for connecting said ring detector circuit to said timer and driver circuit to deliver said ring detected signal thereto so as to produce said playback signal and thereby play back said message automatically in response to said ring detected signal without any action of the called party, and said mode switch being operative in said prenouncer mode for connecting said answer switch between said ring detector circuit and said timer and driver circuit for selectively connecting said ring detector circuit to said timer and driver circuit in response to manual activation of said answer switch by the called party to thereby deliver said ring detected signal to said timer and driver circuit so as to produce said playback signal and thereby play back said message; a message storage and playback device for storing a message connected to said timer and driver circuit, and having a message output connectable to said outside line, said message storage and playback device being responsive to said playback signal for playing back said message at said message output thereof.