Patent ID: 7903610

Claim:
A process comprising: communicating with a first cell via a data channel between a mobile station and the first cell with the data channel being used by the mobile station to transmit data packets to the first cell; initiating a start of a cell switch delay by transmitting from the mobile station a request to the first cell that a new data channel with a second cell should be established between the mobile station and the second cell with the new data channel to be used by the mobile station to transmit data packets to the second cell; communicating, via the data channel, with the first cell during the cell switch delay, the communication via the data channel occurring between only the first cell and the mobile station during the cell switch delay after which handoff occurs from the first cell to the second cell; and upon an end of the cell switch delay, data transmission by the mobile station is switched from the first cell to the second cell; and wherein the cell switch delay is a time interval extending from a time that the request is transmitted until starting of reception of data packets via the new data channel by the second cell, the application of the cell switch delay being determined based on a location of the first cell and the second cell; and the data channels between the mobile station and the first and second cells are used by the mobile station to transmit data packets to the first and second cells.