Patent ID: 6230195
Filing Date: 2001-05-08
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A communication system comprising:a center apparatus for providing a plurality of communication services;user apparatuses each connected to the center apparatus via a communication line;terminal interface mounting means provided in each user apparatus and capable of mounting thereon at least one of terminal interface units which are prepared in accordance with desired communication services;terminal interface detecting means provided in said each user apparatus for detecting at a predetermined timing whether or not any terminal interface unit is mounted on the terminal interface mounting means;configuration information transmitting means provided in said each user apparatus for transmitting to the center apparatus, at a predetermined timing, predetermined configuration information indicative of the configuration of said each user apparatus and containing the detection result of the terminal interface detecting means;user configuration managing means provided in the center apparatus for recognizing and managing the configuration of said each user apparatus on the basis of the configuration information transmitted from said each user apparatus;identification information setting means provided in the center apparatus for newly setting, when the user configuration managing means has recognized that a terminal interface unit has been newly mounted, identification information peculiar to the newly mounted terminal interface unit, and for invalidating, when the user configuration managing means has recognized that a terminal interface unit has been removed, identification information having been set for the removed terminal interface unit;identification information notifying means provided in the center apparatus for notifying identification information newly set by the identification information setting means, to that one of the user apparatuses on which a terminal interface unit corresponding to the newly set identification information is mounted; andidentification information managing means provided in said each user apparatus for managing the identification information notified from the center apparatus, in relation to a terminal interface unit corresponding to the notified identification information.