Patent ID: 7680878

Claim:
A home terminal apparatus connected to a router via a home network and for sending/receiving packet data to and from the router connected to an external network to which a server apparatus is connected, said home terminal apparatus comprising: a packet generation unit operable to generate packet data to be sent to the server apparatus via the router; a protocol determination unit operable to determine a communication protocol used between said home terminal apparatus and the server apparatus; and a communication unit operable to send/receive the packet data to and from the server apparatus via the router, wherein said protocol determination unit is operable to determine that said home terminal apparatus is to communicate with the server apparatus using (i) a first communication protocol, being a User Datagram Protocol (UDP), when said communication unit sends address notification packet data generated by said packet generation unit to the server apparatus periodically and repeatedly at a predetermined sending interval via the router, and (ii) a second communication protocol, being a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), when said communication unit sends/receives control information to and from the server apparatus, wherein when said communication unit receives, from the server apparatus, a notification packet indicating an occurrence of a control request to control said home terminal apparatus while said communication unit is repeating the sending, using the UDP, of the address notification packet on a periodical basis: said packet generation unit is operable to generate a connection request packet, which is a packet for making a connection request to establish a TCP connection to the server apparatus; said protocol determination unit is operable to determine that the connection request packet is to be communicated using the second communication protocol which is the TCP; and said communication unit is operable to send the connection request packet to the server apparatus using the TCP, and operable to receive, from the server apparatus, control packet data, which is data including the control request in the TCP after the connection is established between the server apparatus and said home terminal apparatus using the second communication protocol which is the TCP.