Patent Document ID: 5572576
Application ID: 08188200
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A telephone message system coupled to a telephone line for automatically answering incoming telephone calls and storing and retrieving information from the incoming telephone calls, comprising: (a) a telephone answering device, which comprises: means for receiving first signals from said telephone line, each of said first signals specifying a particular one of a plurality of callers; means for receiving and storing voice messages, each voice message corresponding to a particular one of said plurality of callers; means for linking each of said first signals with a corresponding one of said voice messages; means for transmitting said first signals to a user remote access device for assisting in the selective retrieval of at least one of said stored voice messages; means for transmitting to a user of said user remote access device at least one of said voice messages linked to a corresponding one of said first signals; and (b) a user remote access device, which comprises: means for receiving said first signals from said telephone answering device such that said first signals are available upon user demand; means for providing caller identities related to said first signals; means for displaying caller identities associated with said stored voice messages; user actuable preprogrammed means for automatically establishing communication with said telephone answering device by calling said telephone answering device and automatically transmitting a user code selection means associated with said displaying means for allowing selection of the displayed caller identities; and means for controlling said telephone answering device, said means for controlling being operatively connected with said selection means for transmitting a second signal to said telephone answering device to cause said telephone answering device to play back a selected stored voice message in response to the selection of a displayed caller identity.