Method and system displaying freshness of object condition information

A hand-held communication terminal connected to a network and automatically receiving through the network, at one of any time and in a predetermined timing, condition information automatically transmitted through the network from another terminal receiving the condition information from other terminals, at one of any time and in the predetermined timing, the hand-held communication terminal performing a process comprising:

• displaying a display mode of the condition information received through the network;
• determining a freshness level of the condition information;
• determining a visual freshness level of the condition information according to the determined freshness level of the condition information and a visual freshness level determination table;
• and
• updating the display mode visually displaying the freshness level of the condition information based upon the determined visual freshness level of the condition information to change the display mode visually displaying the freshness level of the condition information.

A method of displaying condition information which changes from time to time in a condition information management system transmitting and receiving the condition information from terminals connected to a network, comprising:

• storing, in a terminal, the condition information received from other terminals;
• determining, in the terminal, display mode changing information controlling a display mode displaying the received condition information, according to a process comprising:
• determining a freshness level of the condition information by calculating a difference between a time the terminal receives the condition information from the other terminals and a time the terminal transmits the condition information to the other terminals,
• determining a visual freshness level of the condition information according to the determined freshness level of the condition information and a visual freshness level determination table,
• determining the display mode changing information to visually display a change in the freshness level of the condition information based upon the determined visual freshness level of the condition information, and
• transmitting automatically to the other terminals the condition information and the display mode changing information.

A computer readable recording medium storing a program to control a system transmitting and receiving condition information from terminals connected to a network and displaying the condition information using a display unit, according to a process comprising:

• storing a time a terminal receives the condition information from other terminals through the network;
• determining a freshness level of the condition information according to said stored time to determine a freshness of the condition information at a time the other terminals through the network reference the condition information in the terminal receiving the condition information;
• determining a visual freshness level of the condition information according to the determined freshness level of the condition information and a visual freshness level determination table;
• and
• updating a display mode visually displaying the freshness level of the condition information based upon a visual representation of the condition information and the determined freshness level of the condition information, wherein the display unit displays the display mode of the condition information and a user can observe at a glance the freshness level of the condition information.

A hand-held communication terminal connected to a network and automatically receiving through the network condition information automatically transmitted through the network from another terminal receiving the condition information from other terminals and the hand-held communication terminal displaying the condition information using a display unit, comprising:

• a visual freshness determination unit determining a visual freshness level of the condition information received by the hand-held communication terminal through the network from the terminal, according to a process comprising:
• determining a freshness level of the condition information;
• determining the visual freshness level of the condition information according to the determined freshness level of the condition information and a visual freshness level determination table;
• and
• a display controlling unit controlling a display mode visually displaying the freshness level of the condition information based upon a visual representation of the condition information and the determined visual freshness level of the condition information, wherein the display unit displays the display mode of the condition information.

A display, comprising:

• a programmed computer processor controlling the display according to a process comprising:
• determining a freshness level of the condition information;
• determining a visual freshness level of the condition information according to the determined freshness level of the condition information and a visual freshness level determination table;
• and
• visually displaying the freshness level of the condition information based upon a visual representation of the condition information and the determined visual freshness level of the condition information, wherein a user can observe at a glance the freshness level of the condition information.

A method of displaying on a screen of a computer terminal an awareness information of a person using other computer terminal connected to a network, the method performing a process comprising:

• storing a reference time for determining a freshness level of the awareness information in a terminal which receives the awareness information from other terminals through the network;
• determining a visual freshness level of the condition information according to a determination of the freshness level of the condition information based upon said reference time and a visual freshness level determination table;
• and
• displaying a display mode visually displaying the awareness information with a variable icon pattern according to said visual freshness level, wherein a user of said terminal can observe at a glance the freshness level of the awareness information.

A method of controlling a condition information which changes from time to time in a condition information management server transmitting and receiving the condition information from terminals connected to a network, comprising:

• storing in said condition information management server the condition information received from each of said terminals;
• determining display mode changing information controlling a display mode displaying the received condition information, according to a process comprising:
• determining a freshness level of the condition information,
• determining a visual freshness level of the condition information according to the determined freshness level of the condition information and a visual freshness level determination table,
• determining the display mode changing information to visually display a change in the freshness level of the condition information based upon the determined visual freshness level of the condition information, and
• transmitting automatically the condition information received by the condition information management server and the display mode changing information to control the display mode displaying the received condition information to the other terminals through the network.