Patent ID: 7643621

Claim:
An apparatus for converting control information or the media information for picture/speech communication between first and second terminals connected to respective different types of networks, comprising a converter for effecting converting processing in a first direction for converting decoding information acquired from said first terminal into call control information to output the resulting call control information to said second terminal; and for effecting converting processing in a second direction for converting call control information acquired from said second terminal into decoding information to output the resulting decoding information to said first terminal; and for converting a bit stream, encoded for compression on said first or second terminal belonging to a given one of the networks, so that said encoded bit stream will be decodable on said first or second terminal side belonging to the other network; said converter being booted in case a first ability information, inclusive of a picture format size, as extracted from the decoding information received from said first terminal, and a second ability information, inclusive of a picture format size, as extracted from the call control information received from said second terminal, are not coincident to each other.