Patent ID: 8175025

Claim:
A wireless communication apparatus included in a wireless terminal among a plurality of wireless terminals forming a wireless communication network, comprising: a communication section for transmitting and receiving a data signal and terminal information to and from a peripheral wireless terminal existing in periphery of the wireless terminal; a terminal information manager for managing the terminal information received from the peripheral wireless terminal; a relay network determiner for referencing the terminal information received from the peripheral wireless terminal, and determining, when the wireless terminal can be connected to at least one of a plurality of relay networks provided within the wireless network, a first relay network and a second relay network that differs from the first relay network, as relay networks of the wireless terminal, to which the wireless terminal belongs, the first relay network providing an upward communication route from the wireless terminal to a managing terminal, the second relay network providing a downward communication route from the managing terminal to the wireless terminal; a terminal information advertiser for transmitting terminal information including information indicating the relay networks of the wireless terminal to the peripheral wireless terminal; and a forward processor for using the relay networks of the wireless terminal as a data signal transfer route to perform forward processing.