Patent ID: 8234354

Claim:
A file transfer method of transferring a plurality of digital data files using a multicast protocol from an information recording apparatus storing the plurality of digital data files via a network to a plurality of terminal devices, the method comprising: determining by the information recording apparatus, a matrix defining an order of transfers when transferring the plurality of digital data files to the plurality of terminal devices; and transferring by the information recording apparatus, the plurality of digital data files to the plurality of terminal devices in accordance with the matrix defining the order of transfers; wherein, in the step of determining the matrix, a correspondence between the plurality of terminal devices and the plurality of digital data files to be transferred to the plurality of terminal devices is expressed in the matrix, such that the plurality of terminal devices correspond to a plurality of rows and the plurality of digital data files correspond to a plurality of columns in the matrix, the matrix is arranged on a row-to-row basis in an ascending order of numbers of the digital data files to be received by the terminal devices, and the arranged matrix is rearranged on a column-to-column basis so that a priority of transfer is given to the terminal devices in an order from a top row to a bottom row of the plurality of rows of the rearranged matrix.