Patent ID: 7366739

Claim:
A data storage system having a plurality of terminal apparatuses of users connected with a data storage unit of a service provider via a computer network, said data storage unit storing data from inside said terminal apparatuses so that the stored data are subsequently used by said users, said data storage unit comprising: connecting means for connecting said data storage unit of said service provider with one or more terminal apparatuses associated with each of said users via said computer network independently of types of said terminal apparatuses; file storing means for allocating to each one of said users a user area of a predetermined size in which to store data from inside the respective terminal apparatus of a disclosing user; file managing means for managing the data being stored in said file storing means; data format converting means for automatically determining the type of terminal apparatus of a requesting user that is other than the disclosing user and for performing a data format converting process; announcing means for announcing that the data for which use conditions have been set are usable by the users other than said disclosing user who stored data into said file storing means; and intercepting means for establishing interception of the announcement from the disclosing user either in response to a request from the requesting user before said announcement, or after said announcement, wherein, in response to a use request from the requesting user other than the disclosing user, said data format converting means automatically converts stored data of the disclosing user into a format compatible with the type of the terminal apparatus used by the requesting user for connection to the system, the converted data being used by said terminal apparatus through which said requesting user has sent said use request, and wherein the disclosing user can prohibit the automatic conversion of the stored data of the disclosing user into a format compatible with the type of terminal apparatus used by the requesting user.