Patent ID: 7917119

Claim:
A band control apparatus for relaying signals by using at least one of a plurality of lines, the band control apparatus being connected to some band control apparatus by way of the plurality of lines and adapted to cooperate with the other band control apparatus to control the bands of the plurality of lines which include a first line and second lines, the apparatus comprising: a communication status gauging section that gauges the communication status of the own apparatus on the plurality of lines as first communication status; a communication status acquisition section that acquires the communication status of the other band control apparatus on the plurality of lines as second communication status; and a band control section that computationally determines the line status of each of the lines according to the first communication status acquired by the communication status gauging section and the second communication status acquired by the communication status acquiring section and allocates the bands to be used for the relay to the plurality of lines according to the line statuses such that the first line and the second lines are used when a value of a band required for relaying signals exceeds the sum of values of the bands of the line status of the second lines and that only the second lines are used otherwise.