364:
482:
434:. These devices answered incoming calls by playing a welcome message while discriminating fax calls (CNG-tone at 1100 Hz) from voice calls, storing an incoming fax, or a voice message, respectively. A computer was only necessary afterwards to retrieve the faxes, or for storing the voice messages. In case of a full storage the devices changed their welcome message to another, prerecorded message, played upon answering an incoming call, possibly explaining that a message cannot be taken at the present time.
40:
403:
313:
288:
494:
470:
506:
928:
380:. Any incoming call is not identifiable with respect to these properties in advance of going "off hook" by the terminal equipment. So after going off hook the calls must be switched to appropriate devices and only the voice-type is immediately accessible to a human, but perhaps, nevertheless should be routed to a TAD (e.g. after the caller has identified itself, or has been identified by a recognized
253:, the calling party should be informed about the call having been answered (in most cases this starts the charging), either by some remark of the operator, or by some greeting message of the TAD, or addressed to non-human callers (e.g. fax machines) by implementing an appropriate protocol over the landline. In some cases the
295:
Most modern answering machines have a system for greeting. The owner may record a message that will be played back to the caller, or an automatic message will be played if the owner does not record one. This holds especially for the TADs with digitally stored greeting messages or for earlier machines
344:
Many devices offer a "toll-saver" function for this purpose. Thereby the machine increases the number of rings after which it answers the call (typically by two, resulting in four rings), if no unread messages are currently stored, but answers after the set number of rings (usually two) if there are
167:
promoted a telephone answering machine in 1929 based on his
Blattnerphone magnetic recording technology. In 1935, inventor Benjamin Thornton developed a machine to record voice messages from the caller. The device reportedly also was able to keep track of the time the recordings were made. Although
202:
Answering machines became more widely used after the restructuring of AT&T in 1984, which was when the machines became affordable and sales reached one million units per year in the US. The first post-breakup device went by the trade name of DuoPhone and was sold by Tandy (Radio Shack). This
348:
Some machines also allow themselves to be remotely activated, if they have been switched off, by calling and letting the phone ring a certain large number of times (usually 10-15). Some service providers abandon calls already after a smaller number of rings, making remote activation impossible.
324:
On a dual-cassette answerphone, there is an outgoing cassette, which after the specified number of rings plays a pre-recorded message to the caller. Once the message is complete, the outgoing cassette stops and the incoming cassette starts recording the caller's message, and then stops when the
328:
Single-cassette answering machines contain the outgoing message at the beginning of the tape and incoming messages on the remaining space. They first play the announcement, then fast-forward to the next available space for recording, then record the caller's message. If there are many previous
278:
In case of voice-only environments any accepted call can be directly handed over to a TAD, which may be preemptively superseded by a human-operated handset, taking control by simply going off-hook itself, forcing the TAD (back) on-hook. Voice signals may simply be captured to and replayed from
303:
There have been answer-only devices with no recording capabilities, where the greeting message had to inform callers of a state of current unattainability, or e.g. about availability hours. In recording TADs the greeting usually contains an invitation to leave a message "after the beep".
329:
messages, fast-forwarding through them can cause a significant delay. This delay is taken care of by playing back a beep to the caller, when the TAD is ready to record. This beep is often referred to in the greeting message, requesting that the caller leave a message "after the beep".
239:
There are two possibilities for answering an incoming call: (1) waiting arbitrarily long for operator intervention, or (2) automatically answering after a specified number of rings in a certain state of the TAD (e.g. "toll saving" below). This is useful if the owner is
218:
James P. Mitchell displayed a working prototype of a digital outgoing message with a taped incoming system at an Iowa State
University VEISHEA engineering openhouse in April 1982. This system won a gold award from the Engineering department. In 1983,
182:
created by inventor Joseph
Zimmerman and businessman George W. Danner, who founded Electronic Secretary Industries in Wisconsin. The Electronic Secretary used the then state-of-the-art technology of a 45 rpm record player for announcements and a
340:
A TAD may offer a remote control facility, whereby the answerphone owner can ring the home number and, by entering a code on the remote telephone's keypad, can listen to recorded messages, or delete them, even when away from home.
106:
When a telephone rings a set number of times predetermined by the call's recipient the answering machine will activate and play either a generic announcement or a customized greeting created by the recipient. Unlike
151:, where he developed methods for magnetic recording and worked on the recognition of speech patterns and electromechanical switching systems. In 1934, he developed a tape-based answering machine which phone company
158:
Many claim the answering machine was invented by
William Muller in 1935, but it may already have been created in 1931 by William Schergens whose device used phonographic cylinders. Schergens' device is featured in
345:
unread messages. This allows the owner to find out whether there are messages waiting; if there are none, the owner can hang up the phone on the, e.g., third ring without incurring a call charge.
570:
410:
Besides these solutions, mostly requiring a constantly running computer, since a wake-on-ring function then (~1995) started to take too much time to boot up an operating system, a few so-called
168:
many sources maintain that he invented it in 1935, Thornton had actually filed a patent in 1930 (Number 1831331) for this machine, which utilized a phonographic record as the recording medium.
279:
analogue media (mostly tapes), but later TADs shifted to digital storage, with all of its convenience for compression and handling, for both the greeting and for the recorded messages.
187:
for message capture and playback. Electronic
Secretary Industries was purchased in 1957 by General Telephone and Electronics. Another commercially successful answering machine was the
227:
architecture with US Patent 4,616,110. The first digital answering machine brought to the market was AT&T's Model 1337 in 1990; an activity led by Trey Weaver. Mr. Hashimoto sued
391:
the automated answering of voice calls by a computer went live via specific software, like e.g. TalkWorks. These systems allowed for quite elaborate voice box systems, navigated via
175:, offered in the United States in 1949, played outgoing messages and recorded incoming messages on a magnetic wire. It was priced at $ 200 but was not a commercial success.
543:
203:
device and its successors were designed by Sava
Jacobson, an electrical engineer with a private consulting business. While early answering machines used
577:
815:
199:. This company began selling the first answering machines in the US in 1960. Another early model known as the Code-a-Phone was introduced in 1966.
395:, allowing a computer on a (single) telephony line to sound like a professional telephony system with hierarchical fax and message boxes with an
376:
This refers to analogue sites, which support voice, fax and data transmission via landlines by adhering to specific protocols established by the
532:
Citing: The
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009.
360:
is not apt to convey appropriate signalling along an active connection, and the dual-tone multi-frequency signalling was implemented stepwise.
143:
invented in 1898. The creation of the first practical automatic answering device for telephones, however, is in dispute. Starting in 1930,
155:, as the owner of Bell Laboratories, kept under wraps for years for fear that an answering machine would result in fewer telephone calls.
964:
399:, where a caller might deposit his messages, leave his faxes behind, might listen to specific messages, or start a fax-back service.
895:
744:
865:
111:, an answering machine is placed at the user's premises alongside—or incorporated within—the user's landline telephone, and unlike
840:
939:
670:
932:
392:
353:
33:
615:
228:
211:
memory storage; some devices use a combination of both, with a solid-state circuit for the outgoing message and a
356:(dual-tone multi-frequency signalling) was regionally required for remote control, since the formerly employed
231:
but quickly dropped the suit because the AT&T architecture was significantly different from his patent.
160:
801:
460:
396:
443:
705:
510:
17:
779:
896:
https://news.engineering.iastate.edu/2016/04/21/veishea-project-could-be-first-answering-machine/
745:
https://recordinghistory.org/technology/answering-machines/atts-first-official-answering-machine/
448:
120:
80:
717:
638:
300:) with a special endless loop tape, separate from a second cassette, dedicated to recording.
8:
873:
969:
604:
474:
363:
332:
TADs with digital storage for the recorded messages do not show this delay, of course.
254:
136:
112:
673:
New York Times, 10 October 1929, reprinted 11 October 2004, retrieved 7 November 2014.
646:
611:
529:
498:
486:
148:
406:
MicroLink Office, a voice-fax-data modem with standalone voice/fax box functionality
291:
An endless-loop outgoing message tape used in dual-cassette-based answering machines
367:
A General
Electric corded telephone with a built-in microcassette answering machine
212:
208:
144:
140:
48:
949:
419:
220:
192:
164:
270:
deliberately, because of some specific signalling, or because of some time out.
357:
241:
124:
76:
907:
698:
683:
547:
958:
650:
402:
317:
297:
258:
204:
184:
39:
103:), is used for answering telephone calls and recording callers' messages.
944:
312:
866:"Sava Jacobson, Inventor of the Modern Answering Machine, Dies at Age 87"
706:
Apparatus for automatically recording telephonic messages: Figure 1, etc.
119:
become less important due to the shift to cell phone technology, and as
415:
92:
699:
Apparatus for automatically recording telephonic messages:US 1831331 A
287:
453:
388:
381:
178:
In 1949, the first commercially successful answering machine was the
108:
44:
908:"Patent US4616110 – Automatic digital telephone answering apparatus"
894:
Mitchell's Iowa State
University Digital Outgoing Answering System:
757:
671:
1929:Answering
Machine : IN OUR PAGES:100, 75 AND 50 YEARS AGO
469:
387:
Starting with the integration of faxing devices into computers via
249:
116:
493:
266:
152:
927:
755:
377:
606:
The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires
571:"Clarence Hickman And Charles Stoddard Papers, 1886–1999"
264:
Similarly, the called equipment can end a call by going
950:
Samples of common answering machine outgoing messages
458:
352:
In the early days of TADs a special transmitter for
945:Novelty Greetings for Telephone Answering Machines
603:
956:
816:"The History of the Telephone Answering Machine"
257:answering a call just sends a slightly modified
261:to the caller, while processing the protocol.
841:"The Answering Machine Industry Since Edison"
244:and does not wish to speak with all callers.
234:
782:. Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
734:David L. Danner, IDEAMATICS, In., McLean, VA
544:"A d v e n t u r e s in C y b e r s o u n d"
135:Most 20th-century answering machines used
115:, the caller does not talk to a human. As
530:TheFreeDictionary > answering machine
401:
362:
311:
286:
51:tape drive to record and replay messages
38:
541:
273:
207:technology, most modern equipment uses
195:, who was employed by a company called
14:
957:
780:"The History of... Answering Machines"
756:Electronic Tele-Communications, Inc.
749:
631:
371:
307:
171:A commercial answering machine, the
772:
568:
393:dual-tone multi-frequency signaling
282:
24:
34:Answering machine (disambiguation)
25:
981:
965:Audiovisual introductions in 1949
921:
335:
316:An answering machine that uses a
926:
743:The History Of Sound Recording,
504:
492:
480:
468:
900:
888:
858:
833:
808:
794:
737:
728:
645:. Hearst Magazines. July 1931.
710:
689:
676:
664:
601:
595:
562:
535:
523:
47:answering machine with a dual
13:
1:
940:Related articles on a diagram
802:"Telephone Answering Machine"
517:
7:
682:Chamberlain, Gaius (2012).
437:
215:for the incoming messages.
161:Behind the Mask (1932 film)
69:telephone messaging machine
10:
986:
428:56K Message Modem External
397:automatic call distributor
235:Answering and ending calls
130:
97:telephone answering device
31:
27:Telephone answering device
444:Business telephone system
414:were available from e.g.
225:digital answering machine
247:In any case after going
223:received a patent for a
191:created by inventor Dr.
449:Call-recording hardware
718:"Robot Takes Messages"
569:Clemons, Elizabeth G.
542:Dr Naughton, Russell.
407:
368:
321:
292:
127:of TADs is shrinking.
121:unified communications
81:Commonwealth countries
52:
935:at Wikimedia Commons
424:Sportster MessagePlus
405:
366:
315:
290:
42:
296:(before the rise of
274:Pure voice operation
180:Electronic Secretary
32:For other uses, see
758:"Corporate History"
686:. blackinventor.com
639:"Popular Mechanics"
933:Answering machines
408:
372:Combined operation
369:
322:
320:to record messages
308:Recording messages
293:
255:terminal equipment
137:magnetic recording
113:operator messaging
53:
931:Media related to
845:Recording History
820:Recording History
684:Benjamin Thornton
643:Popular Mechanics
610:. Vintage Books.
511:Telecommunication
325:caller hangs up.
149:Bell Laboratories
57:answering machine
16:(Redirected from
977:
930:
916:
915:
904:
898:
892:
886:
885:
883:
881:
872:. Archived from
862:
856:
855:
853:
851:
837:
831:
830:
828:
826:
812:
806:
805:
798:
792:
791:
789:
787:
776:
770:
769:
767:
765:
753:
747:
741:
735:
732:
726:
725:
714:
708:
693:
687:
680:
674:
668:
662:
661:
659:
657:
635:
629:
628:
626:
624:
609:
599:
593:
592:
590:
588:
582:
576:. Archived from
575:
566:
560:
559:
557:
555:
546:. Archived from
539:
533:
527:
509:
508:
507:
497:
496:
485:
484:
483:
473:
472:
464:
432:MicroLink Office
283:Greeting message
145:Clarence Hickman
141:Valdemar Poulsen
67:, also known as
49:compact cassette
21:
985:
984:
980:
979:
978:
976:
975:
974:
955:
954:
924:
919:
906:
905:
901:
893:
889:
879:
877:
876:on 5 April 2014
864:
863:
859:
849:
847:
839:
838:
834:
824:
822:
814:
813:
809:
800:
799:
795:
785:
783:
778:
777:
773:
763:
761:
754:
750:
742:
738:
733:
729:
722:Popular Science
716:
715:
711:
694:
690:
681:
677:
669:
665:
655:
653:
637:
636:
632:
622:
620:
618:
600:
596:
586:
584:
583:on 29 July 2016
580:
573:
567:
563:
553:
551:
550:on 2 March 2004
540:
536:
528:
524:
520:
515:
505:
503:
491:
481:
479:
467:
459:
440:
420:ELSA Technology
374:
338:
310:
285:
276:
242:screening calls
237:
221:Kazuo Hashimoto
193:Kazuo Hashimoto
165:Ludwig Blattner
133:
65:message machine
37:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
983:
973:
972:
967:
953:
952:
947:
942:
923:
922:External links
920:
918:
917:
899:
887:
857:
832:
807:
793:
771:
748:
736:
727:
709:
688:
675:
663:
630:
616:
594:
561:
534:
521:
519:
516:
514:
513:
501:
489:
477:
457:
456:
451:
446:
439:
436:
373:
370:
358:pulse dialling
337:
336:Remote control
334:
309:
306:
298:microcassettes
284:
281:
275:
272:
236:
233:
132:
129:
125:installed base
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
982:
971:
968:
966:
963:
962:
960:
951:
948:
946:
943:
941:
938:
937:
936:
934:
929:
913:
909:
903:
897:
891:
875:
871:
867:
861:
846:
842:
836:
821:
817:
811:
803:
797:
781:
775:
759:
752:
746:
740:
731:
723:
719:
713:
707:
704:
700:
697:
692:
685:
679:
672:
667:
652:
648:
644:
640:
634:
619:
617:9780307269935
613:
608:
607:
598:
579:
572:
565:
549:
545:
538:
531:
526:
522:
512:
502:
500:
495:
490:
488:
478:
476:
471:
466:
465:
462:
455:
452:
450:
447:
445:
442:
441:
435:
433:
429:
425:
421:
417:
413:
404:
400:
398:
394:
390:
385:
383:
379:
365:
361:
359:
355:
350:
346:
342:
333:
330:
326:
319:
318:microcassette
314:
305:
301:
299:
289:
280:
271:
269:
268:
262:
260:
259:ringback tone
256:
252:
251:
245:
243:
232:
230:
226:
222:
216:
214:
210:
206:
205:magnetic tape
200:
198:
194:
190:
186:
185:wire recorder
181:
176:
174:
169:
166:
162:
156:
154:
150:
146:
142:
138:
128:
126:
122:
118:
114:
110:
104:
102:
98:
94:
90:
86:
82:
78:
74:
70:
66:
62:
58:
50:
46:
41:
35:
30:
19:
925:
911:
902:
890:
878:. Retrieved
874:the original
869:
860:
848:. Retrieved
844:
835:
823:. Retrieved
819:
810:
796:
784:. Retrieved
774:
762:. Retrieved
751:
739:
730:
721:
712:
702:
695:
691:
678:
666:
654:. Retrieved
642:
633:
621:. Retrieved
605:
597:
585:. Retrieved
578:the original
564:
552:. Retrieved
548:the original
537:
525:
431:
427:
423:
411:
409:
386:
375:
351:
347:
343:
339:
331:
327:
323:
302:
294:
277:
265:
263:
248:
246:
238:
224:
217:
201:
196:
188:
179:
177:
172:
170:
157:
134:
123:evolve, the
105:
100:
96:
88:
84:
72:
68:
64:
60:
56:
54:
29:
760:. etcia.com
724:. May 1949.
475:Electronics
209:solid state
147:worked for
61:answerphone
959:Categories
912:google.com
764:24 January
656:24 January
518:References
499:Technology
487:Telephones
430:, and the
416:USRobotics
412:selfmodems
389:Fax modems
354:DTMF tones
173:Tel-Magnet
93:trade name
970:Telephony
651:0032-4558
623:13 August
602:Wu, Tim.
587:13 August
454:Voicemail
382:caller ID
117:landlines
109:voicemail
85:ansaphone
79:and some
75:) in the
45:Panasonic
438:See also
250:off-hook
229:AT&T
213:cassette
197:Phonetel
189:Ansafone
153:AT&T
139:, which
91:(from a
89:ansafone
18:Ansafone
880:18 June
850:6 March
825:6 March
461:Portals
267:on-hook
131:History
786:27 May
649:
614:
554:27 May
426:, the
422:: the
95:), or
870:PRWeb
581:(PDF)
574:(PDF)
378:ITU-T
63:, or
882:2019
852:2016
827:2016
788:2014
766:2016
658:2016
647:ISSN
625:2015
612:ISBN
589:2015
556:2014
71:(or
703:and
701:.
696:see
418:or
384:).
101:TAD
87:or
73:TAM
55:An
961::
910:.
868:.
843:.
818:.
720:.
641:.
163:.
83:,
77:UK
59:,
43:A
914:.
884:.
854:.
829:.
804:.
790:.
768:.
660:.
627:.
591:.
558:.
463::
99:(
36:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
