Patent ID: 7359354

Claim:
A wireless communication network comprising: a Packet Data Serving Node configured to support packet data connections with a plurality of mobile stations, and to condition re-negotiation of a packet data connection maintained by it for a given mobile station based on determining whether a mobility event involving movement of that mobile station between packet zones of the network corresponds to a hard handoff or to a dormant handoff; a Packet Control Function configured to send registration messages to the Packet Data Serving Node responsive to mobility events, and to include a hard/dormant handoff type indication in said registration messages for use at the PDSN in determining whether a given mobility event corresponds to a hard handoff or to a dormant handoff; and a Base Station Controller configured to store packet zone tracking variables for mobile stations, and, for a given mobile station, further configured to set the corresponding packet zone tracking variable to the Base Station Controller's own Access Network Identifier if a new packet data connection is established for the given mobile station, and to set the corresponding packet zone tracking variable to a received value obtained from another Base Station Controller if the given mobile station is received in hard handoff from the other Base Station Controller.