US 12,082,056 B2
Generation Node-B (GNB), user equipment (UE) and methods for handover based on multi-connectivity in new radio (NR) systems
Candy Yiu, Portland, OR (US); Jing Zhu, Portland, OR (US); Richard C. Burbidge, Shrivenham (GB); Kyeongin Jeong, Youngin-si (KR); and Sudeep K. Palat, Cheltenham (GB)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/479,176
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
PCT Filed Feb. 1, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/016491
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 18, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/144758, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 9, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/455,491, filed on Feb. 6, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/453,969, filed on Feb. 2, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2019/0373519 A1, Dec. 5, 2019
Int. Cl. H04W 36/00 (2009.01); H04W 36/08 (2009.01); H04W 36/30 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 36/0069 (2018.08) [H04W 36/08 (2013.01); H04W 36/30 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
memory; and
processing circuitry in communication with the memory, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
decode a message for a handover of a User Equipment (UE) to a target base station, wherein a source base station is a primary base station for the UE before the handover;
determine, based on the message, that the target base station is to be the primary base station for the UE after the handover;
encode, for transmission to the source base station, a sequence number (SN) status transfer request message that indicates a highest SN of data packets received from the source base station for relay to the UE;
decode, from the source base station, an SN status transfer message that indicates a starting SN for subsequent data packets;
encode, for transmission to the UE while operating as a secondary base station, a first data packet received from the source base station;
encode, for transmission to the UE while operating as the primary base station, a second data packet received from the network; and
refrain from reception of data packets from the source base station for relay to the UE.