Abstract: A telephone apparatus includes a phone jack arrangement (299) providing an interface to land lines from the central office and other telephone apparatuses. Phone jack arrangement (299) comprises a phone jack (306) having inner conductors (420, 422) coupled to outer conductors (406, 408) of a phone jack (304), and outer conductors (424, 426) coupled to inner conductors (402, 404) of phone jack (304). Condition detectors (232, 234) detect whether phone lines of phone line circuitry (270) are connected to land lines, and microprocessor (212) may operate the telephone apparatus or configure base station user interface (126) accordingly. A two-line operating mode may select one of the phone lines for operating use upon detection of a predetermined condition from condition detectors (232, 234) or ring detectors (246, 248). Thus, a multi-line telephone apparatus operates flexibly according to different phone line connections.

Abstract: A method of operating a multi-line telephone apparatus includes, when a phone line switch (140) is actuated, taking a phone line off-hook when the line is on-hook and bringing the phone line on-hook when the line is off-hook. When the phone line is off-hook and a hold switch (164) is actuated, a hold condition is placed on the phone line when the line is not on hold and removed when the line is on hold. When a phone call is established on a first phone line and a conference switch (160) is actuated, a second phone line is brought off-hook and a conference call connection is established. A common conventional method of making a conference call, which includes actuations of hold switch (164) and phone line switches (140, 142), is retained.