Patent ID: 7233583
Filing Date: 2007-06-19
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method to perform an inter-Base Station (BS) hard handoff for a Mobile Station (MS) from a source BS to a target BS, comprising: at the start of the handoff procedure, sending a message from the source BS that comprises current QoS state information of each active and dormant service instance for the MS, and communicating the current QoS state information to the target BS; beginning the bi-casting of forward data for the MS from a Packet Control Function (PCF) to both the source BS and to the target BS, and updating the communicated current QoS state information in the target BS based on received bi-cast data; continuing the updating of the QoS state information in the source BS based on data received from the MS, and communicating the updated QoS state information to the PCF with a source BS Disconnected message; in response to receiving the source BS Disconnected message, terminating the bi-casting of data with the PCF; and when sending a Connected message to the target BS, also sending the updated QoS state information that was previously communicated from the source BS, thereby updating the target BS for a change in QoS state information that may have occurred at the source BS due to arrival of data from the MS prior to the source BS sending the Disconnected message.