Patent ID: 8611341

Claim:
A lower main device that behaves as one or more IP terminals with respect to an upper main device, and that houses one or more non-IP terminals corresponding to the one or more IP terminals, the lower main device comprising: a terminal housing package that houses the one or more non-IP terminals; a terminal information data conversion module that receives an input of non-IP terminal information data outputted by each non-IP terminal through the terminal housing package, and that converts the non-IP terminal information data into IP terminal information data related to each non-IP terminal; a transmission module that multiplexes the IP terminal information data outputted by the terminal information data conversion module and related to each non-IP terminal, and that transmits the IP terminal information data to the upper main device through an IP network; a reception module that demultiplexes IP terminal instruction data received from the upper main device through the IP network, and that outputs the IP terminal instruction data related to each non-IP terminal; and a terminal instruction data conversion module that receives an input of the IP terminal instruction data outputted by the reception module and related to each non-IP terminal, converts the IP terminal instruction data into non-IP terminal instruction data related to each non-IP terminal and outputs the non-IP terminal instruction data related to each non-IP terminal to the terminal housing package, wherein the terminal housing package outputs to each non-IP terminal the non-IP terminal instruction data inputted from the terminal instruction data conversion module and related to each non-IP terminal, wherein: an IP terminal module comprising the transmission terminal and the reception module is configured by utilizing a control module implemented in the IP terminal, and comprises one or more submodules each of which corresponds to one of the non-IP terminals; a conversion module comprising the terminal information data conversion module and the terminal instruction data conversion module comprises one or more submodules each of which corresponds to one of the non-IP terminals; and each submodule included in the IP terminal module functions as an IP terminal for the upper main device in place of each of the non-IP terminals corresponding to the each submodule, by processes carried out by each submodule that is included in the IP terminal module and operates independently of other submodules included in the IP terminal module, and by each submodule that is included in the conversion module and operates independently of other submodules included in the conversion module.