Patent ID: RE39317

Claim:
An address management method in a communication system equipped with a plurality of terminals, and a server having an address table for storing registering a corresponding relationship between a protocol first address and terminal a second address of each terminal, and an exchange which accommodates each terminal and the server, said the method comprising the steps of : a first step in which an originating terminal sends a terminal address interrogation request to the server if the terminal address of another party's terminal is unknown at the time of communication; a second step in which the server, upon receiving the terminal address interrogation request from the terminal, refers to the address table and searches for a terminal address corresponding to a protocol address contained in said interrogation request; a third step in which, if a terminal address corresponding to said protocol address is obtained from the address table, the server notifies the terminal of this terminal address; a fourth step in which, if the terminal address is not obtained from the address table, the server transfers the terminal address interrogation request containing said protocol address to all terminals via the exchange; sending, to the server by an originating terminal, an address interrogation request which includes a fist value indicative of a request and a first address; transferring, to a plurality of terminals by the server, the address interrogation request which includes the first value and the first address; the fifth step in which, when receiving, by each terminal receives the terminal address interrogation request transferred from the server , the terminal determines ; determining by each terminal whether the protocol first address contained included in the address interrogation request received from the server agrees with its a terminal's own protocol first address and notifies the server of its own terminal address if agreement is achieved; and, ; a sixth step in which the server notifies the originating terminal of the terminal address of which it has been notified notifying, by each terminal, in response to the address interrogation request, the server of an answer which includes a terminal's own second address which is not registered in the server and a second value indicative of an answer when agreement is achieved; receiving, from one of the plurality of terminals by the server, the answer which includes the second value and the second address which corresponds to the first address; and registering, in the server, a corresponding relationship between the first address and the second address which is included in the answer .