Patent ID: 7710944

Claim:
In a communications network, a communication unit to transmit and receive information within said network comprising: a transmitter to transmit outgoing information to at least one other communication unit within said network; a receiver to receive incoming information from at least one other communication unit within said network; a clock generation unit to maintain a unit local time, wherein said unit local time initially varies from a common reference GPS time for said network maintained by another communication unit within said network; and a processor to control said transmission and reception of said outgoing and incoming information and synchronize time between said communication units of said network, wherein said processor includes: an update module to periodically update said unit local time by an update value and towards said common reference GPS time maintained by said other communication unit, wherein said periodic update is applied one or more times to pull said unit local time toward said common reference GPS time; and a transition module to transition said updated unit local time of said communication unit to said common reference GPS time of said other communication unit prior to application of all of said periodic updates for completion of said pulling by setting said updated unit local time, varying from said common reference GPS time of said other communication unit by at least one of said periodic updates, directly to said common reference GPS time at a determined transition time and in accordance with conditions indicating that said transition maintains existing network communications.