Electronic notepad

Claim 1

A combined electronic notepad and telephone answering device, for use in combination with a telephone, the combined electronic notepad and telephone answering device comprising: message storing means for storing at least incoming voice messages; message playback means for playing back stored voice messages which were stored in said message storing means; a numeric keypad for entering at least numbers; a dialer coupled to said numeric keypad for at least dialing numbers entered through said numeric keypad; a memory coupled to said numeric keypad and to said dialer for storing numbers entered through said numeric keypad, the numbers stored in said memory being selectively dialable by said dialer; and a controller coupled to said memory and to said dialer for controlling operations of said message storing means and said message playback means, and for also controlling operations of said dialer, said controller including: means operable during playing back of a previously recorded voice message by said message playback means for automatically storing a number entered by said numeric keypad, into said memory, for later dialing of said stored number by said dialer; pause means for causing playback of a voice message, stored in said message storage means, to be paused in response to said telephone going to an off hook state regardless of whether or not there is an incoming telephone call; and pause ending means for ending said pause and for resuming playing back of said voice message from said message storage means, in response to said telephone going to an on hook state from an off hook state.