Importance

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Abstract

A method and system are shown for handing off a communication stream between a mobile node and a communication endpoint from a first connection initiator to a second connection initiator while maintaining call state for the communication stream. The first connection initiator establishes a first connection to the communication endpoint in response to receiving a first connection request from the mobile node that includes a client identifier value for the mobile node. When the first connection initiator detects loss of communication with the mobile node, it sends a call-disconnect-notify (CDN) message having a cause code set to a handoff value to the connection endpoint. The connection endpoint, in response to the CDN message, stores call information for the first connection along with the mobile node's client identifier value. The first connection initiator also broadcasts a user-moved message that includes the mobile node's client identifier value and the first connection initiator's call information for the first connection. The second connection initiator, upon receiving the user-moved message, stores the first connection initiator's call information from the message along with the mobile node's client identifier value. When the second connection initiator receives a second connection request from the mobile node having the mobile node's client identifier value, it retrieves the call information from the user-moved message using the client identifier value and sends a tunnel-handoff-request message, which includes the client identifier value, to the connection endpoint. The connection endpoint retrieves its call information for the first connection using the client identifier value and sends a tunnel-handoff-response message to the second connection initiator. The second connection initiator and the connection endpoint then resume the communication stream using the call information for the first connection.

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First Claim