Machine Answers the Phone

Machine Answers the Phone

A very ingenious combination of a telephone and a tape-recorder was developed: it goes under the name of Ansafone (answer the phone), because it chief task is to answer the phone in the absence of people and to record messages.

If you phone somebody who happens to be out of the house, the phone is answered by the machine which automatically replies: “This is (here follows the telephone number), Mr X’s Ansafone. The Ansa-fone will record any message you may wish to leave. Please speak slowly and clearly and begin speaking now.”

As you replace the receiver the Ansafone automatically switches itself off and is then ready to receive the next message. The tape is sufficiently long to take down approximately a dozen normal messages. When the tape has reached its maximum recording capacity, it will no longer answer the phone.

On return home the owner simply rewinds the tape and plays back all the messages that have been recorded in his absence.