Patent ID: 6343316
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
A cooperative work support system having a plurality of terminals in a communication network,wherein each terminal comprises: a cooperative work execution means for providing cooperative work by said terminals by sending and receiving data between said terminals through said communication network; a specification means for specifying a file in said terminal as a shared file to be used in the cooperative work between said terminals; a shared file storage means for storing said shared file specified by said specification means; a shared file information transmission means for transmitting information of said shared file to said other terminal through said communication network; a shared file information storage means for storing the information of the shared file; a determination means for determining whether the shared file specified by said cooperative work execution means exists within said terminal, based on the information of the shared file stored in said shared file information storage means; a transmission request means for creating and sending a transmission request to request transmission of the shared file when it is determined by said determination means that the shared file does not exist within said terminal; a transmission means for transmitting the shared file to said shared file storage means in said terminal which is the sender of the transmission request in response to the transmission request; an update means for updating the information of the shared file in said shared file information storage means when the shared file is transmitted from said terminal; and wherein the information stored in said shared file information storage means includes a sharing time of the shared file, each terminal comprising: a time determination means for determining the sharing time of the each shared file stored in said shared file information storage means after said cooperative work execution means terminates a process; an information determination means for determining the other information of the shared file when it is determined that the sharing time of the shared file is temporary; a first deleting means for deleting the information of the shared file from said shared file information storage means when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined first value; and a second deleting means for deleting the information of the shared file from said shared file information storage means and for deleting the shared file from the shared file storage means when said information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined second value.