Patent ID: 7072323

Claim:
A communications network, adapted for use with mobile wireless user terminals, said network comprising: a packet-switched core network; and a plurality of access points coupled to said core network, each said access point being adapted to provide any said user terminal with communications access to said core network when said any user terminal becomes affiliated with said access point, and including an address resolution cache which is adapted to store information representative of affiliation between said user terminals and said access points, and when a said user terminal changes its affiliation from a first said access point to a second said access point, an other node on said core network other than said first and second access points is adapted to continue to send data packets intended for receipt by said user terminal to said first access point until having updated its respective address resolution cache based on a message indicating that a said user terminal has changed its affiliation from said first access point to said second access point, and said first access point is adapted to continue to send said data packets received from said other node to said user terminal without sending said data packets to said second access point, wherein when said user terminal changes its affiliation from a first said access point to a second said access point, an additional node other than said first and second access points and said other node is adapted to send data packets intended for receipt by said user terminal to said second access point after having updated its respective address resolution cache based on said message while said other node continues to send data packets intended for said user terminal to said first access point which continues to send said data packets received from said other node to said user terminal without sending said data packets to said second access point.