System and method for managing items in a list shared by a group of mobile devices

A mobile device comprising:

• a wireless communication system;
• and
• a processor operably coupled to the wireless transceiver and configured to:
• obtain a list of shared data items, each data item representing a task to be completed, the list being shared amongst a group comprising a plurality of mobile devices including the mobile device;
• receive a common message prepared by one of the mobile devices in the group, the common message comprising a first modified task of at least one of the shared data items or a first new task of a new shared data item to be added to the list of shared data items;
• independently determine, based on the first modified task or the first new task in the common message, if the first new task or the first modified task should be used for updating the list instead of a second new task or a second modified task independently performed on the mobile device, without communicating with others of the plurality of mobile devices, the common message having been sent to all of the plurality of mobile devices in the group to enable all mobile devices in the group to independently update a locally stored version of the list;
• and
• update the list according to the determining and without further communication with at least the one of the mobile devices in association with the updating, wherein if the first task is added to the list or the first modified task replaces an existing item in the list, the list of shared data items is updated without disrupting other task in the shared data items.

A mobile device comprising:

• a wireless communication system;
• and
• a processor operably coupled to the wireless transceiver and configured to:
• obtain a list of shared data items, each data item representing a task to be completed, the list being shared amongst a group comprising a plurality of mobile devices including the mobile device;
• generate a common message to be sent to the other members of the group to enable all mobile devices in the group to update a locally stored version of the list, the common message comprising a first modified task of at least one of the shared data items or a first new task of a new shared data item to be added to the list of shared data items for enabling the other mobile devices in the group to independently determine using information in the common message if the first new task or the first modified task should be used for updating the list instead of a second new task or a second modified task independently generated on the other mobile devices, without communicating with others of the plurality of mobile devices;
• send the common message to the other mobile devices in the group to enable the other mobile devices to independently update the locally stored version of the list according to a determination made by the other mobile devices using the information in the common message without further communication with at least the mobile device in association with updating the locally stored version of the list, wherein if the first task is added to the list or the first modified task replaces an existing item in the list, the list of shared data items is updated without disrupting other values in the shared data items;
• and
• in response to sending the common message to the other mobile devices, determining if each of the other mobile devices are in coverage or out-of-coverage based on receiving or failing to receive an acknowledgement message from the other mobile devices.