Apparatus, method and system for voice communication hand-off in a mobile packet data network environment

A system for a hand-off of a communication session in a data network, in which the communication session has been established previously with a mobile unit through a first base station, a first serving routing node and a gateway routing node utilizing a first addressing context, the system comprising:

• a plurality of base stations, the plurality of base stations including the first base station and a second base station, wherein when the mobile unit retunes to the second base station, the second base station includes instructions to transmit to the mobile unit current voice communication from the incoming data packets with a second addressing context and to receive outgoing voice communication from the mobile unit;
• a plurality of serving routing nodes, the plurality of serving routing nodes including the first serving routing node and a second serving routing node, the first serving routing node coupled to the first base station and the second serving routing node coupled to the second base station;
• and
• a gateway routing node coupled to the first serving routing node and to the second serving routing node, the gateway routing node further coupled to the data network, wherein the gateway routing node includes instructions, when the second base station has been selected for the hand-off, to establish the second addressing context for the mobile unit, between the gateway routing node and the second serving routing node;
• and to concurrently route incoming data packets for the mobile unit to the first serving routing node utilizing the first addressing context and to the second serving routing node utilizing the second addressing context.

An apparatus for a hand-off of a communication session in a data network, in which the communication session has been established previously with a mobile unit through a first base station, a first serving routing node and a gateway routing node utilizing a first addressing context, the apparatus comprising:

• a network interface for communication with the first serving routing node and a second serving routing node;
• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory and to the network interface, wherein the processor includes instructions, when a second base station has been selected for the hand-off, to establish a second addressing context for the mobile unit, between the gateway routing node and a second serving routing node;
• and to concurrently route incoming data packets for the mobile unit to the first serving routing node utilizing the first addressing context and to the second serving routing node utilizing the second addressing context.

A system for a hand-off of a communication session in a data network, in which the communication session has been established previously with a mobile unit through a first base station, a first serving routing node and a gateway routing node utilizing a first addressing context, the system comprising:

• means, when a second base station has been selected for hand-off, for establishing a second addressing context for the mobile unit, between the gateway routing node and a second serving routing node;
• means for concurrently routing incoming data packets for the mobile unit to the first serving routing node utilizing the first addressing context and to the second serving routing node utilizing the second addressing context;
• and
• means, when the mobile unit has retuned to the second base station, for transmitting current voice communication from the second base station from the incoming data packets with the second addressing context and receiving outgoing voice communication from the mobile unit.