Public: Communication: Telephone: Number
Potato Key   (+9, -1)  [vote for, against]
This is a 'break' key; or, 'end' of entry key to be inserted between numerical entries when navigating automated phone call switching equipment.

You've called your service often enough to have learned the first 13 keystrokes to reach the extension you need, but now the system makes you wait until it finishes reading your last input or it makes you wait through a recorded list of choices before you can enter your next number.

With the Potato Key, you enter the sequence:
Press two to continue in Spanish, one to continue in English
Press one if you know your party's extension, press two to hear a directory
Enter your party's extension, followed by the pound sign

as,
One <Potato Key>
One <Potato Key>
Zero
# <Potato Key>
-- reensure, Dec 01 2005

Potato key. Good name. I had a phone once that had a pause button (labeled 'P' -- potato?) which waited for three seconds if you pushed it. You could program it into its speed dial memories.

How would yours work? Would it just be a pause or are you looking for two-way interaction between the phone service and your phone?
-- st3f, Dec 01 2005


Shouldn't that sequence be 1 <potato> 2 <potato> 3 <potato> 4...?
-- DrCurry, Dec 01 2005


Sorry, I don't understand. Is it a button which inserts a pause in a stream of keypresses?
-- angel, Dec 01 2005


Yeah, you'll normally find that each menu has 1-9 choices, expects a certain number of digits, or asks to to use the 'pound' (I call it a 'sharp' but anyway) key to act as an EOF delimiter.

It all depends on how the telephone system is organised, so rather than adding an extra key (and losing the nice rectangular property of an arrangement of 12 keys *, 0, #, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) but why not just add 'potato' to the list of names the pound/sharp/ hash/number/thingie key (#) has already accumulated.
-- zen_tom, Dec 01 2005


My old LD-dialling telephone had this for its memory keys, because some PABX switchboards required it. If I can find the instruction book, I'll scan and post the relevant page.
Why 'Potato Key'?
-- angel, Dec 01 2005


Because 'Mississippi Key' seemed awkward.
-- reensure, Dec 01 2005


I'm sure that you understand that explanation.
-- angel, Dec 02 2005


Ah, but you like "potato", while I like "potato", you like "tomato" and I like "tomato".
Potato, potato, tomato, tomato, let's call the whole thing off..
Doesn't work when you write it down, does it?
-- coprocephalous, Dec 02 2005


4 potato 3 potato 2 potato 1

All potatoes playing in the bright warm sun...
-- ConsulFlaminicus, Dec 02 2005


if someone has already done this will it be a baked potato?
-- xenzag, Dec 02 2005


[DrCurry]: 5 <potato> 6 <potato> 7 <potato> More.
-- Mrlemonjelly, Dec 02 2005


AT, ?

What's the answer to [st3f]'s question?
-- Shz, Dec 03 2005



random, halfbakery