Automatic telephone answering device with multiple outgoing messages and selecting means

An automatic telephone answering device having an outgoing message recording operation mode and an automatic answering operation mode, comprising:

• ring detecting circuit means for detecting an incoming call and generating a signal when an incoming call is detected;
• phone line coupling means responsive to said signal generated by said ring detecting circuit means for connecting the device to a phone transmission line;
• a recording medium having an outgoing message recording area which is divided into multiple sections, each of said outgoing message sections having a start position and an end position and being adapted to record one of a plurality of outgoing messages required for explaining different situations;
• transducer means for recording messages on said recording medium or picking up the recorded messages therefrom;
• drive means for advancing said recording medium relative to said transducer means with either a normal or a fast speed in either a forward or a backward direction;
• selecting means for selecting one of said multiple outgoing message sections in order to record by said transducer means a specific outgoing message in said selected one section or play back by said transducer means a specific outgoing message pre-recorded in said selected one section such that a plurality of specific outgoing messages can be recorded respectively in said multiple outgoing message sections of said outgoing message recording area of said recording medium and a calling party can be greeted with one of the specific outgoing messages recorded in said selected section;
• and
• control circuit means including memory means for storing said start position and end position of each of said outgoing message sections, said control circuit means being coupled to said ring detecting circuit means, said phone line coupling means, said transducer means, said drive means, and said selecting means and being programmed so that:
• said outgoing message recording operation mode, when a user actuates said selecting means to select one of said outgoing message sections for recording a specific outgoing message, said control circuit means enables said drive means to advance said recording medium with a fast speed to the start position of said selected section and then enables said transducer means to record said specific message in said selected section while said drive means is enabled to continue to advance said recording medium with a normal speed until the end position of said selected section is arrived, and
• during said automatic answering operation mode, when an incoming call is received, as soon as said phone line coupling means has coupled this device to the phone transmission line in response to the signal generated by said ring detecting circuit means, said control circuit means enables said drive means to advance said recording medium with a fast speed to the start position of a specific outgoing message section pre-selected through said selecting means by the user, causes said transducer means to play back the outgoing message recorded in the selected section to the calling party while said drive means is actuated to continue to advance said recording medium with said normal speed until the end position of said selected section has arrived.