Handover for a portable communication device between wireless local and wide area networks

A call handling server for a wireless local network for controlling voice connections to a portable communication device capable of communicating with the wireless local network and a wireless wide area network, said server comprising:

• a computer processor configured to:
• measure a set of handover factors for a wireless voice connection to the portable communication device, the wireless voice connection being part of a voice connection set up between the portable communication device and another communication device, said set of handover factors comprising:
• information of a current position, speed and direction vector of the portable communication device in an area of the wireless local network, the area comprising at least one building,
• information of a structural layout of an interior of the building, and
• information of where in the building there is insufficient coverage,
• determine a dynamic handover border based on the current position, speed and direction vector of the portable communication device and the structural layout of the interior of the building, the handover border having a distance to an insufficient coverage area that is large enough to ensure that a handover mechanism is completed before the insufficient coverage area is reached for the current speed and direction vector of the portable communication device;
• learn atypical movement patterns of certain individual users;
• ignore the learned atypical movement patterns of the certain individuals by not performing a handing over when the handing over would otherwise be performed;
• and
• initiate or control the handing over of the wireless connection from the wireless local network to the wireless wide area network or from the wireless wide area network to the wireless local network when the portable communication device reaches the handover border, wherein
• handovers for different users are differentiated either at potentially different times based on past movement patterns of individual users in correlation to time, or are differentiated based on the individual users being classified in different groups.

A wireless local network for providing voice connections to a portable communication device capable of communicating with the wireless local network and a wireless wide area network and comprising:

• a number of local area wireless access points for the portable communication device, and
• a call handling server for controlling voice connections to the portable communication device comprising:
• a control unit configured to:
• measure a set of handover factors for a wireless connection to the portable communication device, the wireless connection being part of a voice connection set up between the portable communication device and another communication device, said set of handover factors comprising:
• information of a current position, speed and direction vector of the portable communication device in an area of the local network, the area comprising at least one building,
• information of a structural layout of an interior of the building, and
• information of where in the building there is insufficient coverage,
• determine a dynamic handover border based on the current position, speed and direction vector of the portable communication device and the structural layout of the interior of the building, the handover border having a distance to an insufficient coverage area that is large enough to ensure that a handover mechanism is completed before the insufficient coverage area is reached for the current speed and direction vector of the portable communication device;
• learn atypical movement patterns of certain individual users;
• ignore the learned atypical movement patterns of the certain individuals by not performing a handing over when the handing over would otherwise be performed;
• and
• initiate or control the handing over of the connection from the wireless local network to the wireless wide area network or from the wireless wide area network to the wireless local network when the portable communication device reaches the handover border, wherein
• handovers for different users are differentiated either at potentially different times based on past movement patterns of individual users in correlation to time, or are differentiated based on the individual users being classified in different groups.

A computer program product for performing vertical handover of a wireless voice connection, which is a part of a voice connection set up between a portable communication device and another communication device, said handover being performed for the portable communication device between a local wireless network and a wireless wide area network, comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable medium, said medium comprising:
• computer program code, configured to make a call handling server in the local wireless network execute, when said program code is loaded in the server:
• measure a set of handover factors for the wireless voice connection to the portable communication device, said set of handover factors comprising:
• information of a current position, speed and direction vector of the portable communication device in an area of the local wireless network, the area comprising at least one building,
• information of a structural layout of an interior of the building, and
• information of where in the building there is insufficient coverage,
• determine a dynamic handover border based on the current position, speed and direction vector of the portable communication device and the structural layout of the interior of the building, the handover border having a distance to an insufficient coverage area that is large enough to ensure that a handover mechanism is completed before the insufficient coverage area is reached for the current speed and direction vector of the portable communication device;
• learn atypical movement patterns of certain individual users;
• ignore the learned atypical movement patterns of the certain individuals by not performing a handing over when the handing over would otherwise be performed;
• and
• initiate or control the handing over of the connection from the local wireless network to the wireless wide area network or from the wireless wide area network to the local wireless network when the portable communication device reaches the handover border, wherein,
• said computer program code is further configured to make the call handling server execute, during the handing over:
• set up a parallel connection between the portable communication device and the another communication device by setting up a conference call to the another communication device using a phone number of the another communication device in another network of the local wireless network and the wireless wide area network, voice signals from the another communication device to the portable communication device being bicast to the portable communication device via a first existing connection between the portable communication device and the another communication device and the parallel connection between the portable communication device and the another communication device, and
• dropping the first existing connection after the parallel connection has been set up.