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.

Abstract: Telephone station equipment consisting of a phone device interconnected with a personal computer. The phone device includes a conventional telephone handset and a keypad employing pushbutton display keys each of which has a writable keyface display for visually indicating the function of the key or other information to the user. The personal computer is connected to both the phone device and to one or more telephone communications channels and is programmed to display prompting information on the key displays and respond to keypress events to perform the functions indicated. The user can perform a variety of telephone system management tasks solely by viewing and manipulating the phone device keypad, including manual dialing, redialing, speed-dialing from a directory of commonly called numbers, making flash disconnections, forwaring calls, controlling call waiting and caller I.D.