Patent ID: 8886815

Claim:
A communication apparatus comprising: a communication unit configured to establish a first communication connection with another communication apparatus and a second communication connection with the other communication apparatus, the first communication connection being different than the second communication connection; a memory for storing: (i) first connection data associated with the first communication connection established by said communication unit, (ii) second connection data associated with the second communication connection established by said communication unit, and (iii) first timer information corresponding to the first connection data; a cache, which is different from said memory, for storing second timer information corresponding to the second connection data that is stored in said memory, wherein the second timer information corresponding to the second connection data is different than the first timer information corresponding to the first connection data, and is stored in said cache without storing the first timer information in said cache; a deletion unit configured to, in response to the communication unit disconnecting the second communication connection: delete the second connection data stored in said memory, and delete the second timer information stored in said cache; and a controller configured to: (a) determine whether said cache has vacant space as a result of the deletion of the second timer information by said deletion unit, (b) select whether to load the first timer information corresponding to the first connection data from said memory into said cache in accordance with a priority level set in the first timer information, (c) if it is determined that said cache has vacant space as a result of the deletion of the second timer information by said deletion unit and the first timer information is selected to be loaded from said memory into said cache, load the first timer information from said memory into said cache, and (d) notify said communication unit of a time-out of timer information stored in said cache and a time-out of timer information stored in said memory, wherein the communication apparatus further comprises a processor configured to function as said units.