Abstract: A monitoring apparatus is connected to a shutter which opens and closes to limit a capturing area of an image capturing device. The monitoring apparatus detects an event indicative of a closing event or an opening event, and controls the shutter to open and close based on a given time schedule and the detected event, where the time schedule determines each period for opening and closing the shutter. The monitoring apparatus controls the shutter based on the opening event in response to a detection of the opening event, and controls the shutter based on the time schedule in response to a detection of the closing event when the opening event is last detected before the detection of the closing event.

Abstract: A proxy server apparatus (APP) coupled to a network and a TEL network is disclosed, which comprises: a receiving portion for receiving a request, from a client terminal coupled to the network, for connection to a desired server APP therethrough via the TEL network, the request including a name of the server; an address table for storing the name and corresponding TEL NO.; a PPP connection portion for dynamically assigning an IP address to the desired server APP from the name according to the address table and for providing PPP connection between the desired server APP and the proxy server APP; and a COMM providing portion for providing communication between the client terminal and the desired server APP using the IP address. A proxy server system including a plural proxy server APP is also disclosed, wherein a request is forwarded to a desired server according to a proxy server arrangement table in each proxy server APP and communication is routed through other server APP.

Abstract: A virtual WWW (World Wide Web) server apparatus which can obtain a plurality of predetermined HTML files and combine these into a single HTML file in response to a specific URL sent from a WWW browser, can connect to WWW servers and the browser via a network such as the Internet, to thereby enable the browser to obtain via the network the contents of a plurality of data files each of which may be HTML files, acquired from respective WWW servers through the intermediary of the virtual WWW server apparatus as a single combined file, and to thereby display the respective file contents together on a single display screen. The virtual WWW server apparatus can further include a linkage file whose contents relate respective names of video cameras controlled by various WWW servers to URLs for sending control commands for these cameras, thereby enabling commands for respective cameras, sent from a browser, to be identified by the corresponding camera names.