Method for flow control, node and communication network employing the flow control

Claim 1

A method for a flow control to a mobile communication network in which an ATM virtual channel established between a first base station having a radio zone in which a mobile station exists and a terminating ATM node to which a remote station with which the mobile station communicates is connected, said method comprising the steps of: (a) queuing, in an ATM node, incoming cells to be sent to a second base station having a radio zone when the mobile station is handed over to the radio zone of the second base station; and (b) stopping queuing and sending the incoming cells queued in the ATM node to the second base station after the mobile station is handed over.

Claim 4

A method for a flow control to a mobile communication network in which an ATM virtual channel established between a first base station having a radio zone in which a mobile station exists and a terminating ATM node to which a remote station with which the mobile station communicates is connected, said method comprising the steps of: (a) sending hand-over start information to an ATM node accommodating the first base station therefrom when the mobile station moves to a radio zone covered by a second base station; (b) recognizing, in an ATM node in which the ATM virtual channel between the mobile station and the remote station is formed even after a hand-over, an ATM transmission path and an ATM virtual channel directed to the second base station; (c) queuing, in the ATM node, incoming cells to be transferred via the recognized ATM transmission path; (d) sending hand-over end information to the ATM node from the second base station when the hand-over is completed; (f) recognizing, from the hand-over end information, the ATM transmission path and the ATM virtual channel directed to the second ratio ground station; (g) stopping queuing at the step (c) and outputting the incoming cells queued to the second base station via the recognized ATM transmission path.

Claim 7

A method for a flow control to a mobile communication network having a hierarchical structure formed by base stations, ATM nodes directly connected thereto and other ATM nodes, wherein a mobile station located in a radio zone of a first base station communicates with a remote station via an ATM virtual channel formed therebetween, said method comprising the steps of: (a) sending hand-over start information from the first base station to an ATM node accommodating the first base station when the mobile station moves to a second ground station accommodated in a second base station, the hand-over start information concerning the second base station and an ATM virtual channel established for the mobile station; (b) recognizing, from the hand-over start information, an ATM transmission path and an ATM virtual channel directed to the second base station; (c) queuing, in an upper ATM node located at a hierarchical level higher than the first and second base stations, incoming cells to be transferred via the recognized ATM transmission path; (d) sending hand-over end information to the upper ATM node from the second base station when the hand-over is completed, said hand-over end information including information concerning the second base station and an ATM virtual channel newly established for the mobile station which is handed over thereto; (f) recognizing, in the upper ATM node, the ATM transmission path and the ATM virtual channel directed to the second ratio ground station from the hand-over end information; (g) stopping queuing at the step (c) and outputting the incoming cells queued to the second base station via the recognized ATM transmission path.

Claim 12

A method for a flow control to a communication network in which cells are transferred via a virtual channel established between nodes, said method comprising: (a) temporarily storing incoming cells transferred over an input transmission path in a first buffer in a node in which the virtual channel is switched; (b) switching the virtual channel to another route; (c) allocating a transmission band of an output virtual channel in an output transmission path in order to send the cells stored in the first buffer thereto at a bit rate higher than that of an input virtual channel thereof; (d) sending the cells stored in the first buffer to the output transmission path; and (e) releasing the transmission band allocated to send the cells stored in the first buffer.