THE PROBLEM
                            --- -------

         Communicating from one computer to another requires

         human synchronization, or a dedicated phone line with

         computers turned on and tied up 24 hrs / day.  Leaving

         a personal computer on line also creates a security problem       

         of hacker sabotage.  Attempting to use a single phone line

         for both computer and human communications results in 

         humans getting annoying computer tones, and computer calls

         improperly handled by humans.  The problem is solved by

         the integration of human and computer answering functions

         with the SMARTBOX.



                             THE SMARTBOX
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         The SMARTBOX is a computerized message center.  It combines the

         functions of an automatic electronic mailbox, telephone answering

         machine and auto-answer / auto-dial modem.  The integration

         of the phone answering machine with the computerized

         communication allows a single unattended phone line to 

         provide service to human callers,  human controlled computer

         devices, and automatic computer communications.  The SMARTBOX

         plugs directly into a phone line with a standard modular jack.

         It connects to the user's computer through a standard RS-232

         connector.



                       HUMAN OR COMPUTER INTERFACE
                       ----- -- -------- ---------


         The SMARTBOX will automatically answer the telephone, and

         differentiate between human and computer callers.  Human

         callers will experience normal phone answering machine

         operation.  Computers will be linked directly to the 

         SMARTBOX.



                           ELECTRONIC MAILBOX
                           ---------- -------


         The electronic caller may be a human operating a computer

         or an automatic computer.  The caller can retrieve

         messages reserved for it, or it can leave a message in the 

         SMARTBOX.  The SMARTBOX operation is independent of any

         computer that it is connected to, allowing full 24 hour

         operation without leaving a computer on.  Messages are 

         retained even in the event of a power failure.  The SMARTBOX

         does not interfere with friendly phone operation nor tie up

         a computer while providing 24 hour electronic mail totally

         unattended.  To retrieve or send electronic mail, the user

         turns on his computer connected to the SMARTBOX.  With

         software provided, he may display, print or send messages.

         The SMARTBOX has a real time clock which dates messages as

         they are sent or received.



                       PUT YOUR COMPUTER ON LINE
                       --- ---- -------- -- ----



         The two problems with leaving an unattended computer on-line

         involve security and disruption of service to human callers.

         The SMARTBOX will answer the phone and provide normal

         phone answering machine operation to human callers.  It will

         connect to computer callers for electronic mail facilities

         (provided directly by the SMARTBOX) or for connection THROUGH

         the SMARTBOX to a personal computer.  The SMARTBOX will

         validate the caller's authorization (and optionally provide

         call-back security) before establishing the connection.



               STATE OF THE ART AUTO-ANSWER/AUTO-DIAL MODEM
               ----- -- --- --- --------------------- -----



         In addition to all of the above features, the SMARTBOX

         gives access to outside computers, data-bases and

         information systems, as a state of the art auto-dial modem.

         The computer communicates with the SMARTBOX at a high

         data rate of 19200 or 9600 BAUD, and the SMARTBOX frees

         the computer while it transfers data at the slower phone

         speeds.



                       THE PHONE ANSWERING MACHINE
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         There are 3 ways in which the phone answering machine portion

         of the SMARTBOX will be handled.

                 Firstly, An external phone machine may be hooked

         up through the SMARTBOX providing a lower cost system.

                 Secondly, the SMARTBOX PHONE-MASTER answering machine

         will be integrated into the SMARTBOX.  This will be a

         state of the art phone answering machine including secure

         beeperless remote control,  tollsaver,  time/date stamping of

         messages,  voice activated message control,  speech assisted

         operation,  remote turn-on,  message foreward,  auto-intercept,

         and special caller incoming/outgoing message sorting.

                 Finally, a HIGHER than state of the art phone answering

         machine would be provided on a board that plugs directly into

         the personal computer.  This machine would be a fully digital

         random access voice storage system,  providing full voice mail

         capability.  Any number of individual outgoing messages may be

         left by the user.  Incoming messages may be sorted by caller,

         time received or other function.  Messages may be randomly deleted,

         re-sorted and stored for later playback/transmission.  This

         machine requires the disk system of the computer today, but will

         be possible on a stand-alone basis (integrated into a later model

         of the SMARTBOX) as the memory cost / KByte ratio improves.  The

         D/A, A/D voice interface along with DTMF touch-tone generation/

         recognition will provide for endless application such as automatic

         solicitation.