Patent ID: 7039408

Claim:
A method for facilitating high level handoff decisions performed by one of a group of devices in a personal area network (PAN) serving as a gateway between other ones of the group of devices of the PAN and at least one enterprise network, comprising a program associated with the gateway device which: a) examines a first type of a criteria to determine if there is a benefit to switching from one enterprise network to another network when a handoff opportunity is recognized; b) examines a second type of criteria which may include some of the criteria of the first group, relating to the new network and the devices within the PAN to determine if all of the devices function within the new network and c) generates a given condition when the criteria examined during step (b) indicates that all devices of the PAN will function with said another network and d) examining a third set of criteria when not all of the devices are compatible with said another network.