Patent ID: 7953811

Claim:
A dynamic buddy list generation method for automatically generating a buddy list for use by each client on a network to manage state information for own client or other clients, wherein: each client has a state managing part which stores state information A for own client; a state monitoring part which stores state information B for other clients and holds a buddy list (population list) that manages said state information B; a buddy list generating part which generates a buddy list (selection list) based on a given generation rule; and a buddy list managing part which holds said selection list, and comprising: when a change occurs in the state of own client or any other client, first step wherein said state managing part updates and transmits said state information A to said buddy list generating part, second step wherein said state monitoring part transmits state notification request information which acquires the state after change to other clients included in said population list, and receives from other clients state change notification information in response to said state notification request information and said state information B, third step wherein said state monitoring part updates state information B being managed by said population list, based on said state change notification information, and transmits said population list to said buddy list generating part, fourth step wherein said buddy list generating part generates said selection list, based on said state information A received from said state managing part in said first step, said state information B being managed by said population list received from said state monitoring part in said third step, and said generation rule, and transmits said selection list to said buddy list managing part, and fifth step wherein said buddy list managing part holds said selection list received from said buddy list generating part in said fourth step; wherein said buddy list generating part includes a generation rule managing part which changes said generation rule, and said generation rule managing part has the first changing step of changing said generation rule by reflecting said state information A or B received in said fourth step, and wherein said generation rule managing part has the second changing step of causing a generation rule to be changed in response to the action taken from own client to change said generation rule.