Patent ID: 7630329

Claim:
A communication method employing a repeating apparatus, which can relay communication among a plurality of first communication apparatuses capable of performing half duplex communication, and which performs multi-address calling of output data received from one first communication apparatus having acquired a transmission right, to the other communication apparatuses having been grouped with said one first communication apparatus, at least one second communication apparatus capable of performing full duplex communication and establishing call connection, and a connection apparatus connected to said repeating apparatus, said communication method comprising: by said connection apparatus, establishing the call connection in full duplex communication to the second communication apparatus; by said connection apparatus, performing communication with said repeating apparatus as a proxy of the second communication apparatus having been grouped by establishing the call connection; by said connection apparatus, transmitting output data received from the second communication apparatus to said repeating apparatus when the second communication apparatus, which is grouped with the plurality of first communication apparatuses as grouped apparatuses, has acquired a transmission right, and discarding the output data received from the second communication apparatus when the grouped second communication apparatus has not acquired the transmission right; and by said connection apparatus, when said connection apparatus receives output data from said repeating apparatus, transmitting the received output data to the second communication apparatus, wherein the second communication apparatus capable of transmitting a participation request for requesting participation into a group with specifying a plurality of communication apparatuses including itself, to said repeating apparatus not via said connection apparatus, said repeating apparatus capable of transmitting the participation request to said connection apparatus to be the proxy of the second communication apparatus specified by the received participation request, said connection apparatus further capable of: executing call processing for the second communication apparatus specified by the received participation request, establishing call connection to the second communication apparatus, when a response to the call processing is received from the second communication apparatus, recording apparatus information for identifying the second communication apparatus to which call connection has been established, into said apparatus information recording means as a communication apparatus to be participated into the group, and transmitting to said repeating apparatus a participation approval for approving participation of the second communication apparatus into the group, and said repeating apparatus further capable of executing grouping on the basis of the received participation approval.