Electronic document circulating system

An electronic document circulating system for circulating an electronic circular document among users in a network system in which a server machine and a plurality of client machines which a plurality of users can utilize respectively are interconnected through a network, comprising:

• a circulation control information store unit for storing a plurality of types of circulation control information for specifying a plurality of predetermined circular routes of the circular document, each of said circular routes being indicated by a plurality of nodes, at least one operation process of said node being defined by a role, where a plurality of users who perform equal processing operation are named said role generically;
• a role definition information store unit for storing role definition information relative to said role;
• and
• a document management information store unit for storing document management information relative to the circular document to be circulated;
• wherein when a circulation start request of a circular document is received through a related client from a user who designates one circular route and said circular document is then transmitted to the node defined by the role in said designated circular route, a circulation control unit in said server machine selects one user in said role on the basis of contents of said circulation control information store unit and said role definition information store unit and transmits said circular document to said user.