Joint information processing system comprising a plurality of terminal apparatuses guaranteeing identicalness of data processing results

A joint information processing system, including a plurality of terminal stations connected to each other via a communication network, wherein each of said terminal stations comprises:

• input means operated by a user to input data and/or commands;
• communication interface means connected to said communication network for receiving data and/or commands from another one of said terminal stations and for transferring the data and/or commands to said other one of said terminal stations;
• data process means coupled to said input means and said communication interface means for executing predetermined data processing operations using application programs for input data and/or input commands supplied from said input means and said communication interface means;
• and
• display means coupled with said data process means for displaying a result of data processing conducted by said data process means;
• said data process means including:
• (a) means for receiving data and/or commands from said input means;
• (b) means for selectively distributing data and commands to said application programs;
• and
• (c) communication control means operatively connected to receive input data and/or commands from said receiving means and said communication interface means and to selectively supply input data and/or commands to said distribution means and said communication interface means;
• said communication control means having:
• (i) first means for storing information to indicate whether said terminal station possesses an effectuation floor qualification to set data and/or commands into a particular category;
• and
• (ii) second means operatively connected to said first means, for adding a status identifier to received input data and commands when the information stored in said first means indicates that said terminal station has an effectuation floor qualification for input data and commands and when said received input data and commands are in an ineffective state, said status identifier denoting that the input data and commands are in the effective state, and for thereafter delivering the resultant data and commands with the added status identifier to both said communication interface means and said distributing means, and for delivering received input data and commands with no status identifier to said communication interface means when said information indicates that the terminal station has no effectuation floor qualification for the input data and commands;
• said data processing means in each terminal station operating so that only the input data and commands having a status identifier added thereto are subjected to data processing for joint information processing.

A conferencing system, including a plurality of terminals connected to each other via a network, wherein each terminal comprises:

• input means for inputting commands;
• communication means, connecting said plurality of terminals to each other to form a logical circular path in said network, for transmitting commands to a particular one of said terminals on a downstream side thereof, and for receiving commands from a particular one of said terminals on an upstream side thereof;
• data process means, connected to said input means and said communication means, for processing commands inputted from said input means and said communication means;
• and
• display means, connected to said data process means, for displaying a result of data processing conducted by said data process means;
• said data process means including:
• first means operatively connected to receive input commands from said input means, for adding a header to each command inputted from said input means, said header having a field including a first status information designating whether the command is ineffective;
• second means operatively connected to receive commands from said first means and said communication means, for setting second status information into the header of each ineffective command received from said first means and said communication means, when an effectuation floor qualification is assigned to the terminal associated with the data process means, to convert the command to an effective command, and for thereafter delivering the converted effective command to said communication means to transmit said command to other terminals;
• third means, operatively connected to receive commands from said second means and responsive only to commands having a header which includes second status information, for executing a data processing program related to the command;
• said second means operating to deliver ineffective commands received from said first means and said communication means to said communication means without adding the second status information to the header of each command, whereby ineffective commands are transmitted from station to station by said communication means without being executed by the data process means in the respective stations until the ineffective commands arrive at a terminal possessing the effectuation floor qualification and are converted to an effective command therein.

A data processing method for use in a conferencing system including a plurality of terminals connected to each other via a network in which each of the terminals is assigned with a data reception partner and a data transmission partner to form a logical circular path on the network, the method comprising the steps of:

• assigning an effectuation floor qualification to one of the plural terminals;
• inputting data and/or a command by an operator at any one of said terminals;
• circulating the data and/or command from said one of said terminals at which the data and/or command is inputted to a next terminal at a subsequent position on the circular path as ineffective data and/or a command without executing a data processing program associated with the input data and/or command if said one terminal does not possess the effectuation floor qualification;
• adding in the next terminal, when the next terminal possesses the effectuation floor qualification, information for converting the ineffective data and/or command received from the network to an effective state and circulating the converted data and/or command to a further next terminal on the circular path;
• transmitting, when the next terminal does not possess the effectuation floor qualification, the data and/or command received from the network to the further next terminal on the circular path without making any change in the ineffective status of the data or command;
• and
• executing in each of the terminals a data processing program in response to a converted data and/or command to which information denoting an effective state has been added.