Cordless telephone system having a telephone answering machine function

A cordless telephone system comprising:

• a base unit having transmitting and receiving circuits and connected to a telephone line network;
• a handset unit having microphone and speaker for telephone conversation, a plurality of selectively operable keys and transmitting and receiving circuits;
• a telephone answering machine (TAM) unit having audio signal recording and reproducing apparatus and transmitting and receiving circuits;
• and
• control means for controlling said system in a normal communication mode such that audio signals from said microphone and to said speaker are coupled to said telephone line network through said transmitting and receiving circuits, respectively, of said handset unit and said receiving and transmitting circuits, respectively of said base unit;
• said control means controlling said system in an automatic answering mode to record an audio signal from said telephone line network by said recording and reproducing apparatus through said transmitting circuit of said base unit and said receiving circuit of said TAM unit, said control means being responsive to the operation of a predetermined key of said handset unit to cause a control signal indicative of such key operation to be supplied to said recording and reproducing apparatus through said transmitting circuit of said handset unit, said receiving circuit of said base unit, said transmitting circuit of said base unit and said receiving circuit of said TAM unit to place said recording and reproducing apparatus in a reproduction mode for reproducing previously recorded audio signals from said recording and reproducing apparatus to be supplied to said speaker through said transmitting circuit of said TAM unit, said receiving circuit of said base unit, said transmitting circuit of said base unit and said receiving circuit of said handset unit.