Patent ID: 7167898

Claim:
A collaboration method effected through a peer-to-peer network, upon automatically taking part in a conference by clicking once, the method comprising: sending an electronic mail to a plurality of conferee peers, said electronic mail having a URL of a conference host peer described thereon; searching, to begin with, for a conferee peer at a shortest time location through communication tests from said conference host peer to distribute data to said conference peer at the shortest time location; informing, after distribution of data, remaining conferee peers that said data distributed conferee peer is a mirror of said conference host peer; searching a conferee peer at a shortest time location through communication tests from said conference host peer and from said mirror of said conference host peer to distribute data, wherein said searching a conferee peer comprises: measuring a communication time wherein each of said plurality of conferee peers having received said electronic mail requests said conference host peer to distribute data and carry out communication tests; measuring the communication time through communication tests for said plurality of conferee peers by said conference host peer having received material distribution requests from the plurality of conferee peers, retrieving the conferee peer giving the shortest communication time, transmitting the retrieved data, using the same as an own mirror, and then, notifying the other conferee peers to whom the data has not as yet been distributed of said conferee peer serving as said mirror; causing the conferee peers to whom the data has not as yet been distributed to advance a request for distribution of the data to said conference host peer and said conferee peer serving as said mirror, carrying out communication tests to measure the communication time, and requesting distribution of the data to said conferee host peer or said conferee peer serving as said mirror giving the shortest communication time; informing the other conferee peers to whom the data has not yet been distributed of said conferee peer serving as the mirror, after transmitting the data to said requesting conferee peer to serve as his own mirror upon receipt of a data distribution request from a single conferee peer by said conference peer serving as the mirror; notifying the other conferee peers to whom the data has not as yet been distributed of said conferee peer serving as the mirror after measuring a communication time through communication tests to a plurality of requesting conferee peers upon receipt of a data distribution request by said conferee peer serving as the mirror from a plurality of conferee peers, retrieving a conferee peer giving a shortest communication time and transmitting the data to deem the same as the own mirror; and repeating said informing and notifying until completion of data transmission to all the conferee peers; and repeating the above operations until completion of distribution.