Abstract: A retainer for holding a circuit board between spaced surfaces comprises a plurality of wedge-shaped members slideably mounted end-to-end on a rod. At least one member is designed and constructed to receive and retain the rod. In a preferred embodiment, the one member includes a pair of opposing walls defining a longitudinal entrance through which the rod is inserted. The opposing walls are constructed to permit movement of the rod through the longitudinal entrance only when a force in a proper direction above a predetermined threshold is applied to the rod.

Abstract: An assembly for mounting a circuit board between spaced surfaces is disclosed. The assembly includes a housing and a circuit board retainer including a protrusion. The housing is designed and constructed to receive and retain a fully assembled circuit board retainer. The housing includes at least one pair of channel walls defining a channel for receiving an end of the protrusion. The channel walls are constructed to permit movement of the protrusion into and out of the housing when a force in a proper direction above a predetermined threshold is applied to the protrusion.

Abstract: An injector/extractor for circuit boards is disclosed. The device includes a slideably engagable locking member adapted to engage a locking pin mounted on a circuit board to prevent accidental release of a circuit board from a chassis.

Abstract: A telephone answering machine which records and displays the date and time of each recorded incoming message and, if required, displays the duration of each message. The telephone answering machine is microcomputer controlled, and when a call is received, the random access memory of the microcomputer stores a number equivalent to the time and date on which the telephone line was seized. The telephone answering machine then records the call in normal manner. At the end of the call, a second number representing the time at which the call terminated may also be stored in the random access memory. At that time, the microcomputer causes the message tape to rewind to a point past the beginning of the recorded message and causes the data and time at which the message was received to be recorded on a blank portion of the tape just before the beginning of the message. The microcomputer then causes the tape to move forward to the end of the message in preparation for taking the next call.

Abstract: A message playback control system for a telephone answering machine of the type in which a user, in order to recover his messages, by operation of a manually operated local switch, causes the message tape in the machine to rewind to a particular position, and then causes the message tape to move in the forward direction and play back the messages recorded on the tape, and then automatically causes the message tape to stop when all the messages have been played back. In the system of the present invention, provision is made so that if the local switch is subsequently operated further control operations may be effectuated.

Abstract: An automatic microcomputer controlled telephone answering machine which uses a single magnetic tape for both the outgoing message (OGM) and the incoming messages (ICM). The OGM is pre-recorded on the tape near the origin position of the tape. Then, whenever an incoming telephone call is received, the machine is first set to a playback mode and the OGM is sent to the calling party over the telephone line. The tape is then advanced at high speed past any previously recorded ICM's to the first vacant location on the tape. The ICM from the caller is then recorded at that location. When the call is completed, the machine rewinds the tape back to the origin position and awaits the next call. The tape includes a data section at the origin position which precedes the start of the OGM.

Abstract: A non-destruct data storage system in a telephone answering machine, by which certain data is modulated on the beep tones which are recorded on the magnetic message tape and/or on the magnetic announcement tape so that the data may be maintained in the event of a power failure, or for other purposes.

Abstract: A telephone answering system which includes an announcement tape (T-1) on which an announcement is recorded to be transmitted over the telephone line to a calling party upon the receipt of an incoming telephone call, and which also includes a message tape (T-2) on which a message from the calling party may be recorded. The telephone answering system has the capability of storing one or more messages on the announcement tape (T-1) in addition to the announcement, which are intended to be forwarded to one or more persons. The additional messages may be recorded from a remote location at preselected positions on the announcement tape (T-1) when a person transmits the proper access code over the telephone line, and then records one or more messages at one or more positions on the announcement tape. Each of the various persons to whom the different messages are to be forwarded may recover his particular message from a remote location over the telephone line.

Abstract: A cordless telephone system in which the incoming ring signals and audio signals transmitted from the base station to the remote station are digitized and encoded in accordance with a pseudo random code, and the outgoing dial pulses and speech signals transmitted from the remote station to the base station are also digitized and encoded by a pseudo random code, so as to avoid unwanted operation of neighboring cordless telephone system and also to preclude eavesdropping of phone conversations. Multiple channels may be used between the base station and the remote station to avoid nulls in the communication.

Abstract: A message playback control system for a telephone answering machine of the type in which a user, in order to recover his messages, by operation of a manually operated local switch, causes the message tape in the machine to rewind to a particular position, and then causes the message tape to move in the forward direction and play back the messages recorded on the tape. The control system of the invention automatically causes the message tape to stop when all the messages have been played back, and then returns the machine to the automatic answer condition ready to answer the next telephone call.

Abstract: A circuit and system is provided in a telephone answering system and which responds to direct current voltage differentials on the telephone line, independent of the actual direct current voltage level, to cause the telephone answering system to return immediately to its automatic answer position in the event the called party picks up his telephone, during the announcement interval (T1), or during the message recording interval (T2). This feature permits the telephone answering system immediately to return to its original condition in the presence of either of the two foregoing events, without wasting magnetic tape on blank messages, and without the calling party having to wait until the system goes through its entire (T1) and/or (T2) cycles in the event the called party picks up after the telephone answering instrument has answered a call.