US 2020/0008120 A1 · HANDOVER METHODS AND APPARATUS

Abstract

A connection between two UEs is identified by a single connection identifier. Different streams are transmitted over different wireless links with potential redundancy between streams. Initially a first WiFi link is used to communicate with the second UE. After the first UE decides it will handoff to a second WiFi AP it establishes a connection with a cellular AP and then communicates a second stream corresponding to the same connection. The first and second streams initially communicate the same content. The first WiFi link is terminated, but the second stream continues to communicate content. The first UE then establishes a second WiFi connection with a second WiFi AP and communicates a third content stream of the first connection to second UE via second WiFi link. The third stream initially communicates information also communicated over second stream. The cellular link is terminated. The second WiFi link is used to communicate content.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of operating a first user equipment device (UE), the method comprising:

communicating a first packet stream of a first connection with a second UE device via a first WiFi communications link to a first WiFi access point over which the first packet stream is communicated, said first packet stream being communicated using a connection identifier based protocol that identifies a connection between the first UE and the second UE to which the first stream belongs by a first connection identifier;
establishing as part of a handover of the first connection from the first WiFi access point to a second WiFi access point a cellular communications link with a cellular access point;
communicating a second packet stream of said first connection to the second UE device via the cellular communications link;
establishing as part of the handover of the first connection from the first WiFi access point to the second WiFi access point a second WiFi communications link with the second WiFi access point;
and
communicating packets of a third packet stream of said first connection to the second UE device via the second WiFi communications link.

3 more elements

A first user equipment (UE) device comprising:

a processor configured to operate the first UE device to:
communicate a first packet stream of a first connection with a second UE device via a first WiFi communications link to a first WiFi access point over which the first packet stream is communicated, said first packet stream being communicated using a connection identifier based protocol that identifies a connection between the first UE and the second UE to which the first stream belongs by a first connection identifier;
establish as part of a handover of the first connection from the first WiFi access point to a second WiFi access point a cellular communications link with a cellular access point;
communicate a second packet stream of said first connection to the second UE device via the cellular communications link;
establish, as part of the handover of the first connection from the first WiFi access point to the second WiFi access point, a second WiFi communications link with the second WiFi access point;
and
communicate packets of a third packet stream of said first connection to the second UE device via the second WiFi communications link.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Handover methods and apparatus

Life of this patent

Handover methods and apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20