Patent ID: 7426192

Claim:
A network conference system comprising: a conference server that manages a conference and processes conference data used for a real-time conference; a record server that stores the conference data in a storage section and plays back the conference data stored in the storage section at variable speed; and a plurality of conference terminals as clients connected to the conference server and the record server to be serviced therefrom, wherein the system further comprises a catch-up participation function in which when a conference terminal among the plurality of conference terminals takes part in a conference midway, the conference terminal is connected to the record server, the conference data stored in the record server is played back at high speed until the conference terminal catches up with the current conference, and when the conference terminal catches up with the current conference, the conference terminal is connected to the conference server for taking part in the real-time conference, wherein the conference server adds a time stamp to the conference data and transmits the conference data to the record server, wherein the record server stores the conference data transmitted from the conference server and upon reception of a catch-up participation request from the conference terminal, determines whether or not catch-up participation is enabled, plays back the stored conference data at high speed, transmits the played back conference data to the conference terminal, determines an end point of catch-up playback by comparing the time stamp contained in the conference data and the current time of day, and when the end point comes, notifies the conference terminal and the conference server that the catch-up playback reaches the end point, and wherein the conference terminal, upon reception, from the record server, of the notification that the catch-up playback reaches the end point, switches connection from the record server to the conference server and takes part in the real-time conference.