Patent ID: 7310527

Claim:
A method for handing off a call between networks, comprising: monitoring a quality of a first link between a mobile station and a wireless local area network (WLAN) when the mobile station is actively connected with the WLAN on a call; monitoring a quality of a second link between the mobile station and a cellular network when the mobile station is actively connected with the WLAN on the call triggering a handoff of the call from the WLAN to the cellular network when the quality of the first link is less than a handoff trigger threshold for a drop count duration and when the quality of the second link is greater than a minimum cellular link quality threshold; preventing a handoff of the call from the cellular network to the WLAN until expiration of a first amount of time as long as the quality of the second link remains above the minimum cellular link quality threshold; monitoring the quality of the first link between the mobile station and the WLAN when the mobile station is actively connected with the cellular network on the call; and triggering a handoff of the call from the cellular network to the WLAN when the quality of the first link is greater than the handoff trigger threshold plus a hysteresis margin for a pick-up count duration.