Method and apparatus for masking the reporting of network telephony events to a computer

A method of operating a digital telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

• coupling said telephone to a computer implementing an application program;
• coupling said telephone to a communications network;
• setting an event mask in a memory in said telephone in response to a command issued by said computer specifying telephony events to be masked, wherein masked telephony events are not reported to said computer;
• detecting a plurality of telephony events occurring on said communications network;
• and,
• selectively reporting, as they occur, only non-masked telephony events to said computer.

Telephony event processing apparatus, comprising:

• a computer interface for coupling to a computer implementing a computer program;
• a network interface for coupling to a communications network;
• detection means for detecting a plurality of telephony call status events occurring on said communications network;
• a memory;
• and,
• processor means, coupled to said detection means, said memory and said computer interface, for processing commands received from said computer and for setting an event mask in said memory in response to at least one of said commands, said at least one of said commands specifying telephony call status events to be masked, wherein masked telephony call status events are not reported to said computer;
• the processor means further comprising means for automatically reporting non-masked telephony call status events indicated by said event mask to said computer.