Mobile station handoff with flex duplex channel assignment in a wireless communication network

1. A method for mobile station hard handoff from a source base station to a target base station of a Flex Duplex call in a CDMA wireless communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing Flex Duplex capabilities of the mobile station;

sending the Flex Duplex capabilities of the mobile station to the target base station; and

configuring the mobile station and the target base station for the handoff of the call in response to the Flex Duplex capabilities;

wherein the sending step comprises sending a Flex Duplex channel pair that is currently being used; and

wherein the configuring step gives preference to this Flex Duplex channel pair.

2. The method of claim 1 :

wherein the sending step comprises sending a fixed-channel pair currently used with the mobile station at the source base station; and

wherein the configuring step configures a Flex Duplex channel configuration at the target base station.

3. The method of claim 1 :

wherein the sending step comprises sending a Flex Duplex channel pair currently used with the mobile station at the source base station; and

wherein the configuring step configures a fixed-channel configuration at the target base station.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring step comprises:

the target base station selecting a fixed-duplex channel pair to use for the handoff call; and

sending a message indicating the selected fixed-duplex channel pair to be used for the handoff call.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending step comprises sending the Flex Duplex capabilities in a Handoff Required message from the source base station to a mobile switching center and in a Handoff Request message from the mobile switching center to the target base station.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the Flex Duplex capabilities are beyond what the source base station is currently using for the call.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring step comprises:

the target base station selecting a Flex Duplex channel pair to use for the handoff call; and

sending a message indicating the selected Flex Duplex channel pair to be used for the handoff call.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the message comprises a Handoff Request Acknowledgement message sent from the target base station to the mobile switching center and a Handoff Command message sent from the mobile switching center to the source base station.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the message further comprises a message from the source base station to the mobile station conveying the selected Flex Duplex channel pair to use for the handoff call.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring step considers another Flex Duplex capability of the mobile station when the current Flex Duplex channel pair is not considered suitable for the handoff.