Vital Signs, Inc.

Norman R Buck

David Hanson

The present invention is a telephone set for use in a telephone network in which a central switch gear is connected to incoming telephone lines and to a plurality of telephone stations. The switch gear serves to establish communication between selected stations and/or the incoming lines. The switch gear further has a memory and capability to receive command signals from the individual telephone set, and transmit confirmation signals to the set and perform selected functions in response to the command signals. The telephone itself has a plurality of manually actuated switches (51-56), each of which corresponds to a selected function. The set also has a programmable microprocessor (10) that automatically scans the switches, detects an actuated switch and generates a command signal corresponding to a selected function. The set has apparatus (440) for transmitting the command signals to the switch gear and apparatus (460-467) for receiving confirmation signals from the switch gear and transmitting the confirmation signals to the microprocessor. Finally, the telephone set has apparatus for transmitting and receiving voice communications.

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Sioux Falls, SD, United States of America

Norman R Buck