Patent ID: 7596132

Claim:
A communication method, wherein using a plurality of communication devices and a relaying device that relays data transfer among the communication devices, one communication device transmits to the relaying device a transmission right request for requesting a transmission right, which is one of commands associated with its own transmission right and transmits data to the relaying device when the communication device is granted a transmission right by the relaying device, and the relaying device broadcasts the received data to other communication device, the communication method comprising the steps of: the communication device transmitting to the relaying device a transmission right grant request for requesting a grant of a transmission right to a transmitting device, which is one of commands associated with the transmitting device that communicates with the relaying device and transmits data to the relaying device; the relaying device determining whether the received transmission right grant request is a command associated with a transmission right of the communication device of a transmission source or a command associated with the transmitting device; if relaying device determines that it is the command associated with the transmitting device, the relaying device following the command and granting the transmission right to the transmitting device; the relaying device broadcasting to the plurality of communication devices data being transmitted from the transmitting device to which the transmission right was granted; the communication device further transmitting to the relaying device an operation command for operating the transmitting device that is one of the commands associated with the transmitting device; the relaying device further determining whether the received operation command is the command associated with the transmission right of the communication device of the transmission source or the command associated with the transmitting device; if the relaying device determines that it is the command associated with the transmitting device, the relaying device transmitting the operation command to the transmitting device; and the transmitting device operating based on the received operation command.