Patent ID: 6975635

Claim:
A communication system comprising: a local terminal apparatus connected with a local network provided in a predetermined facility; a remote terminal apparatus connected with an external network; and a control apparatus interposed between the local network and the external network, wherein the local terminal apparatus comprises: processing executing means for executing a predetermined processing; and reply means for returning an answer signal including a status information of said processing executing means via the local network in response to a request signal received via the local network; wherein said remote terminal apparatus comprises: input means for inputting a predetermined operation; transceiver means for transmitting the request signal including control information corresponding to an operation inputted by said input means via the external network, and receiving an answer signal corresponding to the request signal via the local network; and information output means for outputting the status information included in the answer signal received by said transceiver means, and wherein said control apparatus comprises: gateway means for receiving the request signal transmitted from said remote terminal apparatus via the external network, and thereafter, transmitting the received request signal to the local terminal apparatus via the local network, and for receiving an answer signal corresponding to the request signal from the local terminal apparatus via the local network, and thereafter, transmitting the received answer signal to the remote terminal apparatus via the external network, wherein said communication system further comprises: a plurality of said local terminal apparatuses and a plurality of said remote terminal apparatuses, wherein said control apparatus comprises storage means for storing a transmission destination table including a transmission destination indicative of which one of said plurality of remote terminal apparatuses the answer signal should be transmitted to, for each of said local terminal apparatus, and wherein said gateway means transmits the received answer signal to the remote terminal apparatus determined by referring to the transmission destination table stored in said storage means, via the external network.