Patent ID: 6879985

Claim:
A server connected to terminals used by members via a network, the server being configured to establish and update relationships between the members, the server comprising: a database configured to store personal attributes of each member, the personal attributes including an identification code, a name, a specialized field, and relationship coefficient data indicating degrees of relationship between each member and other members; a message communicator configured to communicate a first message from one member to another member and configured to communicate a respective response to the first message from the another member to the one member, the response establishing a relationship between the one member and the another member; a database update unit configured to update, when the relationship is established between the one member and the another member, the relationship coefficient data indicating degrees of relationship between (1) the one member and the another member, (2) the one member and members having relationships with the another member, and (3) the another member and members having relationships with the one member; and a data retriever configured to identify target members having personal attributes satisfying one or more key words of a search criteria, the key words including at least a relationship coefficient data value indicating the degree of relationship between the target members and a particular member; wherein the key words include a minimum or maximum relationship coefficient data value indicating a maximum or minimum degree of relationship between the target members and the particular member.