Patent ID: 7945686

Claim:
A communication control apparatus comprising: a registration request signal receiver configured to receive from each of a plurality of terminals a control terminal registration request signal requesting registration of the terminals as a plurality of respective control terminals that do not participate in group communication, and that control the group communication, the group communication performed among a plurality of group communication terminals over a communication network; a registration section configured to register the terminals as control terminals; a registration-information transmitter configured to send through the communication network to the terminals information indicating that the terminals have been registered as control terminals; a group communication control signal receiver configured to receive through the communication network from a first one of the control terminals a group communication control signal for controlling the group communication; a determining section configured to determine whether the group communication should be controlled in accordance with the group communication control signal received from the first one of the control terminals; a transfer section configured to transfer the group communication control signal received from the first one of the control terminals to at least a second one of the control terminals; and an opinion receiver configured to receive information indicating an opinion related to the group communication control signal, the information indicating the opinion received from the at least a second one of the control terminals; wherein the determining section is further configured to determine, based on the information indicating the opinion, whether the group communication should be controlled in accordance with the group communication control signal; and a group communication controller configured to start or change the group communication in accordance with the group communication control signal.