Patent ID: 7023803

Claim:
In a mobile communication system for communicating packet data in at least a first packet data flow pursuant to at least a first communication session with at least a first mobile station by way of at least a first air link, the mobile communication system having a network portion to which at least a first data service is coupled, and the network portion including a network element and an interface element connected thereto by way of a communication link, the packet data communicated between the network element and the first mobile station upon a communication path of which the communication link and the first air link form portions, an apparatus facilitating at least the first packet data flow upon the communication path, said apparatus comprising: a data packet flow selector coupled to the network portion for receiving an indication of communication of the packet data in the first packet data flow upon the first air link, said selector operable responsive thereto for selecting whether to control the network element to directly alter the first packet data flow upon the communication path, and wherein packet data communicated in the first packet data flow by way of the first air link is communicated upon the first air link pursuant to an ARQ scheme in which the first mobile station returns an ACK (acknowledgment) when a data packet is successfully received at the first mobile station and a NACK (negative acknowledgment) when the data packet is unsuccessfully received at the first mobile station and wherein the indication, of the communication of the packet data in the first packet data flow, to which said packet data flow selector is coupled to receive, comprises a value inversely related to numbers of ACKs returned by the first mobile station.