Abstract: A telephone answering system that includes a system for accurately and rapidly recording one or more copies of all important and necessary operational data onto a message storage means such as a cassette or tape unit that forms part of a telephone answering system. The system also includes a mechanism for recovering the recorded data after power has been restored to the system following interruption of power and loss of the recorded data from the answering system's memory.

Abstract: A system for automatically storing one or more pauses in a device for memorizing a dialing sequence such as a telephone number includes a device for instantaneously detecting the appearance, persistence and interruption of a substantially continuous signal on a line such as a telephone line in a time period shorter than a human listener requires to perceive this signal and dial one number of the sequence; a device for detecting engagement of a key for generating, on the telephone line, a signal representing at least one member of the dialing sequence; a device for delaying generation of the signal associated with the engaged key to test for persistence or interruption of the substantially continuous signal on the telephone line in a time period substantially imperceptible to the human listener; and a device for memorizing each member of the dialing sequence at its correct position in the sequence with a pause automatically stored before any member if the substantially continuous signal persisted on the teleph

Abstract: Digital apparatus for storing and playing out a recorded announcement selectively over a plurality of telephone lines. The announcement is stored in a memory array, and for each telephone line there is an independently controllable pointer which tracks through the array to read out the announcement. With closely successively received telephone calls, playing out of the announcement over each line does not require the completion of such playing out over any other line.