Patent ID: 7773561

Claim:
In a communication system having a mobile node that communicates a first sequence of communication data symbols pursuant to effectuation of a communication service with a network part, the network part having a serving access point with which the mobile node initially communicates and at least a first target access point with which communications continue subsequent to hand-off of communication thereto, an apparatus for facilitating improved perceived service quality levels of communication during hand-off of the communication from the serving access point to the target access point, said apparatus comprising: a data sequence expander adapted to receive indications of pendency of the hand-off of the communications and to receive representations of the first sequence of the communication data symbols communicated pursuant to the effectuation of the communication service, said data sequence expander adding expanded data symbols to the first sequence of the communication data symbols responsive to detections of the indications of the pendency of the hand-off of the communications, thereby to form a first expanded sequence; wherein the data sequence expander approximates an amount of time prior to occurrence of the hand-off and selects a number of expanded data symbols to add to the first sequence so that the selected number of expanded data symbols causes a delay that corresponds to the amount of time prior to occurrence of the hand-off.