US 2007/0165574 A1 · METHOD AND APPARATUS TO MINIMIZE PACKET LOSS DURING ACTIVE DATA HARD HANDOFF

Abstract

A method of hard handoffs begins by establishing a wireless link between a source radio access network (102a) and a mobile station (106). When the mobile station moves into another adjacent radio access network (102b), the present invention detects that handoff of the link from the source to the target is necessary. Additional data is not sent to the mobile station from the source radio access network. The data that has not been received by the mobile station is stored or buffered. A disconnect message is received by the source and a connect message is received by the target so that an active handoff is achieved between the source and the target. When the active handoff procedure is complete the data that was buffered by the source BTS as not being received by the mobile station is then sent to the active target cell such that data and packet loss is reduced.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method of handoff in a wireless communication system comprising:

detecting that a wireless link between a mobile station and a first radio access network is to be handed off to a second radio access network;
stopping sending data to the mobile station from the first radio access network;
buffering data not received by the mobile station from the first radio access network;
handing off the wireless link from the first radio access network to the second radio access network, and
transferring data buffered in the buffering data step to the mobile station after the handing off the wireless link step is completed.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus to minimize packet loss during active data hard handoff

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus to minimize packet loss during active data hard handoff

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19