Patent ID: 7188185
Filing Date: 2007-03-06
Classification: G06Q,H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. For use in a system comprising a mobile unit, a cellular network and a wireless local area network coupled to an Internet, wherein at least one of the mobile unit, the cellular network and the wireless local area network communicates via a packet switched data network at a transport layer or above with a remote server system, the wireless local area network communicates voice media information over the Internet using a voice-over-Internet protocol, and a voice telephony call is in progress between the mobile unit and a remote voice telephony endpoint at least partially via a first connection between the mobile unit and the cellular network, a method comprising: receiving at the remote server system an indication that the mobile unit is in a coverage area of the wireless local area network; determining whether a second connection between the mobile unit and the wireless local area network is superior to the first connection, in accordance with the application of an optimization strategy that takes into account information obtained from at least one database that is accessible to the remote server system; and sending from the remote server system to at least one of the mobile unit, the wireless local area network and the cellular network, an indication to switch at least a portion of the voice telephony call in progress from the first connection to the second connection, in the event that it is determined that the second connection is superior, to thereby facilitate a seamless call handoff of the at least a portion of the voice telephony call in progress from the cellular network to the Internet, via the wireless local area network.