Patent ID: 7321782

Claim:
A relay apparatus for connection to a plurality of communication devices including portable terminals, fixed telephone terminals and a telephone line connected to a telephone network, said relay apparatus comprising: an external interface (IF) section which independently controls each of the plurality of communication devices and includes separate interface sections for respective ones of the plurality of communication devices, and a common terminal section commonly provided for the respective ones of the plurality of communication devices connected to the external I/F section performing multiple kinds of communication including speech communication, electronic mail communication and image communication, the common terminal section including a control section connected to the external I/F section and including a call control section for controlling various kinds of communication calls, a speech communication processing section for performing speech communication, a mail processing section for exchanging electronic mail, an image processing section for performing image communication, a database management section, and a response determination section, said common terminal section further including a transmission/reception section connected to the speech communication processing section of the communication control section, a database (DB) connected to the communication control section and managed by the database management section, a storage section storing programs executed by the common terminal section, and a window display section, wherein said call control section performs call control for the respective ones of the plurality of communication devices on the basis of specifications set in advance in accordance with types and models of respective ones of the plurality of communication devices, said DB commonly performing collective management of communication information identifying communication partners, said DB having registered filter settings including limitations on origination and utilization time, call rejection and call limitations and termination propriety used to determine whether to respond to a new incoming call from another communication partner during speech communication, communication information held in each of said plurality of communication devices being stored in said DB when each communication device is connected to the relay apparatus.