Patent ID: 7672690

Claim:
In a radio communication system having a network part including a first network portion operable pursuant to a first communication scheme and a second network portion operable pursuant to a second communication scheme and the radio communication system having a mobile node selectably operable to communicate by way of either of the first network portion and the second network portion, and the radio communication system defined in terms of logical layers including a signaling layer, an improvement of apparatus for facilitating selection, by the mobile node, of through which of the first and second network portions, respectively, that the mobile node shall communicate, said apparatus comprising: a signaling layer parameter message detector embodied at the mobile node, said signaling layer message detector selectably for detecting values populating the signaling layer parameter message; a signaling layer parameter message buffer adapted to receive indications of the values detected by said signaling layer parameter message detector, said signaling layer parameter message buffer for buffering the values of the signaling layer parameter message; and a selector embodied at the mobile node, said selector selectably for selecting through which of the first and second network portions to communicate based upon the values buffered at said signaling layer parameter buffer, wherein the values of the signaling layer parameter message buffered at said signaling layer parameter message buffer are updated when values detected by said signaling layer parameter message parameter differ from corresponding values stored at said signaling layer parameter message buffer.