Apparatus and method for sharing information between terminals on a network

A network system including a plurality of terminal apparatuses interconnected via a network, each of the terminal apparatuses comprising:

• reproducing means for reproducing and outputting contents data as a browsing object;
• enabling means for enabling operations to be performed on the browsing object;
• transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving information over the network between the plurality of terminal apparatuses reproducing and outputting the contents data, the information including shared information which denotes an operation performed on the browsing object of one of the plurality of terminal apparatuses to obtain a result;
• and
• sharing means for sharing the result of the operation between the browsing objects of a remainder of the terminal apparatuses, the sharing being based on the shared information.

A terminal apparatus, comprising:

• connecting means for connecting to at least one other terminal apparatus via a network;
• reproducing means for reproducing and outputting contents data as a browsing object;
• enabling means for enabling operations to be performed on the browsing object;
• transmitting and receiving means for transmitting information over the network to and receiving information over the network from the at least one other terminal apparatus reproducing and outputting the contents data, the information including shared information which denotes an operation performed on the browsing object of one of the terminal apparatus and the at least one other terminal apparatus to otain a result;
• and
• sharing means for sharing the result of the operation with the browsing object of the at least one terminal apparatus when the terminal apparatus performs the operation, the sharing being based on the shared information.

A server connected to a plurality of terminal apparatuses via a network, the server comprising:

• first storing means for storing contents data which are reproduced and output by each of the terminal apparatuses as a browsing object, the first storing means further allowing the result of an operation performed by one of the terminal apparatuses to be acquired on the browsing objects of a remainder of the terminal apparatuses which reproduce and output the contents data;
• first transmitting means for transmitting the contents data to a requesting one of the terminal apparatuses;
• second storing means for storing an external application program which is locally installed in each of the terminal apparatuses and which enables execution of a function corresponding to an operation performed on the browsing object;
• second transmitting means for transmitting the external application program to one of the terminal apparatuses as a result of a purchase request made through the operation on the browsing object of the one terminal apparatus;
• and
• charging control means for charging a user for the external application program transmitted to the one terminal apparatus.