Patent ID: 8055690

Claim:
A data file management apparatus connected to a network and having the function of accumulating a data file that can be shared by a plurality of users, comprising: a register for registering address information of a plurality of joint file users permitted to share the data file while being related to the data file at the time of accumulating the data file; a transmitter for transmitting a message to confirm the consent of the joint file users about the data file deletion to the address information registered in the register in response to a data file deletion request, wherein the transmitter transmits the message only to the address information of the joint file users who have not yet accessed the data file to be deleted; and a deletion controller for not executing the data file deletion in the case where a message not consenting to the deletion of the data file is returned from any of the joint file users within a predetermined period from the message transmission by the transmitter and executing the data file deletion in the case where no message is received from the joint file users within the predetermined period, wherein the transmitter, upon receipt of the message not consenting to the data file deletion from the joint file users and upon lapse of a predetermined length of time from the receipt, transmits the message again to confirm the consent of the joint file users about the data file deletion.