Abstract: A non-KSU message delivery system enables any station within the non-KSU system to automatically answer incoming calls and prevents more than one station from automatically answering the incoming calls. The non-KSU system allows for distributed recording of voice messages and allows transferred calls to be answered by a specific station's voice mail. The non-KSU system also stores an incoming caller's calling party identification information at a station if the incoming call is either manually or automatically answered by the particular station.

Abstract: An integrated cordless telephone and telephone answering device allows a user to selectively replay messages previously recorded on the telephone answering device either through a loudspeaker or through an earpiece, both of which are provided in the cordless handset, as well as locally at the telephone answering device. The loudspeaker is the same loudspeaker that is used when the cordless handset is in a speakerphone mode. When a user wishes to initiate message retrieval through the cordless handset, a PLAY key is pressed which automatically supplies the audio signal to the loudspeaker. If the user then wishes to listen to messages through the earpiece in the cordless handset, a MODE key is pressed which supplies the audio signal to the earpiece.

Abstract: A system of telephone answering devices includes a master telephone answering device (MTAD) and at least one (and often a plurality) of extension telephone answering devices (ETADs). If a telephone call is answered by someone, others nearby may be paged through the ETADs from any telephone. The ETADs can be temporarily disarmed so that they do not respond to tone codes that might otherwise activate them. When activated, the ETADs transmit back to the caller noticeably different ringback signals to indicate that the activated ETAD is responding to the caller's commands. For telephone utilities offering a distinctive ring service, the ETADs may respond to distinctive rings corresponding to the ETADs by usurping the function of and disabling the MTAD and by subsequently answering the telephone call.

Abstract: A cordless telephone has an improved mechanism for scanning and selecting channels by adapting to the channel usage patterns of the local environment having a plurality of channels available for usage. A prioritized list of channels having the highest probability of being interference free is produced. The channels are prescanned during idle time, so quick acquisition of an available channel is possible. Accordingly to another feature, a scan subset comprising a first group of clear channels is selected upon system powerup. The available channels are scanned during the idle time to select a preferred channel subset which comprises channels which are the most interference free. A channel or channels within the preferred channel subset which experience no or little interference over an extended period of time then is assigned to a clear channel subset. The clear channel subset includes fewer channels than the preferred channel subset. Communication is carried out over a channel in the clear channel subset.

Abstract: A disconnect module for a system of telephone answering devices (TADs) sharing the same telephone line. The disconnect module is connected between the telephone line and a main telephone answering device (MTAD) which initially responds to incoming telephone calls by answering the incoming call. Extension telephone answering devices (ETADs) are selectively activated by caller-initiated DTMF tone codes. When one of the ETADs is activated, the disconnect module breaks the connection between the MTAD and the telephone line. The disconnect module maintains the broken connection until the ETAD finishes its call-answering cycle, or until the caller hangs up. When the MTAD can no longer interfere with the ETAD's reception of the call, the connection between the telephone line and the MTAD may be re-established so that the MTAD can answer the next incoming telephone call. The disconnect module is powered by the telephone line or may be incorporated into the MTAD.

Abstract: A cordless telephone has an improved mechanism for scanning and selecting channels by adapting to the channel usage patterns of the local environment in which it is placed. This results in a prioritized list of channels that have the highest probability of being available, free from interference. By prescanning the channels during the idle time of the cordless telephone, power usage of the handset is minimized and quick acquisition of an available channel becomes possible.