Patent ID: 8312065
Filing Date: 2012-11-13
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A node device comprising a processor and the node device in an information communication system that includes a plurality of node devices which are mutually communicable through a network, a plurality of content catalogue information being dispersed and stored in the plurality of the node devices in the information communication system, the content catalogue information being for searching content data, and the content data being able to be acquired in the information communication system, the node device comprising: a memory unit which memorizes at least a part of the plurality of the content catalogue information, the part of the plurality of the content catalogue information being content catalogue information of a charge scope of the node device comprising the memory unit; a first sending unit which sends to at least any of the plurality of the node devices search request information including search conditions for searching content catalog information; a first receiving unit which receives the search request information sent by the first sending unit included in another node device; a determining unit configured to determine whether the content catalogue information requested in the search request information received by the first receiving unit is memorized in the memory unit; and a second sending unit which sends, in response to determining the content catalogue information requested in the search request information received by the first receiving unit is memorized in the memory unit, the content catalogue information requested in the search request information to the another node device that sent the search request information; wherein, in the information communication system, the content data corresponds to content identification information being unique identification information and the node devices included in the information communication system correspond to node identification information, wherein the memory unit memorizes, as the content catalogue information of the charge scope of the node device comprising the memory unit, the content catalogue information for searching the content data corresponding to the content identification information of which predetermined digits match those of the node identification information corresponding to the node device comprising the memory unit, wherein, in the node device, address information of a representative node device is memorized, the address information indicating an address of another node device connected to the node device, and wherein the representative node device is at least one of the node devices of which the address information is memorized, and the node device further comprising: a charge scope information memory unit which memorizes charge scope information indicative of a digit-number of the node identification information corresponding to the node device comprising the memory unit, the digit-number corresponding to the charge scope of the node device, and the digit-number which becomes smaller as the charge scope becomes large; wherein the memory unit memorizes the content catalog information for searching the content data corresponding to the content identification information of which a value of the number of digits matches the value of the number of digits of the node identification information corresponding to the node device comprising the memory unit, and wherein the first sending unit sends the search request information to the representative node device in accordance with the address information of the representative node device, the value of the address information of the representative node device corresponding to a value different from the value of the digits of the matching digit-number indicated by the charge scope information.