Patent ID: 7684799

Claim:
A method performed by a mobile wireless device to expedite acquisition of data from a serving cell prior to handover, the serving cell providing wireless communication service to the wireless device, the wireless device being capable of operating in a discontinuous reception mode, the method comprising: receiving a measurement report configuration from the serving cell, the measurement report configuration including at least one measurement report configuration parameter based upon which the wireless device is to determine whether to send a measurement report; monitoring at least one channel condition of at least one handover candidate cell while in a sleep cycle of the discontinuous reception mode; determining whether a handover may be necessary based on the at least one channel condition of the at least one handover candidate cell; awaking from the sleep cycle in accordance with the discontinuous reception mode; while awake from the sleep cycle, transmitting the measurement report to the serving cell in response to a determination that the measurement report is to be sent, the determination being based upon the at least one measurement report configuration parameter and the measurement report including the at least one channel condition of the at least one handover candidate, and receiving a pending data indicator from the serving cell after transmission of the measurement report, the pending data indicator indicating that the serving cell has data to send to the wireless device, wherein the data was received by the serving cell for the wireless device and was originally to be delivered to the wireless device after a time at which the wireless device would be handed off to a handover candidate cell; and responsive to receipt of the pending data indicator and determination that the handover may be necessary, remaining awake to receive the data from the serving cell prior to a handover of the wireless device to the handover candidate cell such that delivery of the data is expedited when compared to a time at which the data was originally to be delivered to the wireless device.