Patent ID: 8832298

Claim:
A method of setting up a communication session based upon Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), comprising: sending an invite to the communication session to multiple target devices from an originating device; receiving a first packet of a first media stream from a first target device of the multiple target devices prior to receipt of a signaling indication that any of the multiple target devices accepts the invite; receiving, after the reception of the first packet of the first media stream and prior to receipt of the signaling indication, a first packet of a second media stream from a second target device of the multiple target devices; selecting between the first and second media streams for the communication session based at least in part upon (i) information contained in the first packet of the first media stream and the first packet of the second media stream and (ii) signaling information that indicates a forking context for the communication session and is received prior to the signaling indication that any of the multiple target devices accepts the invite; loading a codec associated with playback of the selected media stream; and playing the selected media stream prior to receipt of the signaling indication.