Computer and telephone apparatus with user friendly computer interface integrity features

Claim 1

A microcomputer with simplified user interface including a microprocessor computing unit and associated memory; said microprocessor computing unit responsive to data inputs from an auxiliary processor and instructions maintained in said memory and received through a modem to perform computing and control functions, said microprocessor computing unit and said memory mounted in a housing configured as a conventional telephone unit, said housing having a upper mounting structure and a base structure, a telephone handset mounted in a cradle on said upper mounting structure, a standard twelve-key telephone keypad mounted on said upper mounting structure and a keyboard input device mounted in concealed position within said base structure and movable to an open position for use by the operator of the microcomputer; said housing also incorporating telephone electronics for standard telephone functioning, including a telephone dialer, speech network and a frequency and ring detectors, said telephone electronics capable of being powered from standard telephone line power; switch means for providing telephone line power to said telephone electronics for standard telephone functioning in the absence of power to or input from the microprocessor computing unit and memory; a lapse timer reset by output from said microprocessor computing unit, said lapse timer means providing an interrupt to said microprocessor computing unit unless reset by said microprocessor computing unit within a first predetermined time interval, said microprocessor computing unit being rebooted and removing power from said telephone electronics and said lapse timer means being disabled unless said lapse timer means is reset with a second predetermined time interval; and off-hook detector means for detecting an off-hook condition of said telephone handset mounted on said upper mounting structure, off-hook timer means responsive to said off-hook detector means and said microprocessor computing unit to reboot said microprocessor computing unit and remove power from said telephone electronics unless said off-hook timer is not reset by said microprocessor computing unit within a third predetermined time interval.