Patent ID: 8380782

Claim:
An information communication apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to execute processing and a communication unit configured to connect to a network, the control unit performs operations including: an acceptance operation to accept first presence information that has been transmitted from a first terminal device connected to be communicable through a network; an acquisition operation to acquire a notification destination to which the first presence information is destined and to map the notification destination to a transmission source of the first presence information, the notification destination corresponding to a second terminal device; a decision operation to decide whether or not an alteration of the notification destination is required according to a state of the notification destination as indicated by second presence information accepted from the second terminal device; a selection operation to select, if alteration is required, a third terminal device to succeed the second terminal device; an alteration operation to alter the notification destination to reflect the third terminal device; and a notification operation to notify the first presence information to the third terminal device corresponding to the altered notification destination; wherein the selection operation comprises: a detection operation to detect at least one next notification destination candidate, from among the terminal devices that can accept the publication of the presence information; and an inquiry operation which transmits an inquiry message to the terminal device being the notification source of the presence information, about a propriety of the alteration to a next notification destination candidate detected by the detection operation; wherein the selection operation selects the notification destination candidate as to which a response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the terminal device being the notification source, indicates that the alteration is proper, as a next notification destination; and wherein in a case where the response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the notification source, indicates that the alteration is improper, another notification destination candidate is detected by the detection operation, and an inquiry is made again by the inquiry operation, about a propriety of the alteration to the detected other notification destination candidate.