Patent ID: 7515897

Claim:
A communication apparatus for use as a terminal in a communication network including a plurality of terminals, wherein one of the plurality of terminals acts as a master and at least one other one of the plurality of terminals acts as a slave to execute communication between the terminals, the communication apparatus comprising: detection means for detecting a first signal that is sent from the terminal acting as the master; halt means for halting the detection means upon non-detection of the first signal during a first time period; transmission means for transmitting a second signal in order to inquiry or page the terminals; start means for causing the transmission means to start transmission of the second signal, upon passage of a second time period from the halt of the detection means; request means for issuing a request for a master/slave role switch to a given one of the terminals that responds to the second signal transmitted by the transmission means; and switch means for executing the master/slave role switch upon acceptance of the request.