Abstract: A reservation acceptance system is provided that accepts requests of reservations from customers so that the resources can be used efficiently.

Abstract: In an information delivery apparatus and method, when a user who transmits information updates information to be transmitted, based on a profile of each user desiring delivery of the information, the order of delivering the updated information, that is, from which user the updated information should be sequentially delivered, is determined beforehand, and information delivery matching a status of the user at a delivered end.

Abstract: Change of an identifier is reported without causing trouble to user agents. When a user agent A changes an identifier “A1” of a client 2a that he/she operates, notification recipients of a new identifier “A2” are automatically decided and the notification is carried out accordingly. It is desired that the recipients of the new identifier be preferably determined so as not to include unnecessary notification recipients, taking their relationship with the user agent A into consideration. For this reason, the maximum range of the notification recipients of the identifier is limited to be within watchers of the user agent A. The watchers are the notification recipients of user agent A's presence information, and therefore, it is assumed that there is little need for the identifier to be told to others who are not the watchers.

Abstract: In a presence system in which one user users a plurality of terminals, dynamically changing buddy lists are synchronized between the terminals. A presence notification message is sent to all the terminals of the user. The timing of sending includes, for example, when the presence information of a buddy is updated, when a new buddy is set, when display attribute information is updated, when a buddy is cancelled, and when a presence notification of unknown presentity is made. Thus, when one user uses a plurality of terminals in the presence system, dynamically changing buddy lists can be synchronized between the terminals. In addition, the display formats of the buddy lists do not differ from one terminal to another, and the same display format is attained.

Abstract: Restricting the setting of presence information by presentities. Among other forms of presence information, restricted presence information that a user agent cannot determine him/herself is established. If among other forms of presence information “game score” is for example made restricted presence information, only user agent B, being a game administrator, would be able to determine the “game score.” When user agent A's game score is updated by user agent B, the game score is reported to user agent A's Watcher C.

Abstract: An address data management method and system that allow a purchaser wishing to purchase merchandise from an online shopping site on the Internet or other vendor to make a purchase and request delivery while keeping address data comprising delivery address secret from third parties, including the vendor of that merchandise. An address data management method comprises the steps of: acquiring address data comprising delivery address from a purchaser; establishing an address ID with unique correspondence to address data and notifying the purchaser thereof; managing a correspondence table indicating correspondence between address data and address ID; accepting delivery request data generated by the merchandise vendor; extracting address data corresponding to address ID; and executing delivery processing of the article based on the extracted address data.

Abstract: A communication parameter search apparatus includes a location managing part for receiving a signal indicating a location of each user, and for managing the location of each user, an input receiving part for receiving an input designating a location from an operator, a communication parameter storing module for storing communication parameters necessary for communication with each user, a user search module for referring to information managed by the location managing part and for searching for users present in the location designated by the input received by the input receiving part, and a communication parameter search module for searching the communication parameter storing module for communication parameters concerning the users searched for by the user search module.

Abstract: A background image display control system is applied to a chat system in which a server performs a broadcast communication control of character information between a plurality of user computers connected to a channel in a network. The background Image display control system causes each of the plurality of user computers to display an image in a background of chat character strings based on the character information. The background image display control system includes a table storage unit for storing a table indicating relationships between conditions based on states revealable in the chat system and background images, and a display control unit for causing each of the plurality of user computers to display a background image in the background of the chat character strings when a condition corresponding to a state revealed in the chat system corresponds to the background image in the table.

Abstract: A communication management system is adapted for a chat system provided in a computer network including a plurality of client workstations and a server computer linked thereto. The communication management system includes a log file recognizing part which recognizes recognizing a log file produced at a predetermined channel of the chat system during a chat session between the plurality of client workstations and the server computer even when the client workstation of concern is not connected to the channel of the chat system. A storage part stores the log file recognized by the log file recognizing part. A log file output part transmits the log file, stored by the storage part, through the computer network to an external communication device provided outside the chat system, when a log file request transmitted by the external communication device is received by the log file output part.

Abstract: A message transmitting and receiving apparatus includes a memory device for storing therein a keyword in an IRC and a degree of importance thereof, means for detecting an occurrence of a message, and means for extracting a keyword from a received message. Importance determining means determines a degree of a keyword in a received message as stored in the memory device in accordance with whether or not a user of the apparatus has responded to the received message. Thus, keywords and degrees of importance thereof can be dynamically determined.

Abstract: A server and plural terminal devices form a network. Messages are transferred among the terminal devices via a plurality of virtual communication spaces formed on the network. The transmitted and received messages are displayed on a display device of each terminal device together with the message sender identifying information. The identifiers of members utilizing the virtual communication spaces and character-train information corresponding to the respective identifiers are stored in a display name management table. When an identifier and a message are sent from a terminal device, the server converts the identifier into a character train by means of the display name management table and sends the character train to the terminal devices.

Abstract: When actuation of an application program is received by a client, the client is connected with a chat server and participates in and registers at a channel, and attribute information, a number of times of statements or amount of statements in the registered channel is displayed, without a user's predetermined operation and a publicly known conversation process is executed. Thereafter, when designation of the displayed attribute information, number of times of statements or amount of statements is received, a channel where statements are possible is changed into a channel relating to the designation.

Abstract: In the case where specification of service to be used is received, the specified service is retrieved from a service table, in which services and script files storing a scripts combined in the services are stored with them corresponding with each other, a script file is specified, and use of the specified script file is executed so that use of the service is executed. The use of the script file is specifically transmission, addition or deletion of the script file.

Abstract: To be used with a chat client. A condition DB 3 associates prescribed conditions relating to a message to any channel with processing for such message, and stores this information. An acquisition unit 7, in accordance with a condition and processing, acquires information relating to a channel from a chat client. A determination unit 4, prior to the sending of a message into a channel, determines whether a message meets a condition based on the acquired channel information. An execution unit 5 carries out processing on a message based on determination results and condition, and sends the processed message into a channel via a chat client. An example of a condition is, that message is at least 30 lines or more. An example of processing is, confirming message with a user.