US 3,967,068 AGranted

Automatic telephone monitoring system

AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

InventorIsao Shinohara

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An automatic telephone monitoring system which comprises an endless magnetic recording tape having a plurality of groups of recording tracks, one of these groups of the tracks being used to record different kinds of messages to be transmitted to a caller, a second one of which is used to record individual messages from the callers, and the rest of which are associated in content with the first mentioned one of the groups and on which are recorded the corresponding kinds of messages to be transmitted to subsequent callers who have happened to dial a telephone coupled with the monitoring system after the all of the tracks of the second mentioned group have been used.

Claims7

Dependent claims

An automatic telephone answering system comprising:

an endless magnetic recording tape having thereon a first group of recording tracks for recording and reproducing a first type of messages to be transmitted to a caller, a second group of recording tracks for recording and reproducing a second type of messages to the caller, and a third group of recording tracks for recording and reproducing messages from the caller, the numbers of said tracks of said first and second groups being equal, said tape having both ends joined to each other by a metallic foil secured thereto, thereby to make the tape endless;
means operatively positioned for driving said magnetic tape in one direction and comprising an electrically operated motor, a first solenoid unit having a solenoid armature movable between extended and retracted positions, a capstan, and a pinch roller operatively coupled to said solenoid armature, said capstan being rotated by said motor, and said pinch roller being selectively engaged to said capstan with the magnetic tape sandwiched therebetween, said tape being driven in said one direction by said capstan in cooperation with said pinch roller upon movement of said solenoid armature to said retracted position thereof;
a first movable selectively operable transducer head;
means operatively connected to said first transducer head for selectively aligning said first transducer head with any one of said tracks of said first group and for thereby permitting said first transducer head to record and reproduce information on said selected one of said tracks of said first group;
a second movable transducer head for recording and reproducing information on said second and third groups of tracks and operable when said first transducer head is inoperative;
means for stepwisely shifting said second transducer head in a first direction transversely of the lengthwise direction of said magnetic tape each time said first transducer head completes its operation to thereby align said second transducer head with said tracks of said third group one after another, and for, after all of the tracks of said third group have been used, aligning said second transducer head with one of the tracks of said second group which corresponds to said selected one of said tracks of said first group;
said means for stepwisely shifting said second transducer head in said first direction comprising:
a stepped cam member;
a ratchet wheel coupled to said stepped cam member;
a trigger lever coupled to said ratchet wheel for driving said ratchet wheel;
a crank lever coupled to said trigger lever;
a pulley coupled to said crank lever;
a drive wheel;
transmission means coupled to said crank lever and to said drive wheel for transmitting driving force from said drive wheel to said pulley;
a first pivotable lever coupled to said transmission means for selectively activating said transmission means;
a seesaw lever coupled to said pivotable lever;
a roller element rotatably provided on one end of said seesaw lever;
a detent recess formed in said pulley, with driving force transmission from said drive wheel to said pulley being discontinued when said roller element engages said detent recess in said pulley, and with said driving force transmission means between said drive wheel and said pulley being operative when said roller element is disengaged from said detent recess;
a second solenoid unit having a plunger member;
said roller element of said seesaw lever being adapted to be disengaged from said detent recess of said pulley by said plunger member of said second solenoid unit;
and
said second transducer head being aligned with said tracks of said third group each time said first transducer head completes operation, and after all of the tracks of said third group have been used, being aligned with one of the tracks of said second group which corresponds to said selected one of said tracks of said first group;
and
means operatively positioned for stepwisely shifting said second transducer head in a second opposite direction transverse of the lengthwise direction of said magnetic tape for returning said second transducer head from a first position in which said second transducer head is aligned with said one of said tracks of said second group, to a second position in which said second transducer head is aligned with the first one of the tracks of said third group.

21 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

An automatic telephone answering system comprising:

an endless magnetic recording tape having thereon a first group of recording tracks for recording and reproducing a first type of messages to be transmitted to a caller, a second group of recording tracks for recording and reproducing a second type of messages to the caller, and a third group of recording tracks for recording and reproducing messages from the caller, the numbers of said tracks of said first and second groups being equal, said tape having both ends joined to each other by a metallic foil secured thereto, thereby to make the tape endless;
means operatively positioned for driving said magnetic tape in one direction and comprising an electrically operated motor, a first solenoid unit having a solenoid armature movable between extended and retracted positions, a capstan, and a pinch roller operatively coupled to said solenoid armature, said capstan being rotated by said motor, and said pinch roller being selectively engaged to said capstan with the magnetic tape sandwiched therebetween, said tape being driven in said one direction by said capstan in cooperation with said pinch roller upon movement of said solenoid armature to said retracted position thereof;
a first movable selectively operable transducer head;
means operatively connected to said first transducer head for selectively aligning said first transducer head with any one of said tracks of said first group and for thereby permitting said first transducer head to record and reproduce information on said selected one of said tracks of said first group;
a second movable transducer head for recording and reproducing information on said second and third groups of tracks and operable when said first transducer head is inoperative;
means for stepwisely shifting said second transducer head in a first direction transversely of the lengthwise direction of said magnetic tape each time said first transducer head completes its operation to thereby align said second transducer head with said tracks of said third group one after another, and for, after all of the tracks of said third group have been used, aligning said second transducer head with one of the tracks of said second group which corresponds to said selected one of said tracks of said first group;
said means for stepwisely shifting said second transducer head in said first direction comprising:
a stepped cam member;
a ratchet wheel coupled to said stepped cam member;
a trigger lever coupled to said ratchet wheel for driving said ratchet wheel;
a crank lever coupled to said trigger lever;
a pulley coupled to said crank lever;
a drive wheel;
transmission means coupled to said crank lever and to said drive wheel for transmitting driving force from said drive wheel to said pulley;
a first pivotable lever coupled to said transmission means for selectively activating said transmission means;
a seesaw lever coupled to said pivotable lever;
a roller element rotatably provided on one end of said seesaw lever;
a detent recess formed in said pulley, with driving force transmission from said drive wheel to said pulley being discontinued when said roller element engages said detent recess in said pulley, and with said driving force transmission means between said drive wheel and said pulley being operative when said roller element is disengaged from said detent recess;
a second solenoid unit having a plunger member;
said roller element of said seesaw lever being adapted to be disengaged from said detent recess of said pulley by said plunger member of said second solenoid unit;
and
said second transducer head being aligned with said tracks of said third group each time said first transducer head completes operation, and after all of the tracks of said third group have been used, being aligned with one of the tracks of said second group which corresponds to said selected one of said tracks of said first group;
and
means operatively positioned for stepwisely shifting said second transducer head in a second opposite direction transverse of the lengthwise direction of said magnetic tape for returning said second transducer head from a first position in which said second transducer head is aligned with said one of said tracks of said second group, to a second position in which said second transducer head is aligned with the first one of the tracks of said third group.

21 more elements