Patent ID: 6693875
Filing Date: 2004-02-17
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
A communication network system comprising a plurality of communication terminals, each having first transmitting means and first receiving means, connected via a transmission channel, information being transmitted and received among said communication terminals through said first transmitting means and said first receiving means, at least two of said communication terminals being used as relay communication terminals, each of said relay communication terminals comprising:second transmitting means for performing only one-to-one communication; second receiving means for performing only one-to-one communication; received-information relay means for transmitting information received from said first receiving means to said second transmitting means and for transmitting information received from said second receiving means to said first transmitting means; relay-terminal-information transmitting means for transmitting to said first transmitting means terminal identification information of said relay terminal and terminal identification information of a terminal to which said relay terminal is providing relay services as relay terminal information; and relay terminal storage means for storing information of said relay terminal and another relay terminal and relay situations of the relay terminals from the relay terminal information received from said first receiving means, wherein, upon discontinuing the relay services by the relay terminal which is providing the relay services, the presence or the absence of an available relay terminal is determined by referring to said relay terminal storage means, and if there is an available relay terminal, an instruction is provided to the terminal which is receiving the relay services to change the relay terminal.