Patent ID: 8677244

Claim:
An exclusive operation control apparatus which receives input operations on a content displayed on a display device from a plurality of users and controls an exclusive operation, the exclusive operation control apparatus comprising: an operation determination section that receives input information from the plurality of users, and determines an operation based on the input information when the operation determination section receives the input information; an exclusive operation determination section that determines a new exclusive operation concerning a new operation determined by the operation determination section by using (i) the new operation determined by the operation determination section and (ii) a previous operation determined by the operation determination section; a content copying section that copies the content based on a result of the determination performed by the exclusive operation determination section; and a content management section that (i) generates, when the new operation determined by the operation determination section is instructed to the copied content, display data which is obtained by reflecting the new operation determined by the operation determination section on the copied content and (ii) displays the display data on the display device, wherein the exclusive operation determination section includes: an exclusive operation information storage section that stores therein exclusive operation information which includes at least (i) the new operation determined by the operation determination section and (ii) the previous operation determined by the operation determination section; an operation state management section that manages (i) the new operation determined by the operation determination section and (ii) the previous operation determined by the operation determination section; an operation state storage section that stores therein (i) the new operation managed by the operation state management section and (ii) the previous operation managed by the operation state management section; and a determination control section that (i) determines the new exclusive operation concerning the new operation determined by the operation determination section by using the previous operation managed by the operation state management section and the exclusive operation information stored in the exclusive operation information storage section and (ii) determines whether or not the content is to be copied.