Patent ID: 7506125

Claim:
An information terminal comprising: reception means for receiving contents previously allotted with survival time; survival time change means for changing the survival time allotted to the contents received by said reception means; transmission means for transmitting said contents allotted with survival time to a different information terminal; delete means for deleting said contents after the survival time changed by said survival time change means has expired; and node type memory means for storing a node type indicative of the kind of a node in the information terminal, wherein the contents received by said reception means is allotted with a contents type indicative of the kind of contents; wherein said survival time change means changes said survival time on the basis of the contents type allotted to said received contents and the node type stored in said node type memory means; wherein said node type memory means stores a positive collection node type representing a node type desired to be collected positively, and said survival time change means extends said survival time by a first predetermined time when said contents type coincides with said positive collection node type; wherein said survival time change means shortens said survival time by a second predetermined time when said contents type does not coincide with said positive collection node type; and wherein said node type memory means stores a negative collection node type having a lesser degree of desirability for collection than that of the positive collection node type, and said survival time change means extends the survival time by a third predetermined time shorter than said first predetermined time when said contents type coincides with said negative collection node type.