Telephone station equipment employing rewriteable display keys
First Claim
1. A user interface device for initiating a telephony function for a user, the telephony function being performed in a first apparatus that performs telephony functions, the user interface device comprising:
- a representation of a set of buttons, the buttons being relegendable and manipulatable by the user and the locations of the buttons relative to each other remaining substantially constant; and
a device interface to the first apparatus, the device interface providing a first indication of a plurality thereof from the user interface device to the first apparatus that a manipulation by the user has selected a button and providing second indications of legends from the first apparatus to the user interface device, the second indications of legends indicating legends for the buttons and the first apparatus responding to the first indication by providing at least one of the second indications to the device interface and/or for at least some of the indications, initiating the telephony function.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A telephone instrument with a 12-key keypad that has relegendable buttons. The telephone instrument is coupled to apparatus such as a personal computer, network server, or switch that is capable of performing telephony functions. The telephony apparatus responds to an input from the keypad by providing a new set of legends for the keys and/or performing a telephone function. In a preferred embodiment, the telephone instrument is connected both to a personal computer and to a POTS telephone circuit and includes a separate keypad for the POTS telephone circuit. The apparatus includes a component which detects a failure in the personal computer and automatically deactivates the keypad with the relegendable buttons, leaving the telephone instrument still available for use with the POTS circuit. Also disclosed are a reduced-cost implementation of the telephone instrument and alternative embodiments in which the telephone instrument is connected to the telephony apparatus by a packet interface or itself contains the component which performs the telephony functions. The telephony functions may be those employed in switched circuit telephone systems or those employed in packet telephone systems, and the systems themselves may be either wired or wireless.
-
Citations
31 Claims
-
1. A user interface device for initiating a telephony function for a user, the telephony function being performed in a first apparatus that performs telephony functions, the user interface device comprising:
-
a representation of a set of buttons, the buttons being relegendable and manipulatable by the user and the locations of the buttons relative to each other remaining substantially constant; and a device interface to the first apparatus, the device interface providing a first indication of a plurality thereof from the user interface device to the first apparatus that a manipulation by the user has selected a button and providing second indications of legends from the first apparatus to the user interface device, the second indications of legends indicating legends for the buttons and the first apparatus responding to the first indication by providing at least one of the second indications to the device interface and/or for at least some of the indications, initiating the telephony function. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A user interface device for use with first digitally controlled telephony apparatus,
the user interface device comprising: -
a microphone; a speaker; a first key pad; second telephony apparatus coupled to the microphone, the speaker, and the first key pad for performing telephony functions independently of the first apparatus; a second keypad with at least 12 relegendable buttons; and an interface between the second keypad, the speaker, the microphone, and the first apparatus, the interface including a button selection indicator for providing a digital indication from the user interface device to the first apparatus that a manipulation by the user has selected a given one of the buttons on the second keypad, a legend indication receiver for receiving digital indications of legends for the buttons from the first apparatus and providing them to the second keypad, and a failure indication receiver for receiving an indication of failure of the first apparatus from the first apparatus and responding thereto by disabling the second keypad. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. An interface module for use in a computer system which includes apparatus that operates under software control to perform telephony functions, the interface module being employed with a user interface device that includes at least a keypad with at least 12 relegendable buttons and
the interface module comprising: -
apparatus for receiving bit maps for legends on the buttons from the software and providing the bit maps to the user interface device; and apparatus for receiving an indication from the user interface device that a user has manipulated a given button of the keypad and providing the indication to the software, the software responding thereto by providing the bit maps and/or performing one or more of the telephony functions. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
-
Specification