Digital telephone control interface system

A computer control system for selectively controlling the response of a digital feature telephone to key activation signals created by the depression of keys on said telephone and controlling the routing of said key activation signals to a telephone switching network, comprising:

• a programmable control means coupled to said telephone and said telephone switching network, said programmable control means including a masking means for selectively masking said key activation after said keys are pressed to prevent said telephone from directly responding to said key activation signals and to prevent said key activation signals from being directly received by said telephone switching network and a modifying means within said programmable control for analyzing a function to be invoked by the keys in a context related manner and for causing the function to be carried out as directed by said programmable control means;
• said programmable control means including means for interacting with a user of said telephone to produce variable indications to the user for assisting the user in a desired operation of said telephone, and wherein said programmable control means, in conjunction with said masking means, enables the user to implement a desired function associated with a particular key by instructing the user via a first of said variable indications as to the particular key that must be pressed to implement said desired function, and by masking said key activation signals created by the depression of keys other than said particular key, such that if the user presses said particular key, said desired operation is implemented, and if the user presses one of said other keys, said desired operation is not implemented and the user is instructed via a second of said variable indications that the pressing of said one of said other keys is improper for the desired function.