Telephone station equipment employing rewriteable display keys

Telephone station equipment manipulatable by a user for establishing a telephone communication connection over a telephone line circuit to a remote party, said equipment comprising, in combination:

• a telephone station set comprising:
• a microphone for accepting audio information from said user,
• a speaker for delivering audio information to said user, and
• a manually manipulatable keypad consisting of a plurality of display keys, each of said display keys comprising a movable push-button manipulatable by said user, sensing means for detecting the depression and release of said push-button by said user, and writable display means positioned on the exposed face of said push-button for visually exhibiting alterable display information to said user,
• a programmable computer, and
• a keypad interface circuit for interconnecting said computer and said keypad, said keypad interface consisting of:
• input circuit means for transmitting keypress signals indicative of the actuation of each of said keys to said computer to initiate functions designated by said display information and
• output circuit means for transmitting said alterable display information from said computer to said individual key displays as required for one or more of said initiated functions.

A telephone system control mechanism comprising, in combination:

• a telephone communications circuit for establishing connections with remote parties,
• a display keypad consisting of a plurality of movable push-button keys each given key including a display panel positioned on the exposed face of said given key for displaying an visual image to a user, said image being defined by display data, and
• a sensor for generating keypress signals whenever said given key is actuated by said user,
• a personal computer including a memory and a processor for executing programs stored in said memory, said programs including a control program, said personal computer comprising:
• means for placing said computer in a first of a plurality of mode states, means responsive to the activation of a selected one of said keys when said computer is in said first mode state for performing an operation signified by the image displayed on the face of said selected key,
• means for switching said computer to a different mode state specified by said selected key to thereafter process the activation of said keys in said different mode state, and
• means coupled to said display keypad for transmitting said display data to said keys to represent at least one function executable by said processor in said different mode state.