Patent ID: 7552188

Claim:
A network system comprising: a plurality of nodes, each of which including at least one computer, on a network, wherein, on at least one of the computers, a management information file representing links between the nodes is stored, wherein: each of the computers comprises a communication controller, at least one of the communication controllers stores, into a predetermined memory area of a computer on the network, digital information pieces generated on a computer associated with the communication controller and sends the stored digital information pieces to the network in response to a request from another computer of the computers; and the another computer which issued the request comprises a visualization unit which obtains from the network the digital information pieces sent by the communication controller and the management information file and visualizes the obtained digital information pieces in a view particular thereto, wherein the visualization is carried out on the basis of relations between a node of the another computer which issued the request and a node of the computer which stores the obtained digital information pieces, wherein the relations are identified by using the management information file, wherein the digital information pieces include at least one of an object data set uploaded to the computer associated with the communication controller by a user, an object data set loaded to the computer associated with the communication controller in advance, a user context generated at a node by an operation of the user operating a computer, and a shared-field context generated at a shared field which is accessible by the computers, wherein the shared-field context are generated by an interaction between the computers, wherein the visualization unit converts the digital information pieces obtained from the network into for-display data sets to be displayed on a predetermined display of each of the nodes on which the respective computers storing the digital information pieces exist, and wherein the visualization unit calculates route lengths of the obtained digital information pieces on the basis of the management information file and carries out the conversion of the for-display data sets concerning the digital information pieces.