Apparatus for and method of automatically answering an incoming telephone call and providing a screening message to caller

An automatic answering and message apparatus comprising:

• a. a first detecting circuit for detecting an incoming telephone call on a telephone;
• b. an answering circuit coupled to the detecting circuit for automatically answering the incoming telephone call thereby forming a connection;
• c. a memory and playback circuit coupled to the answering circuit for storing a message and playing the message over the connection;
• d. a second detecting circuit for detecting if a specified code is entered;
• and
• e. a signal generating circuit coupled to the second detecting circuit for generating a signal notifying a user of the incoming call if the specified code is entered.

A telephone comprising:

• a. a first detecting circuit for detecting an incoming call;
• b. an automatic mode switch for switching between automatic and normal mode;
• c. an answering circuit coupled to the detecting circuit and to the automatic mode switch for automatically answering the incoming telephone call if the automatic mode switch is in the automatic mode thereby forming a connection;
• d. a memory and playback circuit coupled to the answering circuit for storing a message and playing the message over the connection;
• e. a second detecting circuit for detecting if a specified code is entered;
• and
• f. a signal generating circuit coupled to the second detecting circuit for generating a signal notifying a user of the incoming call if the specific code is entered.