Abstract: Use right processing for mere viewing and listening of information and utilization right processing for utilization in users' own works can be separately performed, thereby reducing useless right processing in the process of creation and efforts to negotiate singly with an author for right processing. Virtual electronic information manipulation spaces are created on a network and managed by a management part. Information within the spaces is accumulated by an information accumulation part. An information manipulation space control part presents the virtual electronic information manipulation spaces to users while communicating with the management part over the network and obtains information managed by the management part by users' operations. Information in the information manipulation spaces is manipulated by an information manipulation part. When information is transferred out of the information manipulation spaces, right processing is performed by a right processing part.

Abstract: In an application sharing system in which a plurality of users can make discussions using a relationship among pieces of information extending to a plurality of application windows, there is provided the ability to select windows to be displayed and windows to be hidden for each user. In the system, an application included in one computer is shared by a plurality of computers connected through a network and display screens produced by the application are shared. In a computer having the shared application, whether to display or hide, for each user, windows displayed in the course of screen display shared other computers is controlled by a display control unit. There is provided a user information management unit that manages user information indicating for each user whether to display or hide each window. The display control unit determines whether to display or hide for each user, using the user information in the user information management unit.

Abstract: A collaborative work support system that is performed on plural computers each of which is assigned for an operator, and supports collaborative work in which the plural computers display common data and each operator operates the displayed common data through his own computer. The collaborative work support system includes: a shared data storage for storing shared data to be displayed on each computer; an individual data storage for storing individual data, which is individually created by a specific operator and individually displayed on any of the computers; an individual data sender for sending the individual data to other computers in response to a command from the specific operator who created the individual data so as to display the individual data on other computers as created shared data; and a manager for managing so that the individual data is stored in the shared data storage with other data associated with the individual data as a unit of storage.

Abstract: An internal clock generates time stamps indicating an order of occurrence of operation events in a drawing communication apparatus. Data of operation events that occurred in another apparatus are transmitted to the drawing communication apparatus together with time stamps. The data of the operation events that have been input to the drawing communication apparatus or transmitted from the other apparatus are stored together with the time stamps. When a contradiction is detected between an order of receptions of the operation events and an order of the time stamps, the processing order of contradiction-detected operation events are corrected based on their time stamps.

Abstract: A groupware system in which, by specifying a destination by means of simple data transmission destination information, an individual person is able to rewrite data in a common work space and an operator is able to transmit and receive data between work stations with ease.

Abstract: An information processing system for a cooperative operation in which a plurality of work stations including at least one common work station are connected to one another by means of a network.

Abstract: A cooperative operation system in which a plurality of operators use workstations to perform a cooperative operation by use of common data.