Method and apparatus for communicating deliver of data packets to a user equipment in a wireless communication system

Abstract

In a communication system ( 100 ) where a wireless relay node (RN) ( 114 ) relays data packets between a Node B ( 112 ) and a user equipment (UE) ( 102 ), the RN receives ( 608 ) a data packet from the Node B via a first wireless link ( 115 ), conveys ( 614 ) the received data packet to the UE via a second wireless link ( 120 ), determines ( 616 ) whether the UE is likely to handoff, and in response to determining that the UE is likely to handoff, delays conveying ( 620, 622 ) an acknowledgment of the data packet to the Node B until an acknowledgment has been received from the UE. In another embodiment, the RN may use a status report ( 720 ) to inform the Node B of data packets that have not been transmitted to the UE or that have been transmitted to the UE but for which an acknowledgement has not been received from the UE.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for communicating delivery of a data packet to a user equipment, the method comprising:
 receiving a data packet from a Node B via a first wireless link;   conveying the received data packet to a user equipment via a second wireless link;   determining whether the user equipment is likely to handoff; and in response to determining that the user equipment is likely to handoff, delaying   conveying an acknowledgment of the data packet to the Node B until an acknowledgment has been received from the user equipment.