Patent ID: 8315979

Claim:
A node device configured to communicate with a plurality of other node devices via a network as part of an information communication system, the node device comprising: a memory configured to store first content data, first catalogue information that includes a first predetermined value that identifies the node device for storing the first content data in the memory, second catalogue information that includes a second predetermined value that identifies one or more of the plurality of the other node devices for storing second content data, and third catalogue information; and a processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions to cause the node device to: receive catalogue information comprising at least one of the first catalogue information and the second catalogue information, in combination with publication time information corresponding to a time that the first content data or the second content data was published in the network, respectively; apply a predetermined rule to determine whether the catalogue information received by the node device includes at least one of the first predetermined value and the second predetermined value; determine whether the catalogue information received by the node device is newly published in the network based on the publication time information received with that catalogue information; store the catalogue information received by the node device as the first catalogue information in the memory when the catalogue information received by the node device includes the first predetermined value; store the catalogue information received by the node device as the second catalogue information in the memory when the catalogue information received by the node device includes the second predetermined value; store the catalogue information received by the node device as the third catalogue information in the memory when the catalogue information received by the node device is determined to be newly published; and search at least one of the first catalogue information and the third catalogue information stored in the memory for the first content data and the second content data prior to searching the second catalogue information stored on the memory.