Patent ID: 7697477
Filing Date: 2010-04-13
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
1. In a wireless communications network having a plurality of terminals synchronized for network communications via a pre-handover base station, a method to facilitate handing over communications for at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals from the pre-handover base station to a post-handover base station, the method comprising: transmitting from the at least one terminal a signal having timing information associated with the at least one terminal; estimating an expected time for receiving at the at least one terminal a response to the transmitted signal from the pre-handover base station; receiving at the at least one terminal a response to the transmitted signal from the post-handover base station at an actual time; comparing the expected time relative to the actual time the response was received; and adjusting timing for subsequent signal transmissions from the at least one terminal based on the comparison to facilitate synchronization of the one terminal with the post-handover base station; and computing a difference between the expected time and the actual time the response is received at the at least one terminal, the timing for the subsequent signal transmissions from the at least one terminal being adjusted based on the difference, wherein the response to the transmitted signal received by the at least one terminal from the post-handover base station further comprising synchronization information for adjusting the timing for the subsequent signal transmissions so as to facilitate synchronization of the at least one terminal with the post-handover base station.