Combined answerphone-facsimile machine for telephone lines - has central processor unit monitoring answerphone emergency battery state printing facsimile message and LED indicator for alerting user to non-availability or loss of message

摘要

The answering and facsimile machine are in parallel across an incoming line. A central processor unit (13) with digital signal processing controls both units. The answering machine has a back-up battery (17), which ensures that the digitally stored outgoing message (OGM) is retained after a loss of mains input. The state of this battery is monitored (16), and if it is below a threshold level, indicating end of life, the logic circuit sets an LED indicator (18) on the answer-phone to reset the battery. A message is also printed on the facsimile print output "facsimile message erased". If a loss of mains voltage is experienced, the logic operates to reset the facsimile and reset the answer-phone. If the emergency battery level is low, a logic state is set to zero, and the answer-phone cannot be re-energised. ADVANTAGE - Telephone user is alerted to the fact that answer-phone outgoing message has been lost.