Automatic telephone answering apparatus

An automatic telephone answering device for telephone lines comprising, a single track magnetic tape with recorded instructions to an incoming caller and a pair of different control signals recorded thereon with the first and second control signals being on opposite ends of said recorded instructions, a read head mounted so as to read information on said single track magnetic tape, a write head mounted a predetermined distance along said single track tape behind said read head, a driving means for driving said tape pass said read and write heads, a control circuit connected to said driving means and said read head, a received signal detecting circuit connected to said control circuit and to telephone lines to cause said control circuit to energize said driving means when an incoming call is received, and switching means controlled by said control circuit so as to supply said recorded instructions to said telephone lines and said first and second control signals and said recorded instructions to said write head such that second instructions and control signals are recorded on said single track tape longitudinally spaced from the first recorded instructions and control signals, and such that a message from said incoming call can be recorded on said single tape after said second control signal.