Patent ID: 8761822

Claim:
A method for selectively maintaining an open multicast interface to a communication computer device that is controlling wireless communication to at least one of a plurality of wireless communication devices that are in a communication group, the method comprising: registering at least one wireless communication device that is a member of the communication group at the communication computer device, the at least one wireless communication device configured to receive group-directed communications for the communication group, wherein the at least one wireless communication device is configured to selectively unregister itself from the communication computer device; maintaining with the communication computer device a list of currently registered wireless communication devices that are members of the communication group, wherein maintaining the list comprises removing any wireless communication device that selectively unregisters itself; establishing at least one multicast interface, wherein said at least one multicast interface comprises a broadcast A10 interface, between the communication computer device and another computer device on a wireless communication network, the at least one multicast interface permitting delivery of the group-directed communications to the at least one wireless communication device; determining, via the maintained list, whether any wireless communication devices remain registered as members of the communication group; and in response to the determining, maintaining the at least one multicast interface so long as any wireless communication device remains registered with the communication computer device as a member of the communication group after the group-directed communications have ended, wherein the communication group comprises a group of wireless communication devices registered to conduct group communications among each other.