According to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a method
and an apparatus for efficiently and accurately processing incoming
connection establishment requests is disclosed. The present invention
allows the signaling provider of the network interface software to
determine ownership of an incoming request by accessing client-provided
information in the form of call filters. Upon receiving an incoming call
establishment request, the network interface software matches the request
to information previously provided by the clients of the network interface
software. The network interface software can thus determine the correct
recipient, negotiate parameters on the owner's behalf, establish a call
connection, inform the client that the connection has been established,
and inform the client of specific parameters relating to the incoming
call.