Abstract: A retrieval device and retrieval service are provided for reserved retrieval of document information, so that, when there are duplicates in retrieval conditions registered by a plurality of users, these duplicates are eliminated from the retrieval conditions to thereby execute efficient retrieval. Copies of information regarding the retrieval result are made correspondingly to the number of the duplicates among the users and the copied information is expanded respectively in accordance with the registered retrieval conditions desired by the users. The expanded information is edited in a form desired by the user, and the edited result is delivered to a delivery destination such as an e-mail address registered by the user.

Abstract: In a groupware system having a server apparatus and a plurality of client apparatuses connected thereto through a network, the server apparatus includes an agent server and each of the client apparatuses includes an agent client. An agent generation unit of the agent server generates an agent on the basis of an agent definition prepared by a user's input in an agent definition unit of an agent client. A trigger monitor unit or a trigger monitor unit of another server monitors and detects a trigger specified in the agent definition; and an action database or a filtering unit of another server extracts the trigger specified in the agent definition. An action request processing unit requests the associated server to do an action associated with the extracted trigger, and sends a processed result of the server to a report processing unit. The report processing unit prepares report information and, in response to user's request, sends it to a report unit.