US 6,977,914 B2Granted

Broadcast hand-over in a wireless network

AssigneeNokia Corporation

InventorsToni Paila, Harri Pekonen

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Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing multicast channel handover in a mobile device within a mobile network. First and second transmitters within first and second cells broadcast datagrams associated with a logical identifier according to link-level access parameters common to the first and second transmitters. A mobile device receives the broadcast datagrams for the logical identifier from the first transmitter by configuring the common link-level access parameters. As part of handover from the first cell to the second cell, the mobile device continues receiving the broadcast datagrams from the second transmitter by maintaining the common link-level access parameters. In one embodiment, the datagrams are IP datagrams transmitted in an MPEG2 transport stream. The link-level access parameters may include time slice parameters associated with burst transmissions from the first and second transmitters according to an embodiment of the invention.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method for maintaining reception of a broadcast channel at a mobile device during handover from a first transmitter for a first cell to a second transmitter for a second cell, the method comprising the steps of:

setting a link-level access parameter on the mobile device for receiving datagrams associated with a logical identifier while the mobile device is in communication with the first transmitter, the link-level access parameter being selected from the group consisting of a time slice for a synchronized series of transmission bursts from the first and second transmitters, synchronized encoding for transmissions from the first and second transmitters, and synchronized digital sequencing for transmissions from the first and second transmitters;
in response to setting the link-level access parameter, receiving from the first transmitter a first datagram associated with the logical identifier;
determining whether the second cell is one of a group of adjacent cells having common link-level access parameters for multicast broadcasts;
and
if the second cell is one of the group of adjacent cells having common link-level access parameters, continuing the link-level access parameter on the mobile device during handover from the first cell to the second cell for continued reception of the broadcast channel;
and
in response to continuing the link-level access parameter, receiving from the second transmitter a second datagram associated with the logical identifier;
wherein the step of determining comprises receiving from the second transmitter in the second cell an administrative message identifying the second cell as one of the group of cells having common link-level access parameters for multicast broadcasts.

5 more elements

A mobile device comprising:

a processor;
and
memory for storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile device to perform steps related to maintaining reception of a broadcast channel during handover from a first transmitter for a first cell to a second transmitter for a second cell, the steps comprising:
setting a link-level access parameter on the mobile device for receiving datagrams associated with a logical identifier while the mobile device is in communication with the first transmitter for the first cell, the link-level access parameter being selected from the group consisting of a time slice for a synchronized series of transmission bursts from the first and second transmitters, synchronized encoding for transmissions from the first and second transmitters, and synchronized digital sequencing for transmissions from the first and second transmitters;
in response to setting the link-level access parameter, receiving from the first transmitter a first datagram associated with the logical identifier;
determining whether the second cell is one of a group of adjacent cells having common link-level access parameters for multicast broadcasts;
if the second cell is one of the group of adjacent cells having common link-level access parameters, continuing the link-level access parameter for continued reception of the broadcast channel on the mobile device during handover from the first cell to the second cell;
and
in response to continuing the link-level access parameter, receiving from the second transmitter for the second cell a second datagram associated with the logical identifier;
wherein the step of determining comprises receiving from one of the second transmitter in the second cell and the first transmitter in the first cell an administrative message identifying the second cell as one of the group of cells having common link-level access parameters for multicast broadcasts.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.