Patent GB-1133047-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to telephone answering devices
IPC: H04M1/654
Filed: 1967-02-17
Abstract: 1,133,047. Telephone answering device. FORD INDUSTRIES Inc. 17 Feb., 1967 [14 March, 1966], No. 7802/67. Headings H4J and H4K. An answering device 18 (Figs. 1, 2) is adapted to be seated on and supported by the base 12 of a telephone set 10 when the handset 14 is removed, and the answering device 18 includes a cradle for receiving the handset 14 with the device disposed in operative position on the base 12. Wells 22, 24 in the answering device 18 receive the transmitter 14a and receiver 14b respectively of the handset. Between the wells 22, 24 are two pairs of posts 30 which, together with the wells 22, 24, serve as the cradle. A loud-speaker 38 faces slots 26 and beneath the loud-speaker is a ring-up circuit. A pick-up coil 40 has a receiving circuit 42 connected thereto and part of the coil 40 extends through an opening 28 in well 24. A shiftable actuator bar 46 has arms 46a, 46b directly overlying switch buttons 16 of the telephone set 10. Bar 46 is biased in raised position by a cylindrical solenoid 48, a soft iron solenoid core 60 and two springs 50. Solenoid 48 is fastened between two soft iron members 52, 54, member 54 cradling the solenoid 48. Members 52, 54 are connected together and mounted on housing section 20a. Members 52, 54 have openings 52a, 54a. A core member 60, screwed to the actuator bar 46, in the raised position of the bar 46, extends upwardly into the hollow interior of solenoid 48 through opening 54a. With the solenoid actuated (Fig. 2) core 60 is drawn into the interior of solenoid 48. Springs 50 tend to urge the actuator bar 46 into the raised position. A finger 56 is for actuating a switch 58. A handset bar 62 extends transversely of the housing 20 and is supported on springs (64, 66), Fig. 3 (not shown), which exert a greater bias than springs 50. A soft iron solenoid core 72 projects downwardly from the handset bar 62. It has a conical recess 72a which mates with a conical portion 60b of core 60 and, on downward shifting of the bar 62, moves within the solenoid 48. The circuits (Fig. 6) include receiving and ring-up circuits 42, 44 respectively, the loudspeaker 38, pick-up coil 40, solenoid 48 and switch 58. All components bounded by dashed block 18 indicate parts within the answering device. Switch mechanism 58 has a normally closed switch 58a and a normally open switch 58b. A recording device 74 is adapted to record and play-back. Control relays 76, 78 are provided. Relay 76 includes a solenoid 76a and a pair of normally open switches 76b, 76c. Relay 78 includes a solenoid 78a and a normally closed switch 78b. D.C. power supply conductors 80, 82 are provided. The receiving circuit includes a common-emitter transistor 84. Input signals are fed to the base of transistor 84 from the pick-up coil 40 and the amplified output signals are fed into the recording device 74. The ring- up circuit 44 comprises a ring-up coil 106, amplifying transistors 108, 110 and a relay 112 which includes a solenoid 112a and a normally open switch 112b. Input signals from ring-up coil 106 are fed to the base of transistor 108, applied to a rectifier circuit 126, 128, 130, and the rectified signals are applied to transistor 110. The collector of transistor 110 is connected to solenoid 112a. Operation.-The answering device 18 is seated on the telephone base 12 and the handset 14 is cradled in the device 18. The handset weight causes the bar 62 to be shifted to its lowest position (Fig. 4, not shown). Actuator bar 46 then extends below opening 36 and its arms 46a, 46b cause switch buttons 16 to be depressed, just as if the handset were seated on the base normally. When a call is received, the telephone ringing circuit, adjacent the ring-up coil 106, inductively energizes the coil 106. Transistors 108, 110 conduct, whereupon current flows through solenoid 112a to energize relay 112. Switch 112b closes and completes circuits to energize the recording device 74 and relay 76. On energizing the relay 76, switches 76b, 76c close and a holding circuit is completed for maintaining relay 76 and recording device 74 connected to conductor 80 independently of switch 112b. This holding circuit is important since switch 112b re-opens shortly after ringing ceases. When switch 76c closes, power is supplied to solenoid 48 in the answering device, on energization of which a magnetic field is created inside the solenoid 48 to draw cores 60, 72 together. Core 72 remains fixed but core 60, together with actuator bar 46, is shifted upwardly, whereupon telephone switch buttons 16 lift to place the telephone in an answered condition. Simultaneously, actuating finger 56 engages switch mechanism 58 to open switch 58a and close 58b. With closing of switch 58b, a capacitor 172 is in circuit for filtering out undesired A.C. ripple which might be included in the D.C. fed to solenoid 48. Recording device 74, on closing of switch 76b, plays a pre-recorded message to loud-speaker 38 which is communicated to receiver 14a. The recording device is then set to receive an incoming call. Such call is picked up by coil 40, amplified by transistor 84 and recorded in recording device 74. At end of message, relay 78a connected to the recording device 74 is energized, the holding circuit is broken and the recording device 74 is switched off. Solenoid 48 is de-energized, whereupon actuator bar 46 is returned by springs (64, 66) to its position where arms 46a, 46b depress switch buttons 16 into the telephone base 12. For normal use, the handset 14 is lifted from the device 18 and a call is then made in the usual manner. For the device 18 to work, no modification of the telephone set is necessary and the device may readily be shifted from one telephone set to another.