Patent ID: 8099460

Claim:
An information processing apparatus for communicating with another information processing apparatus through a network, said information processing apparatus comprising: reproduction means for reproducing synchronously the same content data as that reproduced by said another information processing apparatus; input means for generating a first user image obtained by imaging a user of said information processing apparatus; reception means for receiving a second user image which is obtained by imaging a user of said another information processing apparatus and which is sent from said another information processing apparatus through said network; extraction means for extracting from at least one of said first and said second user images a pointer representing the user pointing to a desired position on the image, wherein, if at least one of said first and said second user images includes a plurality of users, said extraction means extracts a plurality of pointers representing said plurality of users pointing to desired positions on the image, and associates the extracted plurality of pointers with one of said plurality of users; and composite means for compositing the pointer extracted by said extraction means onto an image of the content data reproduced synchronously by said reproduction means, said composite means composites said pointer extracted by said extraction means together with a thumbnail image identifying the user controlling said pointer onto said image of said content data reproduced synchronously by said reproduction means, the composite means also compositing at least one of said first and said second user images onto said image of said content data reproduced synchronously by said reproduction means, the at least one of the first and second user images being composited onto said image of said content data separate from the pointer such that the pointer extracted from the at least one of the first and second user images is displayed in two separate images, a first image of the pointer being associated with the thumbnail image and a second image of the pointer being part of the at least one of the first and second user images.