Telephone answering and recording apparatus with a single amplifier circuit

Claim 1

IN A TELEPHONE ANSWERING DEVICE OF THE TYPE HAVING AN ANNOUNCEMENT STORE AND A MESSAGE STORE, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING EACH RELATIVE THEIR RESPECTIVE TRANSDUCERS FOR DELIVERING A RECORD ANNOUNCEMENT IN RESPONSE TO AN INCOMING CALL AND RECORDING THE MASSAGE IN RESPONSE THERETO FROM THE CALLING PARTY, THE IMPROVEMENT THEREIN COMPRISING: MEANS RESPONSIVE TO AN INCOMING CALL FOR ESTABLISHING A D.C. HOLDING CIRCUIT FOR THE TELEPHONE LINE; AN AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO AN INCOMING CALL FOR DRIVING SAID ANNOUNCEMENT STORE ANDD COUPLING SAID AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT IN READOUT RELATION BETWEEN SAID LINE AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT STORE TRANSDUCER; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE COMPLETION OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT CYCLE FOR DEACTIVATING SAID ANNOUNCEMENT STORE DRIVING MEANS, ACTIVATING THE MESSAGE STORE DRIVING MEANS AND COUPLING SAID AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT IN RECORDING RELATION BETWEEN SAID LINE AND THE MESSAGE STORE TRANSDUCER FOR APREDETERMINED TIME; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A PREDETERMINED SIGNAL OVER SAID LINE FOR ACTIVATING THE MESSAGE STORE DRIVING MEANS, COUPLING SAID AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT IN READOUT RELATION BETWEEN SAID LINE AND THE MESSAGE STORE TRANSDUCER, FOR RECYCLING SAID MESSAGE STORE FROM THE BEGINNING AND FOR NEGATIVING SAID PREDETERMINED TIME EFFECT AND ALLOWING SAID MESSAGE STORE RECYCLE INDEPENDENT THEREOF; AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A PREDETERMINED CONDITION OF SAID MESSAGE STORE DURING THE RECYCLE FOR RELEASING SAID LINE AND RETURNING SAID TELEPHONE ANSWERING DEVICE TO ITS CONDITION BEFORE THE RECEPTION OF THE INCOMING CALL.