Patent ID: 8005478

Claim:
A handover request method of a mobile communication terminal in a portable Internet system, the handover request method comprising: transmitting a first handover request message to a base station; receiving a handover response message from the base station in response to the handover request message, the handover response message including information indicating an approval or denial of the handover request; determining whether the handover request is denied by the base station using the received handover response message; operating a timer of the mobile communication terminal for a predetermined time duration if it is determined that the handover request is denied, the predetermined time duration being set by the mobile communication terminal; collecting information of at least one neighbor base station while the timer is operating; determining whether a communication status between the mobile communication terminal and the base station is less than a first reference value while the timer is operating; selectively transmitting a second handover request message for re-attempting the handover request to the base station using the collected information while the timer is operating if it is determined that the communication status is less than the first reference value; stopping the timer even if the predetermined time duration does not expire if it is determined that the communication status is less than the first reference value; determining whether the predetermined time duration expires, if it is determined that the communication status is not less than the first reference value; determining whether the communication status is less than a second reference value, if it is determined that the predetermined time duration expires; and maintaining communication with the base station if it is determined that the communication status is not less than the second reference value.