Abstract: A central dictation system including a plurality of remote dictate stations, a plurality of record/reproduce stations and a plurality of transcribing stations operatively connected to respective ones of the record/reproduce stations. Any one of the remote dictate stations is capable of communicating with any one of the record/reproduce stations so as to execute a dictate and/or playback operation. When a record/reproduce station is communicating with a dictate station, the remaining dictate stations are prevented from gaining access to that communicating record/reproduce station. A transcribing operation can be performed substantially independent of the dictate and/or playback operation. Code recording apparatus is provided to automatically record a predetermined code signal at the conclusion of each dictated message. This recorded code signal prevents the recorded message from being reviewed or erased by the subsequent use of a remote dictate station.

Abstract: A central dictation system including a plurality of remote dictate stations and a plurality of record/reproduce stations. Any one of the remote dictate stations is capable of communicating with any one of the record/reproduce stations so as to execute a dictation operation. When a record/reproduce station is communicating with a dictate station, the remaining dictate stations are prevented from gaining access to that communicating record/reproduce station. Various operating functions at the record/reproduce station are controlled from the remote dictate station by the transmission of constant currents having predetermined magnitudes representing the particular functions to be performed. The constant currents received at the record/reproduce station are decoded into predetermined control signals whereby functions such as dictate, rewind, stop, playback, fast forward and transfer can be attained.

Abstract: A power supply apparatus having minimal power dissipation for supplying a substantially constant voltage regardless of the variation of an input voltage. A transformer having primary and secondary windings is provided to receive an input voltage and to produce an output voltage from which the substantially constant voltage is derived. The turns ratio of the transformer is varied in response to variations in the amplitude of the input voltage which exceed a predetermined range such that the turns ratio is reduced when the input voltage is increased and the turns ratio is increased when the input voltage is reduced. In one embodiment of this invention, when the supplied substantially constant voltage exhibits variations of greater than predetermined magnitude, an audio signal processing circuit which is powered by the substantially constant voltage is substantially disabled.

Abstract: A central dictation system including a plurality of remote dictate stations, a plurality of record/reproduce stations and a plurality of transcribing stations operatively connected to respective ones of the record/reproduce stations. Any one of the remote dictate stations is capable of communicating with any one of the record/reproduce stations so as to execute a dictate and/or playback operation. A transcribing operation is capable of being performed substantially independent of the dictate and/or playback operation and, therefore, may be performed simultaneously therewith. Apparatus is provided for each record/reproduce station to provide an indication of the cumulative amount of record medium upon which dictated information has been recorded which is awaiting transcription. This indication is affected in a first direction when dictation proceeds and is affected in a opposite direction when the dictated information is transcribed.