Patent ID: 7941121

Claim:
A method for a network application function unit (NAF) of a third generation wireless communication network to verify validity of a user, comprising: receiving an application request message containing a transaction identifier (TID) from a user equipment device (UE) of the user, checking whether there is information of the TID stored in the NAF; if the information of the TID is found, determining whether the TID has expired based on a preset term of validity for the TID, if the TID has not expired, making normal communications with the UE; if the TID has expired, instructing the UE to connect to a bootstrapping server function unit (BSF) for performing a bootstrapping authentication; wherein the term of validity for the TID is assigned by the BSF; and if the information of the TID is not found, sending to the BSF a TID inquiring message containing an identity of the NAF, wherein if the BSF finds the TID inquired by the NAF, the BSF returns to the NAF a response message of success containing the information of the TID and the term of validity of the TID, and the method further comprises: storing the information of the TID and the term of validity of the TID in the response message and making normal communications with the UE; or if the BSF fails to find the TID inquired by the NAF, the BSF returns to the NAF a response message of failure, and the method further comprises: instructing the UE to perform a bootstrapping authentication with the BSF.