Patent · US Expired

Methods and apparatus for performing handoffs in a multi-carrier wireless communications system

US7212821B2 · kind B2 · utility

78Cited by
30References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 14, 2004
Grant dateMay 1, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 4, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W36/18
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A mobile communications device initiates a handoff from its current base station (BS) sector network attachment point to a new BS sector. The mobile sends a handoff request over its current wireless link to the current BS sector, which forwards the request to the new BS sector, e.g., via a network link. The new BS sector processes the request assigning dedicated resources, e.g., an identifier and dedicated uplink segments. Information identifying the allocated resources is conveyed from the new BS sector via the current BS sector to the mobile. The mobile determines the time of the allocated dedicated segments based upon a received beacon signal from the new BS sector with known timing relationships to dedicated segments. The mobile breaks the original wireless link just prior to the time of the first assigned dedicated segment. The mobile communicates information on the assigned dedicated segments to perform registration operations, e.g., timing synchronization and power control, establishing a new wireless link.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.