Patent ID: 8146074

Claim:
An application management method, executed by a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), for managing an upgrade status of a client application communicating with a server application, the application management method comprising: receiving through a network a communication request whose source is a terminal device executing the client application and whose destination is a server executing the server application, the communication request including version information of the client application, the computer existing on a communication path between the terminal device and the server; extracting the version information from the received communication request; consulting version information storage means to determine whether a version indicated by the extracted version information is a latest version, and determining that upgrade of the client application is necessary if the terminal device does not use the latest version, the version information storage means storing latest-version information on the latest version of the client application; transferring, if determining that the upgrade is not necessary, the received communication request to the server through the network; and discarding, if determining that the upgrade is necessary, the received communication request and transmitting a client application setting file for the latest version stored in setting file storage means to the terminal device through the network instead of transferring the received communication request to the server, the client application setting file containing information required for the terminal device to execute the client application.