Abstract: Eliminates use of operations performed by a user to specify desired knowledge and information in an information search so as to reduce trouble for the user. An information processing system is constituted by including a server having a database and a client connected to the server via a network. The client specifies a method of extracting a keyword to be used for a database search based on a pattern of a predetermined information activity such as exchange of e-mail, and extracts the keyword to be used for the database search from a text obtained through the predetermined information activity and sends it to the server. And the server receives and holds the keyword sent from the client, performs the database search using the keyword as a search condition in predetermined timing without a search request from the client and sends a search result to the client.

Abstract: A facilitation mechanism between users and databases is composed of a user agent for interfacing between users and the entire facilitation mechanism, a DB agent for interfacing between each database and the facilitation mechanism, and a facilitation agent for mediating between each of the agents, which are distributed. By adopting this system in the present invention, a facilitation mechanism in which scalability can be secured for an increase in the number of users, the addition of databases, etc., operation load and operation managing cost can be distributed, and security of information can be protected, can be realized.