Abstract: For changing services to readers who desires to obtain electronic books exactly or minutely, an electronic book management system 1 distributes at least electronic purchase certificates relating to books which are stocked at a bookstores owing a bookstore terminal device 2, in advance, to that bookstore terminal device 2. When buying the book(s), a reader obtains in an IC card 4 owned by her/him a purchase certificate(s) of that book(s) which she/he bought, from the bookstore terminal 2. When ordering to obtain the electronic book(s), the reader transmits the purchase certificate(s) from a reader terminal device 3 to the electronic book management system 1 through a communication network 5. The electronic book management system 1 changes over it's service when supplying the electronic book(s) to that reader depending upon the existence of the purchase certificate(s).

Abstract: When conference conditions are set by a conference sponsor, a conference sponsor agent inquires of schedule management agents of requested attendants about available time within a range of set dates, determines an optimum conference schedule on the basis of the available time of the individual requested attendants, sends to the conference sponsor the conference schedule for confirmation thereof, and sends a conference notification to the requested attendants. In order to permit an input value set by a user to have a range in accordance with the kind of parameter requiring the input value and conditions at that time, an input value acquiring element acquires an input value of a parameter necessary for a processing realized by an application element, the input value being set by the user by an input element.