Patent ID: 7558388

Claim:
A system for communicating information over a wireless network, comprising: an authentication server operable to generate a first authentication key; a controller operable to receive and store the first authentication key and to generate derived authentication keys therefrom; a plurality of access points operable to advertise: a cache hierarchy depth (N) supported by the plurality of access points, in which the plurality of access points are hierarchically arranged from the authentication server that is at cache hierarchy depth zero and in which N is greater than one and designates a farthest depth of a hierarchy for the access points; a hierarchically ordered list of identifiers for a derivation path for derived authentication keys; wherein selected access points are operable to generate transient authentication keys from respective derived authentication keys of N−1 hierarchy level and when a particular access point lacks a hierarchy level to generate a N−1 level derived authentication key, the particular access point is to calculate the N−1 level derived authentication key in order to generate a transient authentication key, so that all transient authentication keys are generated from derived authentication keys of the N−1 hierarchy level; and a station operable to associate with selected access points in the plurality of access points and to mutually derive the transient authentication keys therefrom to establish an authenticated connection within the wireless network.