Animatronic creatures that act as intermediaries between human users and a telephone system

摘要

An animatronic telephone agent consisting of a communications subsystem connected to a wired or wireless telephone network for receiving incoming telephone calls, and a robotic automaton coupled to the communications subsystem and responsive to incoming telephone calls for performing different movements that provide non-verbal visual cues to a human observer that are indicative of the status of each incoming call. The automaton preferably takes the form of an animatronic device that has movable appendages and a face with at least movable eyes or eyelids and which provides visual cues by making gestures and/or exhibiting facial expressions that are indicative of the receipt and progress of incoming calls.