Abstract: A way to design a user interface designed to control one or more mechanical music machines from one or more computing devices. The user interface is designed in a manner so that no custom application(s) is required on the user's computing device. Therefore, no changes will be necessary if an operating system update is released for the one or more computing devices the user(s) are using to control the mechanical music machine(s).

Abstract: A method and apparatus provide telecommunication terminal status information as enhanced telecommunication terminal status information by establishing communication with a telecommunication switching system controlling a telecommunication terminal by a monitor computer; directly accessing the telecommunication terminal status information from the telecommunication switching system by the monitor computer via a path distinct from that used to transmit the telecommunication terminal status information to the telecommunication terminal; converting the telecommunication terminal status information to enhanced terminal status telecommunication terminal status information by the monitor computer; and presenting the enhanced telecommunication terminal status information to a user of the telecommunication set. The telecommunication set may be a multi-paged telecommunication set.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provide terminal status information by a telecommunication terminal as audio information by generating terminal status information by a telecommunication terminal; establishing a direct connection by a monitor computer to the telecommunication terminal via a direct link to the telecommunication terminal; transmitting the generated terminal status information to the monitor computer by the telecommunication terminal via the direct link; converting the generated terminal status information to audio terminal status information by the monitor computer; and presenting the audio terminal status information to a user of the telecommunication terminal. In addition, the method and apparatus establish a firewall by the telecommunication terminal to prevent the monitor computer from communicating on a network to which the telecommunication terminal is connected whereby the monitor computer is also denied access to other devices connected to the network.

Abstract: An apparatus and method use logical network connections to telephones interconnected by the network to obtain the call status information and then to convert the call status information to audio information that is presented to the user.

Abstract: An apparatus and method use logical network connections to telephones interconnected by the network to obtain the status of station-specific telephony function information and then to convert the status of station-specific telephony function information to audio information that is presented to the user.

Abstract: An apparatus and method that uses a computer interposed between the telephony endpoint and the telecommunication system controlling that telephony end point.

Abstract: An apparatus and method convert streaming text to a display of a telecommunication terminal to audio by detecting the streaming text being transmitted to the digital display and performing the conversion. Another embodiment converts text in one language directed to a display of a telecommunication terminal to text of another language and displays the resulting text on the display of the telecommunication terminal.

Abstract: This invention describes a method where the background image (sometimes known as a theme) of a computer is dynamically controlled based upon real-time information received via some kind of network connection. The network connection can be either wired or wireless. This patent application is mainly targeted at handheld computers (typically known as PDAs) and also PDA/cell phone hybrid devices. However, it could really apply to any computer device that has the ability to display a background.

Abstract: an apparatus and method that uses a computer interposed between the telephony endpoint and the telecommunication system controlling that telephony end point.

Abstract: An apparatus and method use logical network connections to telephones interconnected by the network to obtain the call status information and then to convert the call status information to audio information that is presented to the user.

Abstract: An apparatus and method use logical network connections to telephones interconnected by the network to obtain the status of station-specific telephony function information and then to convert the status of station-specific telephony function information to audio information that is presented to the user.