Patent ID: 7254615

Claim:
An ad hoc telecommunications network comprising: a plurality of devices, in which downloaded user data is distributed and cached amongst the devices, each device communicates a data reference for data it caches; a device designated as manager device for managing the cached, user-downloaded distributed data, wherein the manager device designation is carried out dynamically based on a received signal strength value for each device from the other plurality of devices in the network, and wherein the manager device determines where the data is cached and stores a record of the data reference and data location for data distributed amongst the devices; and a designated vice manager device, in which, if the manager device transfers the record of data to the designated vice manager and leaves the network, the vice manager device is designated as the new manager device, wherein the first device that communicates with the new manager device is automatically elected as vice manager after which an assessment loop is entered such that any subsequent device more eligible than the current vice manager is identified upon communication with the manager device.