Patent ID: 8656031

Claim:
An interactive communication system including a plurality of computer terminals connected to a presence service server and a communication service server through a network, said computer terminals having respective contact lists of communicable users, for performing communications between computer terminals belonging to users registered in said contact lists via said network, said presence service server, and said communication service server, wherein each of said computer terminals comprises: contact list storage device for storing a presence disclosure state table representative of whether presence information indicating the availability or unavailability of a second user is to be disclosed to a first user operating said computer terminal, and also storing the contact list; a processor configured to operate as: presence information controller for exchanging a request for registering or deleting a user in said contact list with a second computer terminal operated by said second user via said presence service server; and contact list manager for managing said contact list and said presence disclosure state table, exchanging the request for registering or deleting the second user in said contact list to said second computer terminal via said presence information controller, waiting for a response to said request from said second computer terminal, and completing the registration or deletion of the second user in said contact list and providing permission to the second computer terminal to register or delete the first user in a contact list of the second user and a presence disclosure state table of the second user; and communication controller for disclosing said presence information to and performing interactive communications with only those users registered in said contact list.