Telephone answering device linking displayed data with recorded audio message

The method of automatically answering incoming telephone calls and storing and retrieving information from the incoming telephone calls with a telephone answering device having a memory which is coupled to a telephone instrument comprising the steps of:

• storing a predetermined list of names and associated stored identifying information in said memory;
• receiving signals specifying the caller of each incoming call;
• receiving a voice message from the caller and storing it in said memory;
• converting said received signals into received identifying information;
• comparing said received identifying information with said predetermined list and displaying the caller's name if the received identifying information matches any stored identifying information identical in said predetermined list;
• displaying simultaneously a plurality of callers' names whose respective received identifying information matches stored identifying information in said list;
• linking each displayed caller's name with its corresponding voice message;
• selectively directly retrieving the voice message corresponding to any one of the displayed caller's names by selecting that caller's name without scrolling through either said displayed names or voice messages.

A telephone answering device coupled to a telephone line for automatically answering incoming telephone calls and storing and retrieving information from the incoming telephone calls, comprising:

• means for receiving a signal having an identifier from said telephone line identifying the caller of an incoming call;
• means for receiving a voice message from said caller and storing said voice message;
• means for linking said identifier with the corresponding voice message;
• means for displaying the identifiers for a plurality of incoming calls;
• and
• means for selecting any one of the identifiers from said display and audibly directly retrieving the voice message linked to the selected identifier without scrolling through individual displayed identifiers.

A telephone answering device coupled to a telephone line for automatically answering incoming telephone calls and storing and retrieving information from the incoming telephone calls comprising:

• a microcomputer having a read only member (ROM) for providing a program for said microcomputer, a random access memory (RAM) with a plurality of storage sections therein and peripheral interface means for coupling peripheral means to said microcomputer;
• a keyboard means having a plurality of alphanumeric and function keys coupled to said microcomputer by said peripheral interface means;
• an alphanumeric display means mounted on said device and coupled to said microcomputer by said peripheral interface means;
• said RAM having a predetermined list of names and associated identifying information stored therein in a first memory section thereof;
• an analogue telephone interface system coupled between said telephone line and said microcomputer having a line seizing means for connecting said device to said telephone line after a predetermined number of rings;
• a telephone signal converter means coupled between said telephone line and said microcomputer for converting a telephone number transmitted over the telephone line into digital form understandable by said microcomputer;
• a voice recording means coupled between said telephone line and said microcomputer for receiving and storing in digital form a voice message in a second memory section of said RAM;
• said microcomputer comparing converted incoming telephone numbers with said list stored in said first memory section of said RAM;
• means for displaying a caller's name and said incoming telephone numbers which the caller's transmitted telephone number corresponds to a telephone number previously stored in said first memory section, said means for displaying cooperating with said microcomputer and simultaneously displaying a plurality of caller's names;
• means for linking each caller's name to its associated voice message;
• means for allowing a user to select any one of the simultaneously displayed caller's names and for simultaneously audibly retrieving the voice message associated with the selected caller's name from said second memory section without scrolling through individual displayed names or stored voice messages.