Frustrated with the faulty answering machine in his new Compaq Presario, Dale Johnson clicked into an on-line bulletin board last July.

FORBES: Lawsuit.com

On its website, PhoneTel says Henderson became the apprentice of Japanese inventor Dr. Kazuo Hashimoto in 1993, credited with producing the first telephone answering machine.

FORBES: AT&T Says Cellfone Patent Invalid Over Lies