Patent ID: 7688786

Claim:
A wireless communication device, comprising: a connection table for storing one or more connection identifiers, wherein a connection identifier corresponds to a Packet Coordination Function (PCF) that has been previously visited by the wireless communication device, the connection table indicating whether a connection between the wireless communication device and each PCF is active; a receiver for receiving a connection identifier; a processor for determining if the received connection identifier is contained in the connection table, and for delivering the received connection identifier to the connection table for storing when the received connection identifier is not contained in the connection table; a transmitter for sending a registration in response to the received connection identifier when the received connection identifier is not contained in the connection table; and a first inactivity timer associated with the connection identifier, wherein the processor removes the connection identifier from the connection table in response to an expiration of the first inactivity timer, the first inactivity timer configured to expire before a second inactivity timer maintained in a Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) to which the wireless communication device is connected via the PCF and which is also associated with the connection identifier; wherein the processor resets the first inactivity timer in response to activity on a connection corresponding to the connection identifier, and wherein the processor is further operable to determine that the registration is not needed if the processor determines that received connection identifier is contained in the connection table.