Patent ID: 7424116

Claim:
A system comprising: session authentication information for each of a plurality of authentication keys for use in a communication system having a plurality of zones; a first infrastructure system device other than a mobile station in a first zone of the system, the first infrastructure system device comprised of memory for storing: first zone session authentication information, an intrakey that is used only by infrastructure system devices other than a mobile station within the first zone for encrypting key material for transport on demand to another infrastructure system device other than a mobile station in the first zone, and an interkey that is shared by a plurality of zones and used only by infrastructure system devices other than a mobile station for encrypting at least a segment of the first zone session authentication information for transport to another infrastructure system device other than a mobile station in a zone other than the first zone; and a second infrastructure system device other than a mobile station comprised of memory for storing the first zone session authentication information at least partially in an encrypted form.