Patent ID: 7830826

Claim:
A method comprising: coupling a multicast relay server to receive multicast data via an ad-hoc peer-to-peer network; coupling the multicast relay server to a mobile device, wherein the mobile device uses the multicast relay as a gateway to the ad-hoc, peer-to-peer network; receiving multicast messages at the multicast relay server from the ad-hoc, peer-to-peer network on behalf of the mobile device; selectively filtering the multicast messages sent to the mobile device via the multicast relay server to reduce network bandwidth used by the mobile device, wherein the selective filtering involves blocking multicast service announcements received at the multicast relay server from being sent to the mobile device and relaying data from particular multicast messages to the mobile device that allows the mobile device to transparently interact with the ad-hoc, peer-to-peer network; caching the multicast service announcements at the multicast relay server on behalf of the mobile device; receiving, at the multicast relay server, a service announcement originating from the mobile device; and providing, via the multicast relay server on behalf of the mobile device, repeated multicast service announcements to the ad-hoc, peer-to-peer network based on the service announcement originating from the mobile device.