Abstract: An electronic book system for providing services for improving the user convenience by sharing, acquiring and analyzing text information included in an electronic book is provided.

Abstract: A content server retrieves a book content from a database in response to a book content search request, the book content meeting the book content search request transmitted from a user terminal; creates sample image data having a plurality of pages, with regard to the retrieved book content; and distributes search result information including the sample image data to the user terminal. The user terminal displays, when the search result information is received, a search result screen on which an image of a first page of a sample image of the book content is displayed as a thumbnail based on the sample image data of the book content; and, when a user provides a page-turning operation instruction to the sample image of the book content displayed on the search result screen, makes pages of the sample image turned page by page on the search result screen.

Abstract: An advertisement distribution server 10 is connected through a communication network N to a user terminal 1 including an application program capable of displaying advertisement information, and distributes the advertisement information to the user terminal 1. The advertisement distribution server 10 includes a CPU 11 and a DB 20 that stores advertisement information 23.

Abstract: An electronic book system, which provides a service for improving usability for users by sharing, acquiring, and analyzing text information and image information contained in an electronic book and various information items added to the electronic book, is provided. A typical aspect of the present invention includes a content server and a terminal including a viewer. The viewer includes comment input means that receives an input of a comment for transmission to the content server and freehand-memo input means that receives an input of a freehand memo for transmission to the content server; and the content server includes a comment processing unit that retains information about the comment in comment storing means, retains information about the freehand memo in freehand-memo storing means, causes the comment and the freehand memo to be displayed when a user browses the electronic book and, when another user browses the electronic book, causes the freehand memo to be displayed on a viewer of the another user.

Abstract: An electronic book system which enables selecting and distributing music matching contents etc. of an electronic book and playing the selected music upon browsing the electronic book. A typical embodiment of the present invention includes a content server and a terminal having a viewer for browsing electronic books and playing music, the viewer including an electronic book playback portion which plays and displays electronic books and a music playback portion which plays music.