Patent ID: 8437306

Claim:
A method of sending data in a wireless communication system, comprising: sending first Layer 2 packets from a mobile entity to a source base station prior to handover of a user equipment (UE) from the source base station to a target base station, the first Layer 2 packets being indicated for the source base station by a destination indicator consisting of one or more bits of a Radio Link Control (RLC) header in each of the first Layer 2 packets set to a first value assigned to the source base station, wherein the RLC header is in a protocol data unit (PDU) of an RLC sublayer that is distinct from a lower Media Access Control (MAC) sublayer; sending at least one second Layer 2 packet from the mobile entity directly to the target base station, the at least one second Layer 2 packet being indicated for the source base station by the destination indicator set to the first value for forwarding from the target base station to the source base station via a Layer 2 tunnel; and sending third Layer 2 packets from the mobile entity to the target base station after the handover, the third Layer 2 packets being indicated for the target base station by the destination indicator set to a second value assigned to the target base station.