Patent ID: 7725106

Claim:
A cell reselection method for handing a mobile station from a serving cell to a selected target cell in a cellular wireless communications system, comprising plural cells, including the serving cell and plural other cells that are potential target cells, the method comprising: monitoring a first indicator, which is indicative of a signaling level of the serving cell; monitoring second indicators, each one being indicative of a signaling level of one of the plural potential target cells; initiating a timer associated with a potential target cell, when the respective second indicator indicates that the signaling level of the potential target cell is better than the signaling level of the serving cell, each timer having an associated expiry; if at least one timer is running when expiry of another initiated timer occurs, then, alter delaying for an additional period after at least the first timer has expired, selecting from the potential target cells a target cell having a second indicator, which indicates that the signaling level of the respective target cell is better than the signaling level of the serving cell; and initiating a cell reselection of the mobile station to the selected target cell, wherein if other timers associated with potential target cells are running that do not have a signaling level that is better than the signaling level of the cell with the expired timer, then the cell with the expired timer is reselected, and wherein if two or more timers expire at the same time, the potential target cell having the best signaling level is reselected.