Patent ID: 7921168

Claim:
A chat system including a plurality of chat devices each including: a message input means through which a user inputs a message; a message transmission means which transmits a message input through the message input means; a message reception means which receives a message; a message output means which outputs a message received by the message reception means; and a message reception/output stop means which stops the message reception and output by the message reception means and the message output means in response to a given operation by the user, the chat system comprising: a stop restriction means which restricts the message reception/output stop means from stopping the message reception and output; a keyword storage means which stores a keyword or keywords; a keyword presence/absence judgment means which, when one of the chat devices transmits a message through the message transmission means, judges whether or not any keyword stored in the keyword storage means is found in the message; a keyword finding means for finding the keyword stored in a table from the message, said table correlating a chat stop restricting time with a keyword type; and a determination means for determining the chat stop restricting time of the restriction based on the keyword found by the keyword finding means and the table that correlates the chat stop restricting time with the keyword type, wherein the stop restriction means restricts the reception and output of messages from being stopped in the one of the chat devices for a duration of the given chat stop restricting, wherein each of said chat devices comprises a processor.