US Patent 8230036 User profile opening apparatus and method

The server of a communication system determines a communication growth level that is the level of growth of communication between one user and another user based on the cumulative count of mail send/receive events, and stores the determined growth level in the communication growth level Data Base. When the server receives a profile view request to view the profile of user A from the terminal of user B, the server determines the range of profile information to be opened for user B out of the profile of user A, based on the communication growth level of the pair of user A and user B stored in the communication growth level Data Base.