Patent ID: 8194605

Claim:
A method for facilitating voice communication sessions for a mobile communication device in a communication network, the communication network having at least first and second subnet segments and a router coupled between the first and the second subnet segments, the first subnet segment having a first IP subnet address range and the second subnet segment having a second IP subnet address range different from the first IP subnet address range, the communication network including a wireless network having at least a first wireless access point and a second wireless access point, the first wireless access point being in the first subnet segment and having a local extended service set identifier (ESSID) and a global ESSID for mobile communication devices to associate with the first wireless access point, the second wireless access point being in the second subnet segment and having a local ESSID and the global ESSID for mobile communication devices to associate with the second wireless access point, the global ESSID being used for accessing a global virtual local area network (VLAN) of the communication network which spans the first and the second subnet segments, the method comprising: causing an association to be made between the mobile communication device and the first wireless access point in the first subnet segment with use of the local ESSID of the first wireless access point; in response to a request to establish a voice communication session involving the mobile communication device: causing an association to be made between the mobile communication device and the first wireless access point of the first subnet segment with use of the global ESSID associated with the global VLAN; establishing and maintaining the voice communication session for the mobile communication device in the global VLAN after the association is made using the global ESSID; and if a handoff to the second wireless access point of the second subnet segment is made during the voice communication session, then causing an association to be made between the mobile communication device and the second wireless access point with use of the global ESSID associated with the global VLAN.