Patent ID: 6912573

Claim:
A content information acquisition method for allowing a second information terminal to acquire same information as content information acquired by a first information terminal, comprising the steps of: (a) interconnecting the first information terminal with a collaboration server for receiving information from a Web server; (b) interconnecting the second information terminal with said collaboration server for communication; (c) embedding a client controller into content information, wherein said client controller transmits changed content specifying information to said collaboration server when the first information terminal acquires new content information; (d) transmitting the changed content specifying information to said collaboration server When the first information terminal acquires the new content information; (e) causing said collaboration server to transmit the changed content specifying information to the second information terminal; and (f) causing the second information terminal to acquire the changed content specifying information; wherein said client controller contains (1) a Java applet that detects a change in content information displayed by the customer browser, (2) a script, called by said Java applet, which acquires changed page information including a URL of a first page including the changed content information, a URL of a parent page of said first page, the number of child pages of said parent page, and a position of said first page relative to said parent page, and (3) a tree manager which transmits the changed page information to the collaboration server; wherein the ability to provide collaboration does not depend on a proprietary interface running on said first information terminal or on said second information terminal.