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From: dave%westmark@uunet.uu.net (Dave Levenson)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Phonemate ADAM: All Digital Answering Machine
Message-ID: <11048@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 18 Aug 90 18:28:20 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 581, Message 8 of 9


In article <10990@accuvax.nwu.edu>, graff@mlpvm2.iinus1.ibm.com
(Michael Graff) writes:

> Speaking of answering machines, I know the Caller ID discussion in
> TELECOM is closed for the time being, but here's a twist I don't
> recall seeing discussed.  Since many new answering machines tell you
> the date and time when a call was received, it seems like it would not
> be much more trouble for an answering machine to have Caller ID built
> in and tell you the phone number of the caller.

 ... and Pat adds:

> [Moderator's Note: Nothing is technically wrong with your idea, except
> of course that unlike the date and time, derived from the answering
> machine's own resources, the caller identication would have to be sent
> from the telco. I'm sure the information sent by telco could be stored
> on a chip somewhere and read back to you with the time and date.  PAT]

If you have Caller*ID, you receive the date and time on every call,
and the calling number on some calls.  The time and date, therefore,
would not have to be generated internally by the answering machine.

The commercially-available display units have memory, allowing you to
scroll back through the last several calls received (30, in the case
of the one I use) and display the date, time, and calling number of
each.  It has been very useful, at times, to be able to correlate the
memory of the unit with the tape on the answering machine, when the
call-back number in the recorded message was garbled or incorrect.
Combining the display unit into the answering machine is probably a
very sensible product design ... though of limited marketability until
Caller*ID service is more widely available.  


Dave Levenson			Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857
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