Answering Machines

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An answering machine, also known as an answerphone, ansaphone or ansafone (especially in UK and British commonwealth countries) or telephone answering device (TAD), is a device invented in 1904 for automatically answering telephone calls and recording messages left by callers when the party called is unable to answer the phone. Unlike voicemail, which is a centralized or networked system that performs a similar function, an answering machine is installed in the customer's premises alongside — or incorporated within — the customer's telephone.

While early answering machines used magnetic tape technology, most modern equipment uses solid state memory storage. Kazuo Hashimoto invented the first digital answering machine in 1983 with US Patent 4,616,110 entitled Automatic Digital Telephone Answering Device.

Operation

Most modern answering machines have a system for greeting. The owner may record his or her message that will be played back to the caller, or an automatic message will be played if the owner does not record one. Answering machines can usually be programmed to take the call at a certain number of rings. This is useful if the owner is screening calls and does not wish to speak with all callers.

Read more at Wikipedia.org