Method of providing messages to a mobile unit on a forward link

• US 8,331,941 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sound View Innovations, LLC (Sound View Innovation Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Bi, Qi, Cheng, Terry Si-Fong, Jiang, Frances, Vishnuvajjala, Ramakrishna, Yang, Tomas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kasraian, Allahyar
• Application Number:
  US11/125,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20060258357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,772 Days
• Field of Search: 455436-439, 455/444, 370/331, 370/332
• US Class Current: 455/439
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of wireless communication using a mobile unit and first and second base stations. The method includes receiving, from the second base station, a notification of a switch of the first base station to the second base station. The method also includes providing at least one message to the second base station in response to receiving the notification.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a radio network controller and from a second base station, a notification that the second base station has detected that a mobile unit has switched its serving base station from a first base station to the second base station; and

providing, from the radio network controller, at least one signaling message to the second base station for transmission to the mobile unit in response to receiving the notification, wherein the radio network controller provides said at least one signaling message before the radio network controller receives, from the first base station, information indicating at least one of a sequence number or a frame number, wherein the sequence number or frame number is associated with at least one data frame previously transmitted to the mobile unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the notification comprises receiving the notification in response to detecting, at the second base station, that the mobile unit has switched serving base stations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing said at least one signaling message comprises providing at least one Traffic Channel Assignment message to the second base station for transmission to the mobile unit over a forward link between the second base station and the mobile unit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing said at least one signaling message comprises providing said at least one signaling message to the mobile unit over a forward link between the second base station and the mobile unit established in response to the second base station detecting that the mobile unit has switched its serving base station to the second base station.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising switching the mobile unit'"'"'s serving base station from the first base station to the second base station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein switching the mobile unit'"'"'s serving base station to the second base station comprises establishing a forward link between the second base station and the mobile unit.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising providing, from the radio network controller, said at least one data frame to the second base station after receiving, from the first base station, said at least one of the sequence number or the frame number, and wherein providing said at least one-data frame comprises providing said at least one data frame over the forward link between the second base station and the mobile unit in response to switching the mobile unit'"'"'s serving base station from the first base station to the second base station, continuity of said at least one-data frame with at least one prior data frame transmitted by the first base station being preserved using said at least one of the sequence number or the frame number.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a mobile unit, at least one prior data frame from a first base station, said at least one prior data frame being associated with at least one of a sequence number or a frame number;

switching the mobile unit'"'"'s serving base station from the first base station to a second base station;

receiving at least one signaling message from the second base station, wherein the mobile unit receives said at least one signaling message before a radio network controller receives information indicating at least one of the sequence number or the frame number from the first base station, and wherein said at least one signaling message is provided in response to the second base station providing at least one notification to the radio network controller indicating that the second base station has detected that the mobile unit switched serving base stations.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein switching the mobile unit'"'"'s serving base station from the first base station to the second base station comprises switching the mobile unit'"'"'s serving base station from the first base station to the second base station based on a quality of service associated with the first base station.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving said at least one signaling message comprises receiving at least one Traffic Channel Assignment message.

11. The method of claim 8, comprising establishing a forward link with the second base station.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising receiving at least one new data frame over the forward link after the radio network controller receives the information indicating at least one of the sequence number or the frame number from the first base station, continuity of said at least one new data frame with said at least one prior data frame being preserved using the information indicating at least one of the sequence number or the frame number-provided by said at least one first base station.

13. A method, comprising:

providing, from a mobile unit, a notification that the mobile unit is switching serving base stations from a first base station to a second base station;

receiving, at the mobile unit, at least one signaling message from the second base station, wherein the mobile unit receives said at least one signaling message after the second base station has informed a radio network controller that it has detected the switch and before the radio network controller has received information from the first base station indicating at least one of a sequence number or a frame number associated with at least one prior data frame.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the notification to the first and second base stations comprises providing the notification to the first and second base stations in response to the mobile unit switching its serving base station from the first base station to the second base station.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving said at least one signaling message comprises receiving at least one Traffic Channel Assignment message.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising establishing a forward link between the mobile unit and the second base station.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising receiving at least one new data frame from the radio network controller, said at least one new data frame being provided after the radio network controller receives the information indicating at least one of the sequence number or the frame number from the first base station, wherein receiving said at least one new data frame comprises receiving at least one new data frame over the forward link, continuity of said at least one new data frame with said at least one prior data frame being preserved using the information indicating at least one of the sequence number or the frame number provided by said at least one first base station.