Patent ID: 7565354

Claim:
A content acquisition method of a content acquisition apparatus, comprising: transmitting request information from the content acquisition apparatus to an external section in response to a request for content data, said request information requesting address information of a plurality of content provision apparatus which provide providing said content data, and data size information of said content data; receiving, at the content acquisition apparatus from said external section said address information of said plurality of content provision apparatus which provide providing said content data, and said data size information of said content data, after transmitting said request information; determining, at the content acquisition apparatus division start positions and division end positions specifying division parts of said content data to request said content data in divided form from said plurality of content provision apparatus, based on the number of pieces of said address information and said data size information received by said information reception; transmitting, from the content acquisition apparatus division part request information including content identification information of said content data, and said division start positions and division end positions of said division parts of said content data, such that each said division part is requested from different said content provision apparatus; receiving, at the content acquisition apparatus said division parts from said plurality of content provision apparatus after transmitting said division part request information; temporarily storing said division parts received by said division part reception; and combining said division parts temporarily stored by said temporarily storing to restore said content data.