Patent ID: 6105054
Filing Date: 2000-08-15
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
A communication system for facilitating communication among a plurality of communication terminals, at least one of the communication terminals comprising:confirmation means for inquiring to another communication terminal about use status of a data channel owned by the other communication terminal using a control channel;control means for connecting a communication line among the plurality of communication terminals in accordance with a confirmation result provided by said confirmation means; andinhibiting means for inhibiting a call to a communication terminal other than the communication terminal for which non-busy status of the data channel has been confirmed by said confirmation means,wherein a restriction is released by said inhibiting means when no call is received from the other communication terminal within a predetermined period, andwherein the other communication terminal comprises informing means for communicating the use status of the data channel in response to the inquiry from said confirmation means.