Patent ID: 7352737

Claim:
A destination station for use in an asynchronous cellular communications system that includes a first substantially asynchronous source that transmits a first pilot signal frame over a first coverage region, a second substantially asynchronous source that transmits a second pilot signal frame over a second coverage region, and a third substantially asynchronous source that transmits a third pilot signal frame over a third coverage region that overlaps with at least the second coverage region, wherein the pilot signal frames transmitted from the first, second and third sources are substantially asynchronous, comprising: a memory; a processor that initially adds the first substantially asynchronous source to an active set stored in the memory; and a transmitter that, when in the first coverage region, transmits uplinik frames synchronized to the first pilot signal frame; when the processor removes the first substantially asynchronous source from the active set, wherein the processor: selects one of the second substantially asynchronous source and the third substantially asynchronous source, and resynchronizes the timing of the uplinik frames to the timing of downlinik frames from the one of the second pilot signal frame and the third pilot signal frame that is closest to the timing of the first pilot signal frame such that the amount of adjustment required to resynchronize is minimized.