Abstract: A VCR control system using a computer, wherein a list of all programs which were recorded in accordance with an individual program table within a predetermined period of time during a user's absence is displayed once on a display. If a user has no time to play back all the recorded programs in the order of the individual program table after he returns to his home, the order of playback can be specified or changed. This makes it possible for the user to watch the programs within a given period of time in the specified order by rewinding or fast forwarding the VCR according to that order.

Abstract: In response to a first outgoing message from a telephone answering device in an original language, such as English, if a calling party from a country speaks in doubt or he cannot answer it quickly, his voice is analyzed to determine what language it is in order to send him a second outgoing message in his own language, or else a second outgoing message in the original language is sent out promptly to prevet the calling party from hanging up. The foreign calling party thus can understand the second outgoing message and leave his message on an incoming message tape. It is possible to use the present invention not only in a telephone answering device, but also in a general banking system or in question and answer telephone equipment.

Abstract: An automatic telephone answering and recording device, wherein if an incoming call is received when an incoming message tape is full or an owner fails to set the telephone answering device to an automatic answering mode prior to leaving, the telephone line is nevertheless engaged to operate the telephone answering device. Then an outgoing message for answering only, such as "Please call back later", is generated by a voice synthesizer and sent out to a calling party, so that the calling party can understand the situation and know what to do.

Abstract: As an alternate to two separate video tape recorders are operated to perform dubbing or the like, the present invention provides a double video cassette tape recorder for dubbing, wherein one of two video tapes is inserted at an upper position and another tape at a lower position in the same or separate cassette by front loading, and the two tapes can be separately or simultaneously driven to record and play back using a common capstan and cylinder heads for each tape in the limited space of housing. The double video cassette tape recorder for dubbing according to the present invention does not take up space for installation, and the inside mechanism can be used commonly to conventional VCR to save cost.

Abstract: Telephone terminal equipment has circuitry for preventing malicious and nuisance transmission of information by detecting during reception of an incoming call whether or not any person is present around the equipment. Information from a calling party is received without any limit when no person is around the equipment. An owner can remotely operate the equipment to set the limited number of paper or to release the limit for receiving information as he desires.

Abstract: A sheet cutter apparatus includes circuitry for detecting when the blades of the cutter are in an "open" position with their cutting edges separted from each other, and a timer that is initiated when the blades are first opened. If the blades remain open for an excessive period of time, determined by the timer, a warning alarm is generated to remind personnel to close the blades, so that no injuries to fingers, etc., will occur.

Abstract: In a telephone answering device, artificial intelligence sends an outgoing message to the caller upon receipt of an incoming call. When the caller responds, the artificial intelligence determines whether the caller's voice is registered with the device, and if so, particular messages are played to the caller. If the caller's voice is not registered, the caller is notified by the device, and he may receive his specific message by sending a touch tone code (e.g., telephone number) from his telephone.

Abstract: A telephone answering device having an immediate playback function, wherein incoming messages from calling parties are successively recorded on an incoming message tape after sending of an outgoing message, and the recorded incoming messages can be successively played back immediately from the beginning of the incoming message tape, without rewinding, when a user operates the device manually or by remote control.

Abstract: A telephone answering device having immediate playback function, wherein incoming messages from calling parties are successively recorded after sending of an outgoing message, and the recorded incoming messages can be successively played back immediately from a beginning position of an incoming message tape without rewinding when a user operates the device manually or remotely to save time for the user.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic telephone answering device with an automatic switching mechanism for switching between an automatic answering mode and a two-way conversation recording mode. When a telephone is put into an off-hook condition for a direct conversation with a calling party while the automatic answering mode is in a standby condition or in operation, such an off-hook condition is detected by a current detector and the conversation is recorded on a recording tape without any limitation of time. When the telephone is put into an on-hook condition during the recording of the conversation, the current detector or a voice signal detector is operated to stop the recording operation, and then the device is automatically brought into a standby condition for the next call.

Abstract: An automatic telephone answering device has a timer energized when the device is set in a mode other than an automatic standby mode. A time-out output from the timer upon elapse of a preset timer's time and an output corresponding to a ringing signal are supplied to an AND gate. The device is controlled to automatically make an engaging loop circuit in response to an output from the AND gate and works as a telephone answering device to answer a call.

Abstract: In an automatic telephone answering and recording device which detects a pause between words during recording the outgoing message tape to identify the end of the outgoing message and switch the incoming message tape T-2 to record an incoming message, if there is a pause that occurs within a couple of seconds from the start of the tape during recording of the outgoing message, the incoming message tape T- 2 is not switched on. However, if there is a pause after a couple of seconds from the start, the incoming message tape T-2 is turned on to record an incoming message. This makes it possible for a general user to record the outgoing message through a microphone or from a distant location without concern that any inadvertent hesitation in the outgoing message will turn on the incoming message tape T-2 early.

Abstract: An automatic telephone answering device having a conversation recording function has at least one tape cassette operative in a telephone answering mode to reproduce an outgoing message to a calling party and to record incoming messages in a standard manner, in response to an incoming call when the cassette is in a first position in the device. When the cassette is removed from the device, inverted reinserted so that the cassette is in a second position, the device is automatically operative in a conversation recording mode to record conversations between the calling and called parties. If more than a predetermined period of time elapses between the end of a conversation and the start of the next conversation or turning over of the cassette to provide a standby mode, an alarm is triggered.

Abstract: An automatic telephone answering/recording device that is capable of storing messages sent from unspecified callers in a digital form and enabling an owner of the device to listen to the stored message quickly. The caller's messages are recorded in separate channels. Thereafter, in response to a first remote control signal sent by the owner from a remote place, each of the messages is reproduced in the order of reception, channel by channel. At this time, upon elapse of a blank portion produced following each reproduced message, a subsequent message is reproduced. Simultaneously, in response to a second remote control signal, unnecessary messages are specified and erased, and necessary messages to be stored are transferred to locations at which the erased messages were stored.

Abstract: A telephone answering system with paging function is adapted to transmit a prerecorded outgoing message to a calling party through a closed loop of telephone lines established upon reception or a telephone calling signal, and record an incoming message from the calling party after the outgoing message is transmitted. The system operates to receive a signal representative of the caller's telephone number sent from the calling party through the telephone lines to store the same signal in a memory, and then automatically and temporarily release the closed loop, and thereafter reestablish the closed loop for calling a preset telephone number of a paging center. Further, the system transmits the stored signal representing the caller's telephone number to the paging center through the telephone lines upon reception of an answer from the center.

Abstract: An automatic telephone answering/recording apparatus and a method of operating the same are provided. The apparatus has three operation buttons consisting of an outgoing message tape operation button, an automatic telephone answering/recording aspparatus operation button, and an incoming message tape operation button. When the apparatus operation buton is depressed, the automatic telephone answering/recording apparatus is set in the answering/recording standby mode. An outgoing message tape can be set in the play, stop, rewind, or fast forward mode in accordance with the number of times of depressions of the outgoing message tape operation button. Similarly, an incoming message tape can be set in the play, stop, rewind, or fast forward mode in accordance with the number of times of depressions of the incoming message tape operation button.

Abstract: In a pocket size portable sound recorder, a special pushbutton swith is provided, and pulses are generated according to the number of operations of the pushbutton switch and are applied to a counter as upcount inputs. Also provided is a timer in which a pulse is generated whenever a specified time elapses after depression of the push button switch, and the pulse output is applied to the counter as a downcount input. Since the counter output is applied to the operation control circuit of the recorder, after the pushbutton switch is depressed, the recorder action will be carried out for a predetermined time period until the count value of the counter becomes zero. Also when the counter counts down to a predetermined value a flickering light is generated to indicate that the predetermined time is about to expire. If the special pushbutton is continuously depressed the counter is automatically reset to zero.

Abstract: An easily operable automatic telephone answering/recording apparatus adapted to operate in response to depression of first, second and third buttons and the number of times of depression. The apparatus is so operated that the outgoing message is recordable and the recorded outgoing message is reproduced and thereafter the apparatus is set in the standby mode when the first operation button is depressed, and that the incoming message is selectively saved in accordance with whether or not the second operation button is depressed, and that reproduction of the incoming message, rewind operation of an incoming message storage medium and fast-forward operation of the same medium are selectively effected when the third operation button is depressed by corresponding numbers of times, and that the incoming message storage medium is stopped when the third operation button is depressed during the reproduction, rewind, or fast-forward operation regarding the same medium.

Abstract: A telephone connecting adapter connects one of a different terminal equipment alternately to a common telephone line upon every incoming call. If a calling party finds that the engaging equipment as a result of his call is not the desired one, the adapter connects a different terminal equipment to the telephone line upon next call. This makes it possible to shorten the access time for the desired equipment using same telephone line.

Abstract: A message exchange device for communication between a manager and particular persons, which is adapted to enable a particular person to listen to a particular message directed to a particular caller and recorded on an associated channel of a multi-channel recording medium, by sending a caller-representative coded signal assigned to him, and then stores that the particular message has been transmitted.