Patent ID: 6862449
Filing Date: 2005-03-01
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
1. A cellular mobile communications network, comprising: a plurality of base stations each of which is capable of transmitting a downlink signal to a mobile station and receiving an uplink signal from the mobile station through a wireless channel, each base station including: an identification means for identifying, among the plurality of base stations, a base station for transmitting a subsequent downlink signal to the mobile station upon receiving an uplink signal indicating a preferred base station, said preferred base station being determined in accordance with a measured transmission property of the downlink signals from said plurality of base stations; and a base station controller, operatively connected to said plurality of base stations for delivering the downlink signals to said plurality of base stations for further transmission therefrom, wherein when a base station is said preferred base station, said preferred base station transmits the next downlink signal, otherwise said base station maintains a soft handoff mode with the mobile station without sending the next downlink signal.