Patent ID: 6038449
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
A cellular telephone network, comprising:a first cell supporting a cellular call implicating certain service capabilities;a first exchange serving the first cell;a plurality of second cells comprising neighboring cells of the first cell, only certain ones of the second cells supporting the same or acceptable alternate certain service capabilities implicated by the cellular call;a second exchange serving the plurality of second cells; andcommunications means for distributing information from the second exchange to the first exchange prior to a handoff assessment concerning the service capabilities supported by the plurality of second cells for subsequent use by the first exchange in assessing prior to ordering handoff as to whether any of the plurality of second cells should be considered by the first exchange as potential target cells for an inter-exchange hand-off of the cellular call from the first cell based on whether the distributed information indicates that the certain ones of the second cells support the same or acceptable alternate cellular call implicated certain service capabilities as the first cell.