Patent ID: 7124172

Claim:
A method of communication between an information providing apparatus and a user apparatus, comprising steps of: Initially generating a request for information at an information providing apparatus from the user apparatus, the initial request not identifying the user apparatus; transferring the initial request not identifying the user apparatus from the information providing apparatus to an information relaying apparatus in response to said initially generating step; sending information related to the initial request and a user identifier identifying the user apparatus from the user apparatus to the information relaying apparatus after the transferring step; generating a customer number based on the user identifier at the information relaying apparatus; sending the information related to the initial request and the customer number to the information providing apparatus from the information relaying apparatus; the information providing apparatus requesting the information relaying apparatus to establish a communication path between the information providing apparatus and the user apparatus after the information providing apparatus receives the information related to the initial request and the customer number sent by the information relaying apparatus; and establishing the requested communication path between the information providing apparatus and the user apparatus, wherein said user apparatus accesses a web page provided by the information providing apparatus through a network and uses a first object for said initially generating the request for said information provided in the web page so as to initially request said information from the information providing apparatus, and said information relaying apparatus displays a second object for inputting said information relating to the initial request in a first state that is not viewed by said information providing apparatus and transfers the information related to the initial request to said information relaying apparatus in a second state that is not viewed by said information providing apparatus.