Patent ID: 8345544

Claim:
An information processing system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses that mutually exchange information via a network and an information management apparatus that manages exchange of information performed between the plurality of the information processing apparatuses, wherein: the information management apparatus comprises: a receiving means for receiving a request for registration, as a representative apparatus, from a first one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses; a determination means for determining presence or absence of the registration of the representative apparatus by determining if another information processing apparatus has already been registered as the representative apparatus; a registration means for registering the first information processing apparatus as the representative apparatus when it is determined that the representative apparatus has not been registered and transmitting a response to the first information processing apparatus indicating that the first information processing apparatus has been registered as the representative apparatus; and a rejecting means for rejecting the registration of the first information processing apparatus as the representative apparatus when it is determined that the representative apparatus has been registered by another information processing apparatus; and the first information processing apparatus comprises: a requesting means for requesting the information management apparatus to make the registration as the representative apparatus; and a forwarding means for forwarding information directly transmitted to the first information processing apparatus from a second one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses, as a sender, to a third one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses other than the sender when the first information processing apparatus is registered in the information management apparatus as the representative apparatus, wherein the information originates in the information processing system at one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses.