Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a computer to display a multifunction telephone to augment or supplant a regular desktop telephone, said displayed phone having a variable size which may be increased from a minimum size in increments or with a fixed width or length with the other of the two dimensions infinitely variable to a maximum length or width. Each increment displays different virtual buttons which may be virtually pushed using a keyboard or pointing device to carry out various telephone functions such as speed dialing, transfer, speakerphone etc. using the TAPI Windows interface and library of telephone functions or an analogous library and API in other operating systems. As the size of the phone is varied, more virtual buttons become visible and their functions may be invoked. Preferably, the virtual buttons are positioned on the phone display such that they become visible in the order of frequency of use for the typical user.

Abstract: A telephone system including improved voicemail wherein a digital signal processor scans data to be recorded in a voicemail message to find DTMF tones or DTMF mimics in the voice data and removes them from the recording. In one embodiment, the DSP scans for DTMF tones or mimics in the stream of data to be recorded and removes them before recording the data. In another embodiment, the DSP scans for DTMF tones and mimics in the stream of data to be recorded, and marks the starting point and ending point in the stream where DTMF tones or mimics are found, records all the data and then goes back to the recording after it is finished and looks for the markers and removes all data between the markers.

Abstract: A telephone system which detects ring signals and detects caller ID signals and decodes them into caller ID data and then reformats the caller ID data into one or more alphanumeric strings useable by another computer process such as a point of sale computer process. User input is accepted such as by manipulation of switches to control the telephone system so as to add predetermine prefix or suffix codes or data to one or more items of caller ID data in accordance with the occurrence or existence of predetermined conditions that must be signalled to the computer process using the caller ID data being formatted by the telephone system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a computer to display a multifunction telephone to augment or supplant a regular desktop telephone, said displayed phone having a variable size which may be increased from a minimum size in increments or with a fixed width or length with the other of the two dimensions infinitely variable to a maximum length or width. Each increment displays different virtual buttons which may be virtually pushed using a keyboard or pointing device to carry out various telephone functions such as speed dialing, transfer, speakerphone etc. using the TAPI Windows interface and library of telephone functions or an analogous library and API in other operating systems. As the size of the phone is varied, more virtual buttons become visible and their functions may be invoked. Preferably, the virtual buttons are positioned on the phone display such that they become visible in the order of frequency of use for the typical user.