Methods and apparatus for efficiently establishing and maintaining a data connection between a mobile station and a wireless network

Abstract

One illustrative method for use in efficiently establishing a data connection, such as a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Context, between a mobile station and a wireless communication network includes the steps of causing at least one data connection request to be transmitted to the wireless network in attempt to establish a data connection between the mobile station and the wireless network; setting a delay timer to an initial value and running the delay timer; if the data connection has not been established in response to transmitting the at least one data connection request, causing at least one subsequent data connection request to be transmitted after expiration of the delay timer set to the initial value; setting the delay timer to a subsequent initial value which is greater than the initial value and running the delay timer; and if the data connection has not been established in response to transmitting the at least one subsequent data connection request, causing at least one other subsequent data connection request to be transmitted after expiration of the delay timer set to the subsequent initial value. This technique continues until the data connection is established with the wireless network, if at all. If a new wireless network is selected during the technique, the process is reset such that the first initial value is again utilized first for the delay timer. Preferably, the technique works in combination with relatively more quick retries implemented in lower radio layer(s) (i.e. the physical, data link, or network layer). Thus, each data connection request may be a plurality of data connection retries which are performed much closer together in time than other retry attempts.