Patent ID: 8037225

Claim:
A communication system comprising: a plurality of communication apparatuses configured to perform data transmission over a predetermined communication interface that allows one of the communication apparatuses to act as a host and to control data transmission and that allows the other communication apparatuses to act as devices and to perform data transmission under control of the host, the plurality of communication apparatuses including a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus, the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus being connected to the predetermined communication interface, each of the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus having both host and device roles, the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus being configured to exchange the host and device roles by using a predetermined communication protocol, the second communication apparatus being configured to exchange the host and device roles by using a predetermined communication protocol; the first communication apparatus being designated as the host and the second communication apparatus being designated as one of the devices; an apparatus-information transmitter that transmits apparatus information relating to a structure or specific information of the second communication apparatus to the first communication apparatus; a determining mechanism that determines whether or not to switch the host and device roles between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus according to a predetermined criterion when the first communication apparatus compares the apparatus information transmitted by the second communication apparatus with apparatus information relating to a structure or specific information of the first communication apparatus; and a switching procedure executing unit that executes a procedure that switches the host and device roles between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus by using the predetermined communication protocol when an affirmative determination result is obtained from the determining mechanism.