Patent ID: 7328408

Claim:
An apparatus for extracting and sharing information, comprising: a message exchange unit configured to receive a plurality of messages from a plurality of users and distribute the plurality of messages in a community in which the plurality of users participate; a message memory configured to store the plurality of messages received by said message exchange unit; an extraction rule memory configured to store a plurality of extraction rules applicable for a message, each extraction rule including an extraction pattern, an extraction target and a display format; an information extraction unit configured to extract information from the plurality of messages stored in said message memory by referring to the plurality of extraction rules, an extraction result information being generated in correspondence with each extraction rule; an extraction result memory configured to store the extraction result information by said information extraction unit; an extraction result editing unit configured to edit the extraction result information stored in said extraction result memory; a message generation unit configured to generate an editing message representing editing of the extraction result information; wherein information of said message memory, said extraction rule memory, and said extraction result memory are shared by the plurality of users in the community; a community management information memory configured to store user data, community data, belonging relation data and message data, wherein the user data includes at least a user identifier and a user name, the community data includes at least a community identifier, a community name and a type, the belonging relation data includes at least a belonging relation between the user identifier and the community identifier and a distribution method, the message data includes at least a message identifier, the user identifier of the one of the users who created a first message of the plurality of messages, a parent message identifier of another message to which the first message is replied.