Patent ID: 8249616

Claim:
A wireless circuit for tracking an incoming signal and for use in a network having handover from one part of the network to another part, and comprising: a processor responsive to the incoming signal, said processor operable to generate pulse edges representing network-based receiver synchronization instances (RSIs); and a timekeeping circuitry including an oscillator circuitry, said timekeeping circuitry operable to maintain a set of counter circuitries including a counter circuitry operable to maintain a running count representing at least one network time component based on successive RSIs and another counter circuitry operable at least during handover and during loss of network coverage between the wireless circuit and the network for maintaining a running count for representing at least one internal time component based on the oscillator circuitry, the set of counter circuitries operable to account for elapsing time substantially gaplessly and substantially without overlap between the time components during a composite of network coverage, loss of network coverage and handover, and said timekeeping circuitry further including a time generator for combining the time components from the set of counter circuitries to generate an approximate absolute time.